A Shakespearean Biography and Chronology
"All that is known with any degree of certainty concerning Shakespeare is that he was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, married and had children there, went to London, where he commenced acting and wrote poems and plays, returned to Stratford, made his will, died, and was buried."
George Steevens, Shakespeare scholar of the 18th century
Important Dates and Events
1485: Henry VII takes the throne, ends the War of the Roses
1534: Henry VIII breaks from the Catholic Church, establishes the Church of England
1558: Elizabeth I takes the throne
1564: Birth of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small market and trade town 100 miles NW of London
1576: Building of The Theatre, the first permanent structure in England for performing plays
1582: Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
1585-92: "The Lost Years": nothing certain known of Shakespeare's life or doings during this period
1588: Defeat of the Spanish Armada
1592: Shakespeare mentioned as a figure of some note in the busy London theatrical scene
1595: Shakespeare's company named "The Lord Chamberlain's Men," official actors to the Queen
1598: The Globe Theatre constructed on the south bank of the Thames
1603: Death of Elizabeth, accession of James I; Shakespeare's company re-named "The King's Men"
1608: Shakespeare's company acquires The Blackfriar, a more exclusive, indoor theatre
1611: Likely date of Shakespeare's unoffical retirement from London and return to Stratford
1616: Death of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon
1623: publication of The First Folio, titled Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies
A more-or-less likely list of the titles and dates of Shakespeare's Plays
| The Comedy of Errors (1588-93) | Love's Labor's Lost (1588-94) |
| Henry VI, part 2 (1590-91) | Henry VI, part 3 (1590-91) |
| Henry VI, part 1 (1591-92) | Richard III (1592-93) |
| Titus Andronicus (1592-94) | The Taming of the Shrew (1593-94) |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593-95) | Romeo and Juliet (1594-96) |
| Richard II (1595) | A Midsummer Night's Dream (1594-96) |
| King John (1596-97) | The Merchant of Venice (1596-97) |
| Henry IV, part 1 (1597) | Henry IV, part 2 (1597-98) |
| Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1600) | Henry V (1598-99) |
| Julius Caesar (1599-1600) | As You Like It (1599-1600) |
| Twelfth Night (1599-1600) | Hamlet (1600-01) |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597-1601) | Troilus and Cressida (1601-02) |
| All's Well That Ends Well (1602-04) | Othello (1603-04) |
| Measure for Measure (1604-05) | King Lear (1605-06) |
| Macbeth (1605-06) | Antony and Cleopatra (1606-07) |
| Timon of Athens (1605-06) | Coriolanus (1607-09) |
| Pericles (1608-09) | Cymbeline (1609-10) |
| The Winter's Tale (1610-11) | The Tempest (1611-12) |
| Henry VIII (1612-13) |
Shakespeare also composed and/or published the poems "Venus and Adonis" in 1592, "The Rape of Lucrece" in 1593-94, "The Phoenix and the Turtle" in 1600-01, and his Sonnets from 1593-1600.