Stratford upon Avon

This is the small town in rural England in which Shakespeare was born and grew up, to which he returned at the end of his life, and where he is buried. It is a small agricultural community built along the banks of the Avon River, and is now home to an expansive theatre festival that presents, almost exclusively, Shakespeare's works.

The Forest of Arden

This is a large expanse of forest to the north and west of Stratford which, for many years, belonged to the family of Shakespeare's mother, the Ardens. The name is used in Shakespeare's As You Like It, in which several characters take refuge from the various and numerous dangers of the world - and, at the same time, learn important truths about themselves and about life.

Lancashire

This English county was the likely destination for the late adolescent Shakespeare who, according...