Who was William Shakespeare? It is most likely that one could hear his name, but not know much about him at all. William Shakespeare’s life was full of his many talents; his acting, plays, and poems are just three of his most known talents that clearly show in his writings.

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon in England (britannicakids.com). It is not known the exact date when he was born, however his birthdate and death date are both celebrated on April 23rd. John Shakespeare and Mary Shakespeare were his parents; His siblings names were: Joan, Margret, Gilbert, Joan, Anne, Richard, and Edmund (britannicakids.com). The older Joan and Margret unfortunately died before William was born (britannicakids.com). William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than him, in 1582. William and Anne had their first daughter, Susana, the next year. They had twins named Hamnet and Judith in 1585, but sadly Hamnet died when he was eleven in 1596. In 1592, William Shakespeare was recognized as an actor and a playwright. He retired from the theater and came back to Stratford-Upon-Avon in about 1612. In 1616, William Shakespeare died and was buried in the Chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford (britannicakids.com). Although he had passed away, William Shakespeare would be remembered for generations to come.
With William Shakespeare’s amazing poetry and writings, one may be surprised that he didn’t have much education. He went to a grammar school in Warwickshire until he was around fifteen (britannicakids.com). He never went to a university (britannicakids.com). “From about 1594 onward, Shakespeare was an important member of a theatrical company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men,” states Britannica Kids. No one knows much about what he did between 1583 and 1592, but he may have taught at a school (poets.org). It is actually much more likely that he would have been an apprentice as an actor in London. Although he did not get much of a formal education, William still excelled the arts.

William Shakespeare wrote many poems and plays. He wrote 154 sonnets, and if you pay close attention to the syllables, you will hear that they resemble the sound of a heartbeat. Some of his famous sonnets and poems include: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, “Hamlet, Act 3, To be or not to be”, “When in the Chronicle of Wasted Time”, “A Women’s Face with Nature’s own Hand Painted”, “Venus and Adonis”, “When I do Count the Clock That Tells Time”, “No Longer Mourn for me When I am Dead” (poets.org). William was a brilliant poet who wrote sonnets utilizing a difficult pattern, and did so many times over.

William was an influential playwright and poet in his own time and through every century since. When he was alive, he received many praises, like in 1598 when Francis Meres “praised him as England’s greatest playwright in comedy and tragedy,” Britannica Kids states. He also invented thousands of words that one would use every day (poets.org). Many schools today, mostly high schools, study Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets as well as William himself. “Shakespeare is often called the English national poet,” Britannica Kids tells us. His timeless praises and victories show that William really is “The English national poet.”

William Shakespeare’s exceptional talents in writing show throughout his plays and sonnets. His acting was equally fascinating , for Queen Elizabeth I relished in his plays and acting. “Had it not been for her, we might have never have known the work of William Shakespeare, who wrote the greatest series of plays in all history,” Good Queen Bess states. His poems and plays were beautify written, but little did he know that they would still be shared throughout the world hundreds of years later.