Shakespeare was born and raised in . At the age of 18, he married , with whom he had three children: , and twins and . Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in as an actor, writer, and part owner of a called the , later known as the . He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later.

Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as , , , and whether the works attributed to him were .