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William Shakespeare is widely accepted as one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language, producing loved and academically esteemed pieces of writing. His sonnets and plays have been successful during his lifetime and have augmented in this level of success in the centuries afterwards. His works have been read copiously and frequently performed throughout this time, from which appreciation has stemmed an interest in his life and career.

Regarding Shakespeare’s life little is known. What little we now know about Shakespeare’s life has been obtained predominantly from legal records and files. Few records were kept in Elizabethan and Jacobean England, making it hard for historians to be certain about certain aspects such as his birth, early life and career. However, knowledge regarding historical facts and the lifestyles of those living in Shakespeare’s time have been combined to provide an estimate of Shakespeare’s life and an approximation of reality.

Shakespeare was baptised presumably born on 23rd April 1564 and died on April 23rd 1616 . He was born and raised on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small country town in Warwickshire towards the South of England. He was the son of Mary Arden, a daughter of the landed gentry, and John Shakespeare, a successful glovemaker and alderman in the area. They had seven other children of which Shakespeare was the thirds but of which only one other survived.

Shakespeare’s education was most likely provided by King Edward VI Grammar School in central Stratford. Here Shakespeare is understood to have learned the grammar and literature of the Latin language, of which particular attention was paid to Latin plays. Other areas of education covered at school included mathematics, Greek and Roman Catholic religion. He left school at the end of fourteen and although it was customary for boys attending the school to continue their education at a university,...