William Shakespeare All the world s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts (As You Like It, Act II, Sc. VII) Who was William Shakespeare? Was that really his name? Did he live in Stratford-Upon-Avon? Did he write all the plays himself? Was he English? Was he Italian? Did he really exist? It is not easy to answer these questions, because William Shakespeare is an enigma. His story could even be called one of the biggest cover-up jobs1 in history! We know he was baptized on April 26th, 1564, because his baptism was registered, and his birthday is traditionally said to be on 23rd April. His father was John Shakespeare, a glove-maker, and a wellliked and respected citizen of Stratford. He almost became mayor of the town, but in the 1570 s he got into serious financial trouble which changed the family s life. His mother was Mary Arden, the daughter of a farmer. She was related to the Arden family, who were later involved in a Catholic plot2 against Queen Elizabeth in 1583. She had eight children, but her first two daughters, both died as babies. William was the third child, and he was followed by Gilbert, Joan (she lived the longest and died at 77), Anne, Richard and Edmund. The family lived in Henley Street over his father s workshop. William probably went to the local school, King s New School, in Chapel Lane, which was open to all boys from the 1. cover-up job: a plan to prevent something from becoming public. 2. plot: a secret plan. 4