Who was Shakespeare?

There are not many solid facts about Shakespeare.  Most people can agree that he was born in 1564 and lived in England.  His parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden.  His father was a landowner and glovemaker.  He was married at 18 to Anne Hathaway.  They had a daughter and then two twin girls, but one died.  He died in 1616 and is said to have written or collaborated on 32 total plays.  To find this, I googled "Who was Shakespeare?" And I was sent to this website~ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

Shakespeare scares most students.  I know that I dread it.  Old English writing is so difficult to understand, and with the iambic pentameter causing some words to be shortened, you can't just skim along or read for enjoyment.  I have to really study it and take it slow, piecing it together.  I have to read it more than once.  If I only read it once I have absolutely no idea what is going on.  I am learning to understand the writing a little bit better through practice, but it is still difficult.  I think that the more I see it and read it, the easier it will be to comprehend.