William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford. His birthday is celebrated on 23 April every year.

There is no record of his birth, but this date is thought to be his birthday as we know he was baptised three days later on 26 April 1564. It is also St George's Day. Shakespeare was one of seven children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Three of his siblings died in childhood, two of them from a plague that hit Stratford the year Shakespeare was born. Shakespeare's father may well have been illiterate, despite achieving a high rank in business and politics. Later in life, Shakespeare's father fell on hard times and had debts, but it is likely his son attended King's New School in Stratford for free because of his temporary status. Shakespeare went to London to find work in theatres During his life he wrote numerous plays and poems which were very popular.

The first theatres in the country were built during the Tudor period. London's Globe Theatre was built in 1599 and destroyed by fire 14 years later. William Shakespeare made the Globe the most famous theatre in the country. The new Globe theatre was opened in 1997 and 16th century building methods were used to construct it.

The Globe Theatre Costumes were fabulous - sumptuous materials, vivid colors and extremely costly. The costumes did not always reflect the correct period of the Play. The Globe actors generally wore the dress of their own time. Some were specifically made for the actors and some were donated by rich patrons. The Globe plays had to be produced in a great hurry in order to ensure a rapid turnover of new material and performances for the insatiable Elizabethan audience and to beat the competition from rival theatres. Not enough time was available to build up a ready made store of costumes which reflected the correct period of the play. The costumes in a play, such as Julius Caesar, would have been easier to develop as togas are relatively easy to make. In this instance a combination of Roman clothes and Elizabethan clothing might well have been seen together.

Some of Shakespeares popular plays were...

In the 17th century, the presence of witches reached incredible attention with accusations and executions of people accused of witchcraft. The fear caused by these trials and executions spurred many people to become the accuser rather than become the accused. The snowball effect this caused culminated in a mass hysteria in Europe and the colonies. Today, it is speculated that many of the people who were accused and ultimately executed for witchcraft were innocent.

4.The canon was fired during a performance of King Henry VIII 5.The thatched roof caught on fire 6.Fire would have spread quickly - the building was made of wood

1.On June 29th 1613 fire broke out at the Globe Theatre - William Shakespeare would not have been in the theatre at the time of the fire as he had retired to Stratford-upon-Avon 2.A canon had been used for special effects, heralding grand entrances! 3.The canon was loaded with gunpowder and wadding 4.The canon was fired during a performance of King Henry VIII 5.The thatched roof caught on fire 6.Fire would have spread quickly - the building was made of wood In 1614 the Globe Theatre was rebuilt, so there were in fact two original Globe Theatres!