William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. His exact birth date is unknown, but he was baptized on April 26, 1564, and April 23 is traditionally observed as his birthday. His father, John Shakespeare, was a successful local businessman and civic official, while his mother was Mary Arden. Shakespeare probably attended Stratford's grammar school, where he would have studied Latin classics and literature.

In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. They had three children: Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died in childhood in 1596. Records of Shakespeare's activities during part of the late 1580s are limited, but by 1592 he was established as an actor and playwright in London.

Shakespeare became an important member of the London theatrical world. He worked as an actor and playwright and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which was renamed the King's Men after James I became king in 1603. In 1599, the company built the Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed.

His dramatic works cover comedies, histories, tragedies and romances. Among his best-known plays are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest and The Winter's Tale. The Folger Shakespeare Library notes that 38 plays is the generally accepted number, although questions of authorship and collaboration remain for some works.

Shakespeare was also a major poet. He published the long poems Venus and Adonis in 1593 and Lucrece in 1594. His 154 sonnets were first published together in 1609 and became an important part of the English literary canon.

Shakespeare accumulated considerable wealth through his theatrical career, including his interests in the King's Men and the Globe Theatre, as well as through property investments in Stratford. He purchased New Place, one of the largest houses in Stratford, in 1597. During his later years he spent increasing amounts of time in Stratford, although the precise timing of his permanent return from London remains uncertain.

Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1616, according to the traditional date recorded in the memorial tradition. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church. Seven years after his death, colleagues from the King's Men helped publish the First Folio in 1623, preserving 18 plays that otherwise might not have survived.

More than four centuries after his death, Shakespeare's plays and poems continue to be performed, studied and translated around the world. His surviving works are regarded as major contributions to English literature and theatre.