3.  Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564  1 st school in Stratford  All boys  Latin  Graduated and probably worked for his father as a glover  Married Anne Hathaway, or perhaps Agnes Hathwey, or even Anne Whateley, spellings were hardly consistent in the 1500’s.  Either way he was only 18 while she was 26. (Go Billy)  They had lived together before they were married and she was pregnant during their wedding.  This was not considered so much of a scandal at the time.  She gave birth to twins: Judith and Hamnet.

4.  Hamnet died at age 11. Tragedy for the family.  Shakespeare left the family for London  He became an actor first (realized he wasn’t all that great) and then became a writer. (which he rocked at.)  His company was first named “Lord Chamberland’s Men”  The company consisted of 15 men and….no women. Women weren’t allowed in the theatre.  Lord Chamberland ran the royal household under Queen Elizabeth  Toured with his company while in his 20’s

5.  Now imagine, you’ve got a nickel. You decide to travel out of town to the other side of the Thames to find some good old fashion Saturday night entertainment. Now you’ve got bear-baiting (making dogs and bears fight to the death), prostitutes, or a play that you could attend. Shakespeare had to be a pretty darn good playwright to beat out gore filled bear-dog fights and prostitutes.

6.  Chamberland provided entertainment for Queen Elizabeth who loved the arts and theater in particular.  Shakespeare’s theatre, called “The Theater”, was taken apart and rebuilt on the other side of the Thames and renamed “The Globe”

8.  The general consensus is that Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in his career, although half of a 38 th was written. (Two Noble Kinsmen)  “Midsummer Night’s Dream” was written for a wedding event  Eventually Billy Shakes returned to his family and retired.  His daughter Judith then married  Drinking, at Judith’s wedding, he caught a fever, and thus left this world.

9.  Shakespeare passed away in 1616 and was buried under a church floor.  Ten years later in 1626 a collection of his works was organized by “Kings Men”  After the Restoration Period Shakespeare’s plays were revived.  A great many Broadway shows, Blockbuster hits, and modern straight plays have been anchored in Shakespeare and his plotlines.