William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised on April 26, 1564. Most scholars agree that he was born on April 23 and baptised 3 days later. When he was 18, he married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. Six months later, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susanna. Two years later, twins Hamnet and Judith followed. Shakespeare virtually disappeared from records until 1592, when several of his plays hit the London stage. He recieved criticism from Robert Greene. During this time, Shakespeare was not unrivaled. Other playwrights included Christopher Marlowe, who is known as Shakespeare's primary rival , Thomas Nashe, and Greene himself. However, Marlowe died after being stabbed and Shakespeare went on to dominate the world of theater in his time. of theater in his time. He performed with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which, after Queen Elizabeth died and King James took the throne, became the King's Men. In 1599, a partnership with the company built the Globe Theater, where the King's Men performed. He became the forefront playwright of his time. Shakespeare also wrote an astonishing 154 sonnets. Shakespeare retired to Stratford in his later years and died on April 23, 1616.