Shakespeare’s writings capture the range of human emotion and conflict and have been celebrated for more than 400 years. And yet, the personal life of William Shakespeare is somewhat a mystery. Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. Scant records exist of Shakespeare’s childhood and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. There are seven years of Shakespeare’s life where no records exist after the birth of his twins in 1585. It’s generally believed he arrived in London in the mid- to late 1580s and may have found work connected with theatres. By the early 1590s, documents show Shakespeare was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting company in London with which he was connected for most of his career. This company was named King’s Men. Records show that Shakespeare had works published and sold as popular literature. By 1592, there is evidence Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had several plays produced. By 1597, Shakespeare had already written and published 15 of his 37 plays. His writings covered several main themes: histories, tragedies, comedies and tragicomedies. Civil records show that at this time he purchased the second-largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his family.
Julius Caesar portrays upheaval in Roman politics. Altogether Shakespeare’s works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems including Romeo and Juliat, the Tempest etc.