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Period: 1563 to
Bubonic Plague Outbreaks
Between the time of 1563 and 1601, plague broke out five times in London. 1563 and 1603 were the worst years of the plague, taking out more than one quarter of London's population. The disease was transferred by fleas living in rats fur. If someone was to catch the disease, they would have fifty percent chance of survival. However if it spread to the lungs or bloodstream, the disease was fatal(Shakespeare online). Continued -
Period: 1563 to
Bubonic Plague Outbreaks Continued
This time span is significant because many people in London, during Shakespeare's time lived in fear and many died from it (Shakespeare Online). -
Apr 23, 1564
William Shakespeare's Birth
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was born on Henley Street, on the edge of town on Stratford-Upon-Avon. Shakespeare was baptized three days later, In the same town on April 26th, 1564. He was the child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, and was one of the five out of eight children who lived beyond childhood.This is significant because William grows up to be a professional playwright, but also has a great influence on the English dictionary today (Life & Times, 2). -
1568
Prince William revolts in Eightey Years War
William came from a German family and became Prince William of Orange in 1544. He was the leader of the Dutch Revolt against Prince II of Spain. William led two unsuccessful invasions of the provinces, that basically sparked the war. After the Eighty years war, the Dutch Republic was formed. This even is significant because if William had not taken on this role, the Netherlands would not have been able to succeed in the Eighty years war (Britannica). -
Period: 1571 to 1578
Shakespeare goes to Grammar School
In 1571, at the age of six, William is said to have gone to Grammar School. There is no actual record of Will attending grammar school, but from his fathers position, it's likely that John would want William to be educated. He learned writing skills from a Horn-book (ABC's) and his basic grammar. William primarily learned Latin, but some English too.(Shakespeare the Elizabethan,62). This is significant because going to grammar school put William on the track of becoming a author and playwright. -
Period: 1572 to
Sir Francis Drake Voyages around the World
Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate around the world. Drake Banded together his own group of voyagers that would later destroy Spanish ships and settlements while voyaging around the world. Between 1577 and 1580 Drake had Queen Elizabeth and her war party's financial support. In 1596, Drake became ill on board of the ship and died. This is an significant event because Francis would set England on a path for successful over seas voyaging (Britannica). -
1582
Anne & William get Married
In 1582, William married Anne Hathaway. At the time of their marriage, Anne was 26 and William was only 18 (Britannica). They payed a 40 pound-bond for their marriage license in Stratford. From the large gap in age, a story came about of how the two were said to be unhappy. It is said that the two lived separate lives, since Will spent, much of his time in London. This is important because it shows how William is growing up and starting a family, almost signifying adulthood (Life & Times, 2). -
William's Children are Born
Six months after William and Anne get married, their first daughter, Susanna is born. On May 26, 1583, she was baptized. Two years later, Anne gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Hamnet and Judith. The two were named after close friends of William and Anne, Hamnet and Judith Sadler. Years later, when Hamnet was young, he died of an unknown cause. These events are significant because it caused William pain and would inspire him to write plays such as Hamlet later on in life (Britannica). -
Sir Walter Raleigh Discovers America continued
This event is important because this is one of the first expeditions that would benefit the path of later expeditions and settlements in the future colonies of America (Britannica). -
Sir Walter Raleigh Discovers Virginia
Raleigh founded three important expeditions to America. One of them in, 1584, was in present day North Carolina and part of Florida (History). Naming the area he had explored "Virginia", after their beloved Virgin Queen, Elizabeth. A few settlements were made off islands on the coast of North Carolina, but none survived. One of the expeditions included the ill fated Roanoke Settlement(Britannica). Continued -
Period: to
"The Lost Years"
Until 1592, William has no record of doing anything. Some historians think that William joined an acting company that was going through Stratford. Others believed he worked as a school teacher or traveled across Europe (Bio.com). In 1584 their was an account of William being caught hunting, on a local politicians estate (History. com). This time is significant because these years are when Shakespeare is thought to have grown his experience in theater and established himself as a dramatist. -
Greene Attacks Shakespeare
By 1592, Shakespeare was seen in London as a playwright and actor. In September, William was accused by Robert Greene of borrowing from the plays of other playwrights. He called William a "Upstart crow" in his pamphlet. But, many historians think it was Greene's way of saying Shakespeare had reached Green's rank and was even better. This is a significant event because it shows how popular Shakespeare had become and how well his work was doing (History). -
Romeo and Juliet is Published
Shakespeare had already written and published 15 plays (Bio. com editors). The most iconic Shakespearean play was "Romeo and Juliet". It was written from 1594-1596, but published in 1597. Shakespeare's influence of the plot for this play was from a poem called " The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet" (Britannica). Publishing this play was significant in William's life because it made his career as a playwright take off, from the popularity of the well-liked play. -
Globe Theater is Built
In between 1596 and 1599, William had been involved in Lord Chamberlain's Men. Who had the best actor, Robert Burbage, who competed for profit in the heater industry. The company proceeded to profit from their plays, and it was decided that the Globe Theater would be built, The company needed its' own playhouse. In the fall of 1599, the Globe theater was finished. This is significant because William became a full time professional playwright & shared his success with the other men (Britannica). -
Hamlet is written
The play Hamlet was written between 1599 and 1601. Hamlet is one of the most popular plays written for Shakespeare (History). The Inspiration to write the play came from when his son, Hamnet died at age 11 from an unknown cause. Others say that William plagiarized a play written in the Elizabethan days, but there was no evidence of the original play (Britannica). This is significant because it shows the progression of Shakespeare's interest in taking plays and rewriting them into new ones. -
Colony of Jamestown is founded
Named after King James I of England, Jamestown was founded on May 15, 1607. It was the first English colony which was its own permanent settlement. The settlement consisted of 144 settlers, who chose a swampy area of land to protect themselves of Indians. The settlement later discovered tobacco, which would soon become a staple good (Historyrocket). This event is important because this settlement is the first settlement of America that would be successful and encourage movement to the new lands. -
Galileo Constructed 1st Astronomical Telescope
In 1610 Galileo built a telescope. It consisted of many lenses that began with an opticians glass that was placed at either end of the cylinder. In the telescope, the "objective" lens was convex. The eye glass was concave. This is important because when Galileo recorded what he saw while looking through the telescope it changed the entire world of astronomical research. A revolution in astronomy begun and the telescope was changed and reconfigured many times, to this day (Universe today). -
Shakespeare's Death
In 1612, William retired from his job, and moved back to Stratford-Upon-Avon. . At the age of 52, still wise and bright as before, William passed away on April 23, in 1616 in Stratford. He was buried in the chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford. A monument of Shakespeare is in the Chancel, on the north wall, built in 1623 (Encyclopedia World Database). This is significant because William Shakespeare is and was such a big influence on Literature in our world today.
