Shakespeare's Life
Top Pick
Background on William Shakespeare - The British Library
Part of the British Library's archives, this site is great for information about William Shakespeare's life and the history of his works in print and performance. If you want a good overview of Shakespeare's works through time here is where you will find it.
Other Resources
Shakespeare's Life - Folger Shakespeare Library
An authoritative site for everything Shakespeare, this link leads to the section on Shakespeare's life on the Folger Shakespeare Library website. Here there is a good overview of what is known about Shakespeare as a person.
Run through an independent charity, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust cares for a variety of Shakespeare heritage sites. They also have some great information about Shakespeare, including a few blogs.
William Shakespeare - Wikipedia
A great place to start when getting to know a little about Shakespeare. Wikipedia offers an overview of Shakespeare's life and works, plus a bibliography of links to more resources. Note that the information on this site is controversial, so it is recommended that you explore the "Talk" section of the site to see the on-going debates this site inspires.
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
~ Macbeth, Act V, Scene 5