William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest dramatists in the world.
However, we do not know exactly when he was born due to the fact that in the period he lived, there were no documents which certified his birth.
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William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed he was born on or near April 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as William Shakespeare's birthday. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund.
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On November 28, 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He was 18 and she was 26. A year later, they had their first child, a daughter called Susanna. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at the age of 11.
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Shakespeare lived to know one of his four grandchildren. Elizabeth Hall was his only grandchild to marry. She had no children so there are no direct descendants of William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare died in his birthplace in April, 1616. He was recognized as one of the greatest English playwrights of his era. He has come to be seen as not only a great English playwright, but the greatest playwright in the English language.
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