William Shakespeare the man

He was baptised on the 26th April 1564 and know one knows when he was actually born. He died on the 23rd of April 1616. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.

Shakespeare's first plays were written in the conventional style of the day. He wrote them in a stylised language that does not always spring naturally from the needs of the characters or the drama. His most famous plays are: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and The tempest.

In Shakespeare's day, English grammar, spelling and pronunciation were less standardised than they are now, and his use of language helped shape modern English. Expressions such as "with bated breath“ and "a foregone conclusion" have found their way into everyday English speech.