INTRODUCTION TO THE BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Will lived for 52 years as his bio confirms. In just 23 years, between approximately 1590 and 1613, he is attributed with writing 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 5 other poems. He is the most widely read of all Authors and the popularity of the Life and Works of Shakespeare, in English speaking countries, is second only to the Bible. It is therefore no surprise that Shakespeare's biography, or bio, sparks so much interest. We have categorised his Biography, or bio, into sections to facilitate easy reference. These range from a section on his ancestors to his education and from his brothers and sisters to his acting career. For a quick and simple question and answer format we highly recommend the following website: William Shakespeare Biography A COMPREHENSIVE WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE BIOGRAPHY
Due to amount of information available we have detailed the biography of the Bard in specific sections. Information about the Life and Works of Shakespeare together with the comprehensive Biography and Timelines can be accessed via the relevant links provided below. THE MYSTERIES
The documented references in the William Shakespeare biography can be used as a framework on which to build a picture of the life of Shakespeare and these can be accessed via the Facts section of this site and the links below but this still leaves us with many unanswered questions and mysteries surrounding...
The 'Lost Years', his actual appearance, his plays, his sonnets, his breadth of knowledge and the Identity Problem to name but a few! Difficult when compiling his Biography. What do we know about the history of his ancestors? How far can his family tree be traced ? What was his mother, Mary Arden and father John Shakespeare like ? What backgrounds did they come from ? Why did they live in Stratford ? Was his father successful ? Who were his brothers and sisters ? How many siblings did he have ? How long did they live ? What were their lives like ? Did they attend school ? What was the Bard's childhood like ? What was life like for him growing up in the Elizabethan era in Stratford ? When did he get his first taste for drama ? Were plays performed at school ? What sort of Education was available ? What was a Petty School ? And what was the level of education given in the Stratford Grammar School ? The Tudor Alphabet - Why old documents of the era can be difficult to read ! What entertainment was there in Stratford ? Which acting troupes visited Stratford and how was Shakespeare's father involved with them ? Why was it difficult to travel during the Elizabethan era ? Why did the Bard have to leave school ? What likely events took place before his marriage to Anne Hathaway - known as the Lost Years of 1578 - 1582? What do we know of his courtship and marriage to Anne Hathaway - the older woman who was pregnant ? How would the scandal have effected the family ? And what about the life of Anne Hathaway - we have compiled a comprehensive biography piecing together her life with the Stratford Bard Who were the children of the Bard ? What sort of lives did they lead ? Were they literate ? What scandal was caused by one of the children and rocked the family ? Were there any grandchildren ? Are their any direct descendents ? What were the rumours about an illegitimate son ? Who was the mother ? Facts are included in his biography What events may have occurred during the second Lost Years between between marriage to Anne Hathaway and the London Theatre from 1585 - 1592 ?
THE ANSWERS TO MANY OF THESE QUESTIONS!
The life of the Bard is complex and his life has been covered in detail via the links below Biography of William Shakespeare - Ancestors of the playwright - History and facts about the family tree 
William Shakespeare Parents - Mother and Father - Mary Arden and John Shakespeare William Shakespeare siblings - his brothers and sisters - Joan, Margaret, Gilbert, Anne, Richard and Edmund Elizabethan Crime and Punishment Elizabethan Wedding Customs Elizabethan Women
Elizabethan Education - The Petty School and Grammar School - The Elizabethan alphabet Stratford upon Avon - Life during the Elizabethan era William Shakespeare Biography - The Lost Years 1578 - 1582 between leaving school and marrying Anne Hathaway Biography of William Shakespeare - His courtship, wedding and marriage to Anne Hathaway Biography of Anne Hathaway - Wife of Shakespeare - her family, life in Stratford, marriage, children and grandchildren Biography - Children and Grandchildren Judith, Hamnet, Susanna - Shakespeare, Richard and Thomas Shakespeare Biography - Sir William Davenant, actor - Godson and rumoured to be the Bard's illegitimate child William Shakespeare Biography - The Lost Years 1582 - 1592 between marriage to Anne Hathaway and the London Theatre | 
