William Shakespeare was born in an English market town called Stratford-upon-Avon in the year 1564. His baptism was recorded on April 26, 1564, and in view of the fact that babies are usually baptized on the third day, it is commonly thought that he was born on April 23, though there is no actual account of this. Being the third child after two daughters that had died, John and Mary Shakespeare were worried that William would not live either. …showed first 75 words of 372 total…

…showed last 75 words of 372 total…late 1580s and early 1590s, Shakespeare traveled back and forth between London and Stratford-on-Avon. By 1592, Shakespeare was fairly well known and recognized as an actor and a playwright. From the summer of 1592 to the summer of 1594, the plague kept the London theaters closed most of the time, so Shakespeare turned to writing poetry. When the theaters finally reopened, Shakespeare turned back to writing plays. He wrote Romeo & Juliet between 1594 and 1595 and it was published in 1597.