William Shakespeare (around April 23, 1564 – April 23, 1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is often seen as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s top dramatist. Many call him England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon.” Shakespeare’s works include about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. His influence on the English language is significant, and his works are still studied and reinterpreted today.
Shakespeare was born and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway, and they had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he started a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a theater company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men after King James VI of Scotland became king of England. Around the age of 49, around 1613, he seems to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Not much is known about Shakespeare’s private life, leading to speculation about his appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether others wrote his works.
Shakespeare created most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, which are considered some of the best in those genres. After that, he mostly wrote tragedies until 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all regarded as some of the finest works in English. In the last part of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also called romances) such as The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest and worked with other writers.
