William Shakespeare was born on an undetermined date in April of 1564 and lived until April 23, 1616 (which several scholars believe was also the day of his birth). The only primary source records of his life are his plays, poems, and sonnets, as well as various official records, such as court and church documents. Because of this, much has to be inferred about Shakespeare's life. Over time, he became prominent as an actor, playwright, and manager for the London acting company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and bought the second-largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon. His investments in real estate brought him extra income and gave him time to focus on his writing.
The cause of Shakespeare's death is unknown. His brother-in-law had died a week earlier, so there may have been a disease spreading. However, that is only a possibility.
One of the things that interests people about Shakespeare's death is his will. In it, he leaves most of his estate to his eldest daughter, Susanna. Many note that he left his wife, Anne, the "second-best bed." Some see this as a slight; Shakespeare married her when he was 18 and she was 26 and pregnant, and so he may have resented her. Still, others argue that the second-best bed would be the marital bed (the best bed being reserved for guests) and so the request was sentimental, not spiteful. Like much of Shakespeare's life and thoughts, we can only guess about the truth.
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