William Shakespeare
Key Facts
- Actor and playwright in London from 1592, co-founder and part-owner of the Globe Theatre (1599)
- Author of 37 plays spanning tragedies, comedies and history plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet
- 154 sonnets published in 1609: one of the most influential bodies of poetry in world literature
- Coiner of about 1,700 English words still in use: “bedroom”, “lonely”, “generous”, “uncomfortable”...
- His plays have been translated into every language and performed without interruption for more than 400 years
- Dies on April 23, 1616 in Stratford, the same year as Cervantes
- His work has inspired more than 400 film adaptations, more than any other writer
Biography
William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, England. Son of a prosperous glover and tradesman, he received a solid classical education at the local Grammar School, where he read Ovid, Virgil, and Latin playwrights. His life remains largely mysterious: no journals, no personal correspondence survive, and civil records concerning him can be counted on one hand, fuelling theories since the nineteenth century about his true identity.
Around 1585, Shakespeare moved to London, leaving behind his wife Anne Hathaway and three children. By 1592 his name appeared in London theatrical circles, where he was simultaneously an actor, playwright, and soon co-owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This company, placed under the protection of the Lord Chamberlain and then King James I (King's Men from 1603), was England's most renowned. In 1599, Shakespeare participated in the construction and management of the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames.
Between 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays covering all registers: the great tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth), light poetic comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing), romance plays (The Tempest, The Winter's Tale), and historical chronicles (Richard III, Henry V). His 154 sonnets, published in 1609, display unmatched poetic mastery. He is credited with inventing approximately 1,700 English words and expressions still in use today.
In 1613 a fire destroyed the Globe, and Shakespeare retired to Stratford. He died on 23 April 1616 (the same day as Cervantes by the Julian calendar) aged fifty-two. His plays are translated into every language and constantly adapted in film, opera, and theatre. He is the most performed playwright in history, and his language shaped modern English as few authors have.