Happy Birthday, Will! (Whenever It Is!)

It's William Shakespeare's Birthday Week!

We don't know for sure his date of birth -- the parish records at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon (which still survive) indicate that he was baptized on April 26, 1654. Parents usually waited a few days before bringing their newborns to church for the ceremony, so it might be that William (or Gugliemus in the Latin of the record book) was born on April 24 or even April 22. But because April 23 is the feast of St. George, the patron saint of England (just ask Henry V), it made sense for early fans of Shakespeare to choose that day for one of England's greatest playwrights and poets. 

We do know a fair amount about Shakespeare's life. The Folger Shakespeare Library has gathered together information and documents in one virtual place. Please visit and explore.

https://www.folger.edu/shakespeares-life