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William Shakespeare
Born April 23, 1564 (1564–1616)·d. April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (aged 52)
Theatre
Updated 41 days ago·6 sources·Low confidence·Stale
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.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2 Principal Houses
Career brief
William Shakespeare stands as the singular colossus of English-language drama, a playwright whose thirty-seven works and 154 sonnets have transcended four centuries to remain the cornerstone of theatrical repertoire worldwide. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon during the reign of Elizabeth I, Shakespeare emerged from provincial obscurity to become the defining voice of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, crafting comedies, tragedies, and histories that plumb the depths of human experience with unmatched psychological insight and linguistic virtuosity. His active career, spanning from approximately 1590 through the early 1610s, traces a remarkable artistic evolution: from early comedies of wit and romantic entanglement (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night) through the towering psychological tragedies—Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear—that remain unsurpassed in their exploration of human ambition, jealousy, and mortality.
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Spotlight
Career Trajectory
Shakespeare emerged from provincial Stratford to become the defining voice of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, crafting comedies, tragedies, and histories that established the template for dramatic literature. His career arc traced a remarkable evolution from early works of romantic comedy to the towering psychological tragedies that remain unsurpassed in their exploration of human ambition, jealousy, and mortality. Through his thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets, he created a body of work that has endured for four centuries as the supreme achievement of the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatic canon.
Career Highlight
Authored thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that established the foundation of English-language drama and remain the most performed and studied works in world theatre (1590–1613)
Training & Education
King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
Principal Houses
Engagements
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Available Performances
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