William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare ( 26 see § Early life below.}} 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"). 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.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them ''Hamlet'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Othello'', ''King Lear'', and ''Macbeth'', all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time". Provided by Wikipedia
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  1. 1

    Love's labour's lost / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1982
    Book
  2. 2

    The sonnets / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1997
    Publisher description
    Book
  3. 3

    Othello / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1968
    Book
  4. 4

    King Henry the Fifth. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1967
    Book
  5. 5

    The second part of King Henry the Fourth / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1977
    Book
  6. 6

    The tragedy of Macbeth / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1992
    Book
  7. 7

    Measure for measure. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1970
    Book
  8. 8

    The life of King Henry the Fifth. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1972
    Book
  9. 9

    The tragedy of King Richard the Second. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1970
    Book
  10. 10

    The history of Henry IV [part one] / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1965
    Book
  11. 11

    Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1970
    Book
  12. 12

    Antony and Cleopatra. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1970
    Book
  13. 13

    Antony and Cleopatra / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1971
    Book
  14. 14

    The merchant of Venice / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1967
    Book
  15. 15

    King Lear / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1993
    Book
  16. 16

    King Henry VIII. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1966
    Book
  17. 17

    Cymbeline. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1966
    Book
  18. 18

    The tragedy of Julius Caesar. / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1966
    Book
  19. 19

    The complete works of William Shakespeare. by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1937
    Book
  20. 20

    The history of Henry IV [part one] / by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

    Published 1980
    Book