My Early Years

I was born on April in the year of 1564 (I'm unsure about the exact date of my birth) in a house on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. I do, however, know that I was baptized at Holy Trinity Church on April 26th. I am the third out of eight children and also the first son.

My father, John Shakespeare, made and sold leather goods like purses, belts and gloves. My mother, Mary Shakespeare, is the daughter of Robert Arden. My father served in government positions for quite a while until he began to accumulate debt and his status eventually declined by 1586. When he began to have trouble with money, I worked as an apprentice for him.

I went to school at the Stratford Grammar School where I learned Latin grammar and where I began to love Latin authors.

However, I'm not going to tell you how long I stayed in school.