A complete, authoritative account of Shakespeare's life is lacking, and thus much supposition surrounds relatively few facts. It is commonly accepted that he was born in 1564, and it is known that he was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He third of eight children, he was educated at the local grammar school. As the eldest son, Shakespeare ordinarily would have been apprenticed to his father's shop so that he could learn and eventually take over the business, but according to one account he was apprenticed to a butcher because of declines n his father's financial situation. According to another account, he became a schoolmaster. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had a daughter in 1583 and twins-a boy and a girl- in 1585. The boy did not survive.Shakespeare apparently arrived in London about 1588 and by 1592 had attained success as an actor and a playwright. Shakespeare's modern reputation however is based primarily on the 38 plays that he apparently wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Although generally popular in his time, these plays were frequently little esteemed by his educated contemporaries, who considered English plays of their own day to be vulgar entertainment. ...
