Publication details of Romeo and Juliet:

Written in the mid-1590s. First published in 1597, and later appeared in the First Folio of 1623.

Other literary works include:

The Rape of Lucrece (1594)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1600)
Macbeth (1606)
The Tempest (1611)

Born:

23rd April, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon

Early years:

Eldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare. Baptized on 26th of April in the Anglican parish church in Stratford.

Schooling:

Shakespeare attended the Stratford Grammar School, where he was exposed to a "standard" Elizabethan curriculum, (strong on Greek and Latin literature, rhetoric, and Christian ethics). He left school in 1579, at the age of 15, and did not pursue formal education.

Career:

Shakespeare emerged as a professional actor in the late-1580s, but the life he led before this is difficult to trace. He might have worked for a butcher, in addition to helping run his father's business. It is believed, though, that he worked at some point as a schoolmaster in the country. There's also some evidence to suggest that he was a 'tradesman and glover', and held several public offices, includes that of bailiff (or mayor). The 'missing years', as they are often known, fall into two periods, 1578 to 1582, and 1585 to 1592. At this time he must have been perfecting his dramatic skills and collecting material for the plots of his plays. He was an established author in London by the end of 1592, and several of his plays were already popular at this time (Henry VI, The Comedy of Errors). Before Shakespeare became associated with the Globe Theatre, which relocated to Barkside, London, in 1599, he was a member of a theatre company known as the Chamberlain's Men, and performed at the Swan, the Curtain, and the Theatre.

Final years:

In 1597, Shakespeare purchased a spendid Tudor Mansion in his hometown, Stratford, known as New Place. Between 1597 and 1611, he spent most of his time in London during the theatrical season, but remained active in Stratford, particularly as an investor in grain. In 1610, six years before he died, Shakespeare went into semi-retirement at the relatively young age of 46.

Died:

He died on or about 23rd April, 1616, of unknown causes.