Theory:Timeline - William Shakespeare

This page lists appearances of William Shakespeare in the order in which he experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed that for each novel, comic or television series, their published, broadcast or numbered order is the order they occur in.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as The Whoniverse, Doctor Who Reviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks databanks and the Big Finish forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Timeline

 * 1564 - PROSE: The Book of the War
 * Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon.


 * 1572 - AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks
 * As a child, Shakespeare is displaced to the 21st century, where he meets the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard.


 * PROSE: Apocrypha Bipedium
 * The Doctor is trying to return the young. Shakespeare to his own time.


 * Ultimately, he succeeds. (AUDIO: Foreshadowing)


 * 1582: PROSE: A History of Humankind
 * Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway. His daughter Susanna is born shortly afterwards.


 * 1585: PROSE: A History of Humankind
 * His twins Judith and Hamnet are born.


 * 1592 - COMIC: A Groatsworth of Wit
 * Shakespeare meets the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler.


 * 30 May 1593 - PROSE: All Done with Mirrors
 * The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane help fake Christopher Marlowe's death, so Marlowe can adopt his alias of Shakespeare permanently.


 * 1597 - AUDIO: The Kingmaker
 * After sharing a drink with the Fifth Doctor, Shakespeare stows away in the TARDIS, which ultimately leads to him being apparently killed in King Richard III of England's place at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485, while Richard returns to 1597 to take Shakespeare's identity and place in history.


 * COMIC: A Rose by Any Other Name
 * A Richard III-quoting King at Bosworth is saved on the battlefield by the appearance of a unicorn as a result of Rose-the-Cat's meddling. If the timelines were restored following this event, both William Shakespeare and King Richard may have been sent back to their rightful place in history, their memories erased, which could explain why no other source supports the supposed switcheroo.


 * 1599 - TV: The Shakespeare Code
 * Shakespeare meets the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. He decides he will write about father-son relationships, the main theme of Hamlet.


 * TV: The Chase / PROSE: The Chase
 * Shakespeare meets Elizabeth I and Francis Bacon, the latter of whom gives him the idea to write about Hamlet.


 * PROSE: Notes on a Play
 * Shakespeare writes his first thoughts on the plot of Hamlet.


 * 1601 - AUDIO: The Hollow Crown
 * Shakespeare meets the First Doctor and recalls the events of The Shakespeare Code, which was seemingly his last encounter with the Doctor.


 * PROSE: The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor
 * The Fourth Doctor assists Shakespeare in drafting Hamlet.


 * 1605 - PROSE: Honeymoon Horrors
 * Shakespeare meets Amy Pond and Rory Williams at a performance of Romeo and Juliet.


 * 1609 - PROSE: The Empire of Glass
 * Shakespeare meets the First Doctor but has his memory of the encounter erased by Irving Braxiatel. He recalls the events of The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor.


 * 1616 - PROSE: The Empire of Glass
 * Shakespeare is visited on his deathbed by Braxiatel who returns his memories of their encounter in exchange for his lost plays.