Ernest o mondorf biography of william shakespeare

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Shakespeare's Last Will and Testament

For all his fame and celebration, William Shakespeare remains a mysterious figure with regards to personal history.

There are just two primary sources for information on the Bard: his works, and various legal and church documents that have survived from Elizabethan times.

Ernest o mondorf biography of william shakespeare

Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of information, which tells us little about Shakespeare the man.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564. Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564.

Young William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a landed local heiress. William, according to the church register, was the third of eight children in the Shakespeare household—three of whom died in childhood.

John Shakespeare had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bai