William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor who lived from April 23rd, 1564 to April 23, 1616. He is sometimes referred to as "the Bard" and is England's national poet. It is not known what day he was born, but the date picked, April 23 (also St. George's Day), was picked because it was the same day he died and has now become a tradition in England.
There is debate among scholars about whether or not Shakespeare actually wrote all of his plays, or if he took some poorly-written plays by others and polished them up. Some even postulate that Shakespeare's works were written by contemporaries such as Francis Bacon.
Life[]
Childhood[]
Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, was a glover, or a glove maker, and was originally from Warwickshire. His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of an affluent landowning family. William Shakespeare was the third of eight children and the eldest surviving son. Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is 100 miles (160.934 km) on April 26th, 1564, meaning that his actual birthdate, which is unknown, was likely a few days before. He had two younger sisters, both of which did not survive childhood.
Shakespeare was likely educated at King's New School in Stratford, England, which was about 400 meters, or a quarter-mile, away from his house. He likely attended school until age 15.
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Adulthood and career[]
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Writing style[]
Shakespeare's works are considered to be an example of the "Early Modernist" trend of plays becoming entertaining instead of religious. They are notable for their depth of character and historical setting. Fantastical details are somewhat common.
Plays[]
Tragedies[]
- Hamlet
- Romeo and Juliet
- Macbeth
- Julius Ceasar
- Othello
- Antony and Cleopatra
- Coriolanus
- King Lear
- Timon of Athens
- Titus Andronicus
- Troilus and Cressida
Comedies[]
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Twelfth Night
- As You Like It
- The Merchant of Venice
- The Taming of The Shrew
- All's Well That Ends Well
- The Comedy of Errors
- Love's Labor's Lost
- Measure for Measure
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
- The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- The Two Noble Kinsmen
Romances[]
- Cymbeline
- Pericles
- The Tempest
- The Winter's Tale
Histories[]
- Henry IV, Part One
- Henry IV, Part Two
- Henry V
- Henry VI, Part One
- Henry VI, Part Two
- Henry VI, Part Three
- Henry VIII
- King John
- Richard II
- Richard III
Fictional Appearances[]
Literary Appearances[]
- The Land of Stories (Referenced by name, and called "Will Shakeyfruit")
- The Stratford Man novels by Elizabeth Bear
- Sandman series by Neil Gaiman (alternate names include Shakespear and Shaxberd)
- Marvel 1602: The Fantastick Four
- Kill Shakespeare comic series
- Doctor Who: A Groatsworth of Wit by Gareth Roberts
- Doctor Who: The Empire of Glass by Andy Lane
Film and TV Appearances[]
- Gnomeo & Juliet animated movie
- Shakespeare in Love
- The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III
- Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code
- Peabody & Sherman
- Blackadder Back & Forth
- The Twilight Zone: The Bard
See also[]
- Kit Marlowe
- Francis Bacon
Sources[]
- Wikipedia
- Folger's Shakespeare Library (Shakespeare's Life)
- Folger's Shakespeare Library (His plays)
- Tor website