Historical Figure
William Shakespeare
1564–1616
English playwright and poet (1564–1616)
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Key Dates
Birth
1564 April 23, 1564 →Death
1616 May 3, 1616 →Biography
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" or simply "the Bard". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Timeline
UNESCO International Day of the Book in honor of the death of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes on April 23, 1616.
April 23 →William Shakespeare is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, of which the authorship of some is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
April 23 →Playwright William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).
April 26 →In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a £40 bond for their marriage licence.
November 28 →In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a £40 (equivalent to £14,557 in 2023) bond in lieu of posting wedding banns, which enables them to marry immediately.
November 28 →William Shakespeare's ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance.
April 23 →William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, is entered on the Stationers' Register. By decree of Queen Elizabeth, the Stationers' Register licensed printed works, giving the Crown tight control over all published material.
July 22 →William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London.
November 1 →Shakespeare's sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
May 20 →William Shakespeare's play The Tempest is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London.
November 1 →More from the Renaissance
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