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William Shakespeare (c. 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) 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").
- Overview
- Life
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, when he was 18. They had three children: Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died at the age of 11.
Read more below: Shakespeare the man: Life
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
There is some dispute about how many plays Shakespeare wrote. The general consensus is 37.
Read more below: Chronology of Shakespeare’s plays
First Folio
Although the amount of factual knowledge available about Shakespeare is surprisingly large for one of his station in life, many find it a little disappointing, for it is mostly gleaned from documents of an official character. Dates of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; wills, conveyances, legal processes, and payments by the court—these are the dusty details. There are, however, many contemporary allusions to him as a writer, and these add a reasonable amount of flesh and blood to the biographical skeleton.
Britannica Quiz
Apr 2, 2024 · Learn about the life and works of William Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist of all time. Explore his early years, family, lost years, plays, poems, sonnets, and legacy.
Oct 3, 2011 · Learn about the life and works of William Shakespeare, the greatest English-speaking writer in history and England's national poet. Explore his childhood, family, career, legacy and the mysteries surrounding his life and death.
Learn about the life and works of William Shakespeare, the most famous playwright and poet of the English Renaissance. Explore his family, career, legacy, and quotes on this comprehensive website.
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William Shakespeare - Poet, Playwright, Bard | Britannica. Home Literature Poetry Poets L-Z. Shakespeare the poet and dramatist. The intellectual background. Shakespeare lived at a time when ideas and social structures established in the Middle Ages still informed human thought and behaviour.
William Shakespeare was an actor, playwright, poet, and theatre entrepreneur in London during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras. He was baptised on 26 April 1564 [a] in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England, in the Holy Trinity Church. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children.
