William Shakespeare Guide
William Shakespeare timeline
Shakespeare’s life is documented unevenly. This chronology separates secure events from approximate dates and later traditions.
Baptism in Stratford
William Shakespeare is baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 26 April. His exact birth date is unknown; 23 April is traditional.
John Shakespeare becomes bailiff
Shakespeare’s father serves as bailiff, the leading civic office in Stratford.
Probable grammar-school education
William almost certainly studies Latin, rhetoric and classical authors at the King’s New School, though no register survives.
Marriage to Anne Hathaway
A licence is issued in late November. William is 18 and Anne about 26.
Susanna is baptised
Their first child is baptised on 26 May.
Twins are baptised
Hamnet and Judith are baptised on 2 February. The poorly documented “lost years” follow.
Known as a London playwright
Robert Greene’s Groats-Worth of Wit mocks an “upstart Crow”, widely read as a reference to Shakespeare.
Venus and Adonis
With theatres affected by plague closures, Shakespeare publishes his first long narrative poem.
Lucrece and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men
The Rape of Lucrece appears; Shakespeare becomes a founding sharer of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
Hamnet dies
Shakespeare’s only son is buried on 11 August, aged 11. John Shakespeare receives a coat of arms.
New Place
Shakespeare buys one of Stratford’s largest houses.
The Theatre is dismantled
Timbers from James Burbage’s Shoreditch playhouse are moved across the Thames.
The Globe opens
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men build their Bankside amphitheatre. Henry V and Julius Caesar belong around this year.
John Shakespeare dies
Shakespeare’s father dies in Stratford.
The King’s Men
After James I’s accession, the company receives royal patronage and a new name.
Susanna marries John Hall
Their daughter Elizabeth, Shakespeare’s last direct descendant, is born in 1608.
Mary Arden dies
Shakespeare’s mother dies. Around 1608–09 the King’s Men begin using the indoor Blackfriars.
The Sonnets are published
Thomas Thorpe publishes 154 sonnets with a mysterious dedication to “Mr. W. H.”
The Globe burns
On 29 June a stage cannon used during Henry VIII sets the thatch alight. Around this period Shakespeare largely retires to Stratford.
The Globe is rebuilt
The King’s Men reopen their amphitheatre.
Will, death and burial
Shakespeare signs his will on 25 March, dies on 23 April and is buried on 25 April.
First Folio and Anne’s death
Heminges and Condell publish 36 plays. Anne Hathaway dies on 6 August and is buried beside her husband.
The theatres close
Parliament orders the playhouses closed. The Globe is demolished around 1644–45.
Rowe’s edition
Nicholas Rowe’s illustrated edition includes an engraving of Shakespeare’s Stratford monument.
Garrick’s Jubilee
David Garrick’s Stratford celebration accelerates Shakespeare tourism and “Bardolatry”.
The Birthplace is secured
Shakespeare’s Birthplace is bought for the nation.
A reconstructed Globe opens
The Sam Wanamaker-led reconstruction opens near the original Bankside site.
A living global legacy
Shakespeare’s works remain translated, taught, adapted and performed around the world.
Sources & further reading
These organisations publish primary texts, collections, research and visitor information. External links do not imply affiliation.