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William Shakespeare William Shakespeare, a man, a poet, a playwright, and an actor. “The Bard,” as Shakespeare was known remains a mystery still today. The primary sources for Shakespeare’s background is his works, legal, and church records. Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems, of which many historians don’t believe Shakespeare, actually wrote. Shakespeare’s Childhood This is a portrait of Shakespeare at a later age. William Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564 on Henley Street of Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare was baptized April 26, 1564 at the Holy Trinity Church. Shakespeare’s father was John Shakespeare, who was a glove maker and a leather merchant. John had great success in his career, but that success turned to failure in the 1570’s. Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden was a landed heiress. Mary and John had eight children of which Shakespeare was the third. Shakespeare’s childhood is actually an assumption formed by historians. This assumption mainly deals with Shakespeare’s education. Shakespeare supposedly went to the local grammar school, for free, where he learned Latin and Greek. Shak