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Early life in Stratford

• Career in the theatre
• Private life
• The tributes of his colleagues
• Anecdotes and documents
• The intellectual background
• Changes in language
• Shakespeare’s literary debts
• Theatrical conditions
• The dating of Shakespeare’s plays
• Publication
• Titus Andronicus
• The early romantic comedies
• The early histories
• Romantic comedies
• Completion of the histories
• Romeo and Juliet
• The “problem” plays
• Julius Caesar
• The tragedies
• The romances
• Collaborations and spurious attributions
• Shakespeare’s sources
• Questions of authorship
• Linguistic, historical, textual, and editorial problems
• Seventeenth century
• Eighteenth century
• Romantic critics
• Increasing importance of scholarship
• Historical criticism
• New Criticism
• New interpretive approaches
• Feminist criticism and gender studies
• Deconstruction
• Chronology of Shakespeare’s plays

How did Shakespeare die?

Why is shakespeare still important today.

William Shakespeare

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• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust - William Shakespeare Biography
• PlayShakespeare.com - Shakespeare's Biography
• Spartacus Educational - Biography of William Shakespeare
• Poets.org - Biography of William Shakespeare
• Poetry Foundation - William Shakespeare
• The Poetry Archive - Biography of William Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• William Shakespeare - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

What was Shakespeare's family like?

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.

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

There is some dispute about how many plays Shakespeare wrote. The general consensus is 37. 

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets . The most famous include Sonnet 18, with opening lines “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”, and Sonnet 130, which begins “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.”

The cause of Shakespeare's death is unknown. However, the vicar of the local church wrote in his journal some fifty years later that “Shakespeare, Drayton , and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting, and it seems drank too hard; for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” The account cannot be verified but has led some scholars to speculate that Shakespeare may have died of typhus.

Shakespeare remains vital because his plays present people and situations that we recognize today. His characters have an emotional reality that transcends time, and his plays depict familiar experiences, ranging from family squabbles to falling in love to war. The fact that his plays are performed and adapted around the world underscores the universal appeal of his storytelling.

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William Shakespeare (baptized April 26, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England—died April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon) was a poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet. He is considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time.

Shakespeare occupies a position unique in world literature . Other poets, such as Homer and Dante , and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens , have transcended national barriers, but no writer’s living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre , are now performed and read more often and in more countries than ever before. The prophecy of his great contemporary, the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson , that Shakespeare “was not of an age, but for all time,” has been fulfilled.

It may be audacious even to attempt a definition of his greatness, but it is not so difficult to describe the gifts that enabled him to create imaginative visions of pathos and mirth that, whether read or witnessed in the theatre, fill the mind and linger there. He is a writer of great intellectual rapidity, perceptiveness, and poetic power. Other writers have had these qualities, but with Shakespeare the keenness of mind was applied not to abstruse or remote subjects but to human beings and their complete range of emotions and conflicts. Other writers have applied their keenness of mind in this way, but Shakespeare is astonishingly clever with words and images, so that his mental energy, when applied to intelligible human situations, finds full and memorable expression, convincing and imaginatively stimulating. As if this were not enough, the art form into which his creative energies went was not remote and bookish but involved the vivid stage impersonation of human beings, commanding sympathy and inviting vicarious participation. Thus, Shakespeare’s merits can survive translation into other languages and into cultures remote from that of Elizabethan England .

Shakespeare the man

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.

The parish register of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon , Warwickshire , shows that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564; his birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a burgess of the borough , who in 1565 was chosen an alderman and in 1568 bailiff (the position corresponding to mayor , before the grant of a further charter to Stratford in 1664). He was engaged in various kinds of trade and appears to have suffered some fluctuations in prosperity . His wife, Mary Arden, of Wilmcote, Warwickshire, came from an ancient family and was the heiress to some land. (Given the somewhat rigid social distinctions of the 16th century, this marriage must have been a step up the social scale for John Shakespeare.)

Stratford enjoyed a grammar school of good quality, and the education there was free, the schoolmaster’s salary being paid by the borough. No lists of the pupils who were at the school in the 16th century have survived, but it would be absurd to suppose the bailiff of the town did not send his son there. The boy’s education would consist mostly of Latin studies—learning to read, write, and speak the language fairly well and studying some of the Classical historians, moralists, and poets. Shakespeare did not go on to the university, and indeed it is unlikely that the scholarly round of logic, rhetoric , and other studies then followed there would have interested him.

Instead, at age 18 he married. Where and exactly when are not known, but the episcopal registry at Worcester preserves a bond dated November 28, 1582, and executed by two yeomen of Stratford, named Sandells and Richardson, as a security to the bishop for the issue of a license for the marriage of William Shakespeare and “ Anne Hathaway of Stratford,” upon the consent of her friends and upon once asking of the banns. (Anne died in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare. There is good evidence to associate her with a family of Hathaways who inhabited a beautiful farmhouse, now much visited, 2 miles [3.2 km] from Stratford.) The next date of interest is found in the records of the Stratford church, where a daughter, named Susanna, born to William Shakespeare, was baptized on May 26, 1583. On February 2, 1585, twins were baptized, Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died 11 years later.)

How Shakespeare spent the next eight years or so, until his name begins to appear in London theatre records, is not known. There are stories—given currency long after his death—of stealing deer and getting into trouble with a local magnate, Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, near Stratford; of earning his living as a schoolmaster in the country; of going to London and gaining entry to the world of theatre by minding the horses of theatregoers. It has also been conjectured that Shakespeare spent some time as a member of a great household and that he was a soldier, perhaps in the Low Countries . In lieu of external evidence, such extrapolations about Shakespeare’s life have often been made from the internal “evidence” of his writings. But this method is unsatisfactory: one cannot conclude, for example, from his allusions to the law that Shakespeare was a lawyer, for he was clearly a writer who without difficulty could get whatever knowledge he needed for the composition of his plays.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is the world’s leading charity in promoting the works, life and times of William Shakespeare. The Trust offers a unique Shakespeare centered experience with outstanding archive and library collections, inspiring educational and literary event programs and five wonderful houses all directly relating to Shakespeare. As an independent charity the Trust receives no public subsidy or direct government funding. The Trust depends entirely on income generated through their supporters: their visitors, volunteers, donors and Friends.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s History The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust was formed in 1847 following the purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace as a national memorial.

The role of the Trust grew with the purchase in 1876 of Shakespeare’s New Place estate, comprising the site of Shakespeare’s grand final home and Nash’s House (the home of Thomas Nash and Shakespeare’s grand-daughter Elizabeth).

The Trust purchased Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the girlhood home of Shakespeare’s wife, in 1892 and Mary Arden’s House was purchased in 1930.

The last house to be acquired was Hall’s Croft, the home of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband, physician Dr John Hall, in 1949.

In 1964 to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth the Trust threw open the doors of its new headquarters and study facility, the Shakespeare Centre.  This distinctive building provides a home for the Trust’s extensive Shakespeare Centre library and archive (including the RSC archive). The second part of this project, an extension including facilities for the Trust's educational and cultural work and a visitor centre for Shakespeare’s Birthplace, was added in 1981.

In addition to the Shakespeare Houses, the Trust cares for Harvard House on behalf of the Harvard House Memorial Trust.  

Terms of use

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commercial or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at:  [email protected]

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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom

Peta Stamper

18 may 2021.

About Shakespeare’s Birthplace

The birthplace of world-famous Elizabethan playwright, William Shakespeare, is a restored 16th century house along Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, England . The house is believed to be the place where Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he spent his childhood.

In the present day, the house on Henley Street is a museum operated by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and is a site of pilgrimage for many a lover of literature.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace history

Whether the origins of the building on Henley Street date back to the 15th or 16th century are disputed. However, by 1552, John Shakespeare was living at the house and that year was fined for leaving a pile of muck on the street outside his home. At the time, John was renting the house and had it divided into 2 parts so that one half functioned as a dwelling and the other operated as his glove-making business.

The house was typical of the time, constructed with wattle and daub around a local oak frame and blue-grey stones. A separate single-bay house known as Joan Hart’s Cottage was later built onto the end of the house when a kitchen was added at the back. The house on Henley Street remained in the family, handed to William Shakespeare ‘s daughter.

As Shakespeare bought his own home in Stratford-upon-Avon, he leased the house out when his father died and it was converted into the Maidenhead inn. By the time of Shakespeare’s death in 1616, the house was lived in by his widowed sister, Joan Hart. Shakespeare’s will determined the whole property would go to his eldest daughter, Susanna, and after her daughter’s death in 1670, it returned to the Hart family.

The house fell into disrepair until a newfound interest in the 18th century, as literary notables such as Charles Dickens and Lord Byron began visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace. On their visits, they signed their names into the walls and windows, come of which can still be seen today.

After the last tenant died, an American showman suggested buying and shipping the home to the US. The keen response by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust was to raise money to by the house in 1847 for £3,000. Restoration work soon followed and surrounding buildings were removed to reduce the fire risk.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace today

Today, Shakespeare’s Birthplace is joined by the Shakespeare Centre – a modern glass and concrete building that contrasts with the Tudor Henley Street house. The visitor’s centre displays not only Shakespeare-related exhibits, but houses the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Once inside the house of Shakespeare’s childhood, you are transported back to family life complete with period furniture and John Shakespeare’s glove workshop. The walled garden also provides a slice of the past, containing only flowers and herbs known in Shakespeare’s time. Allow at least an hour to explore Shakespeare’s Birthplace, which is open Saturday through Wednesday from 10am to 4pm.

Getting to Shakespeare’s Birthplace

By car, Stratford-upon-Avon is just off Junction 15 off the M40, near the M42 and M6, and can be reached from London in under 2 hours. There are several car parks in the town centre. The X50 and 2 buses will stop along the A3400, running parallel to Henley Street.

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Our Collection

The collection of the shakespeare birthplace trust is among the most important shakespeare collections in the world..

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust traces its history back to 1847, when Shakespeare’s Birthplace was purchased as a national memorial. It later acquired four other properties with Shakespeare associations, New Place, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Mary Arden’s House and Hall’s Croft. In 1891 the Trust was formally incorporated by an Act of Parliament. It was intended from the start that Shakespeare’s Birthplace should accommodate a collection of books, archives and museum objects relating to Shakespeare and his native town. Over the years many thousands of such items have been acquired. Some of these treasures are displayed in the five Shakespeare Houses, including examples of Elizabethan and early Stuart furniture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and paintings, together with many Elizabethan books which were used as sources for the writing of his plays and poems.

Shakespeare’s Stratford

Our collection contains a wealth of material relating the history of Stratford, its people and its borough, illustrating the social and economic life within the town.  The SBT holds records of local government, churches, manors, private estates and businesses, dating from the 1100s to present day. Such records provide a rich documentary heritage for Stratford and illustrate its development into the Elizabethan market town, which William Shakespeare knew as man and boy, as well as documenting his lasting impact on the town.

Shakespeare’s Legacy

The SBT’s collection demonstrates William Shakespeare’s legacy on our world.  It includes some of the most famous books in the world such as the First Folio of 1623 and early quarto editions of Shakespeare’s plays published during his lifetime, as well as later editions, periodicals and complete works.  Our collection demonstrates the growth of Stratford as a centre for Shakespeare tourism and pilgrimage, including material relating to the 1769 Shakespeare Jubilee and early souvenirs.

We hold material relating to the establishment of local cultural institutions, such as the SBT itself and the Royal Shakespeare Company which were established to perform and promote Shakespeare’s works.

Shakespeare the Man

Our collection includes material relating to the William Shakespeare’s life, family and friends, and the world in which he lived.

We hold thirty-one ‘Shakespeare Documents’ – hand-written documents from Shakespeare’s lifetime that mention him by name.  These are central to understanding Shakespeare’s life and provide a vivid picture of him as an Elizabethan gentleman and businessman. They document the ups and downs of his family life and his rise in wealth and status. The archive includes a range of papers which detail the lives of his relatives and contemporaries providing a unique picture of Shakespeare as a son, husband, father and neighbour.

Shakespeare in the World

There are translations of Shakespeare’s plays into over 80 languages in our collection, as well as biographies, critical studies and other works which explore the impact of Shakespeare on arts, language, culture, philosophy and religion.

We also hold objects relating to the global legacy of Shakespeare such as artistic and cultural responses to his work and souvenirs and commemorative items from all over the world including a wreath of oak leaves from Germany to celebrate the Tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death in 1864, and a series of medals minted in 1964 from countries around the world.

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Biography of William Shakespeare, History's Most Famous Playwright

His plays and sonnets are still studied and performed to this day

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• M.A., Theater Studies, Warwick University
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William Shakespeare (April 23, 1564–April 23, 1616) wrote at least 37 plays and 154 sonnets , which are considered among the most important and enduring ever written. Although the plays have captured the imagination of theatergoers for centuries, some historians claim that Shakespeare didn’t actually write them .

Amazingly, little is known about Shakespeare’s life. Even though he is the world’s most famous and popular playwright , historians have had to fill in the gaps between the handful of surviving records from Elizabethan times .

Fast Facts: William Shakespeare

• Known For : One of history's most famous playwrights, who wrote at least 37 plays, which are still studied and performed to this day, as well as 154 sonnets, which are also highly regarded
• Also Known As : The Bard
• Born : April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England
• Parents : John Shakespeare, Mary Arden
• Died : April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Published Works : " Romeo and Juliet" (1594–1595), "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" (1595–1596), " Much Ado About Nothing " (1598–1599), "Henry V" (1598–1599), " Hamlet " 1600–1601, "King Lear" (1605–1606), "Macbeth" ( 1605–1606), "The Tempest" (1611–1612)
• Awards and Honors : After Shakespeare's death, a funerary monument was erected to honor him at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he is buried. It depicts a half-effigy of The Bard in the act of writing. Numerous statues and monuments have been erected around the world to honor the playwright.
• Spouse : Anne Hathaway (m. Nov. 28, 1582–April 23, 1616)
• Children : Susanna, Judith and Hamnet (twins)
• Notable Quote : "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."

Early Years

Shakespeare was probably born on April 23, 1564 , but this date is an educated guess because we only have a record of his baptism three days later. His parents, John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, were successful townsfolk who moved to a large house in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, from the surrounding villages. His father became a wealthy town official and his mother was from an important, respected family.

It is widely assumed that Shakespeare attended the local grammar school where he would have studied Latin, Greek, and classical literature . His early education must have made a huge impact on him because many of his plots draw on the classics.

Shakespeare’s Family

At age 18, on November 28, 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway from Shottery, who was already pregnant with their first daughter. The wedding would have been arranged quickly to avoid the shame of having a child born out of wedlock. Shakespeare fathered three children, Susanna, born in May 1583 but conceived out of wedlock, and Judith and Hamnet, twins who were born in February 1585.

Hamnet died in 1596 at age 11. Shakespeare was devastated by the death of his only son, and it is argued that "Hamlet," written four years later, is evidence of this.

Theater Career

At some point in the late 1580s, Shakespeare made the four-day ride to London, and by 1592 had established himself as a writer. In 1594, an event occurred that changed the course of literary history: Shakespeare joined Richard Burbage’s acting company and became its chief playwright for the next two decades. Here, Shakespeare was able to hone his craft, writing for a regular group of performers.

Shakespeare also worked as an actor in the theater company , although the lead roles were always reserved for Burbage himself. The company became very successful and often performed in front of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I. In 1603, James I ascended the throne and granted his royal patronage to Shakespeare’s company, which became known as The King’s Men.

Shakespeare the Gentleman

Like his father, Shakespeare had excellent business sense. He bought the largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon by 1597, owned shares in the Globe Theater, and profited from some real estate deals near Stratford-upon-Avon in 1605. Before long, Shakespeare officially became a gentleman, partly due to his own wealth and partly due to inheriting a coat of arms from his father who died in 1601.

Later Years and Death

Shakespeare retired to Stratford in 1611 and lived comfortably off his wealth for the rest of his life. In his will, he bequeathed most of his properties to Susanna, his eldest daughter, and some actors from The King’s Men. Famously, he left his wife his “second-best bed” before he died on April 23, 1616 . (This date is an educated guess because we only have a record of his burial two days later).

If you visit Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, you can still view his grave and read his epitaph engraved into the stone:

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.

More than 400 years after his death, Shakespeare's plays and sonnets still hold a special place in theaters, libraries, and schools around the world. "His plays and sonnets have been performed in nearly every major language on every continent," notes Greg Timmons writing on Biography.com.

In addition to the legacy of his plays and sonnets, many of the words and phrases Shakespeare created infuse dictionaries today and are embedded in modern English, including these sayings from some of his plays:

• All that glitters isn't gold (" The Merchant of Venice ")
• All's well that ends well (" All's Well that Ends Well ")
• To be-all and the end-all (" Macbeth ")
• Break the ice (" The Taming of the Shrew )
• We have seen better days (" As You Like It ")
• Brave new world (" The Tempest ")
• Brevity is the soul of wit (" Hamlet ")
• Cruel to be kind ("Hamlet")
• It's Greek to me (" Julius Caesar ")
• Something wicked this way comes ("Macbeth")
• Star-crossed lovers (" Romeo and Juliet ")
• Wild-goose chase ("Romeo and Juliet")
• The world is my oyster (" The Merry Wives of Windsor ")

Few writers, poets, and playwrights—and Shakespeare was all three—have had the influence on culture and learning that Shakespeare has. With luck, his plays and sonnets may still be revered and studied four centuries from now.

• “ IWonder - William Shakespeare: The Life and Legacy of England's Bard. ”  BBC.
• “ Shakespeare's Words & Phrases. ”  Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
• Timmons, Greg. “ William Shakespeare's 400th Anniversary: The Life & Legacy of The Bard. ”  Biography.com , A&E Networks Television, 2 Nov. 2018.
• “ Who Was William Shakespeare? Everything You Need to Know. ”  Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline , thefamouspeople.com.
• “ William Shakespeare Quotes. ”  BrainyQuote , Xplore.
• Discover the Mysterious Shakespeare Lost Years
• A Timeline of William Shakespeare's Life
• Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife
• Shakespeare Authorship Debate
• What We Know About Shakespeare's Death
• The Shakespeare Authorship Controversy Continues
• Shakespeare's Brothers and Sisters
• Comparing the Work of Edward de Vere and William Shakespeare
• Was Shakespeare Gay?
• Was Shakespeare a Businessman?
• Facts About Shakespeare
• Where Was Writer William Shakespeare Born?
• How Did William Shakespeare Die?
• Shakespearean Insults From A to Z
• What Happened to Shakespeare's Skull
• William Shakespeare's Family

Biography.com’s Ultimate William Shakespeare Study Guide

Everything you need to know about the world’s most famous playwright, including how his life influenced his work and how his legacy lives on today

Learning Objectives

Through this study guide, students will: 1. demonstrate an understanding of themes and characters in three of Shakespeare’s most important plays. 2. demonstrate an understanding of language and literary structure in Shakespeare’s sonnets. 3. examine Shakespeare’s life and times to understand the historical context for his work. 4. explore Shakespeare’s lasting legacy on our language and popular culture.

Shakespeare’s Plays

Shakespeare’s sonnets, shakespeare today, shakespeare onscreen, how to cite shakespeare in mla style, additional resources, who was william shakespeare.

While many details surrounding the life of William Shakespeare remain unclear, scholars believe he was born around April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, a market town some 100 miles from London. His father was John Shakespeare, a glove-maker who also served as an elected official before suffering business losses that left his family in debt beginning when William was in his teens. William’s mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a wealthy nearby landowner.

William was the third of eight children, two of whom died in infancy and another who died before age 10. His younger sister, Joan, was the only sibling to outlive the famous playwright, who left her money, clothing, and the deed to the family home in his later will. Scholars believe there is strong evidence that the Shakespeare family was Catholic, a fact they would have likely kept secret due to anti-Catholic sentiment following the Reformation of the English church earlier in the 16 th century.

Shakespeare likely attended the nearby grammar school, and while some scholars have expressed doubt that Shakespeare’s education was comprehensive enough to allow him to create his later work, it’s now believed that the Stratford school was well-regarded and Shakespeare would have received a solid education, including Latin and the Classics.

He left school in his mid-teens and, unlike some of his contemporaries including Christopher Marlowe , didn’t attend college. Shakespeare was expected to become an apprentice, but that plan was interrupted in 1592 when the 18-year-old married Anne Hathaway , a woman eight years his senior who was already pregnant with their first child. Their daughter, Susanna, was born the next year, then the couple had twins, Hamnet and Judith, in 1585. Hamnet died in 1596 at age 11, but by that time, Shakespeare had moved to London, returning to Stratford only intermittently over the next several decades. Shakespeare retired from his writing career around 1613 and returned permanently to his family in Stratford where he died in late April 1616 at age 52 of unknown causes.

Little is known about Shakespeare’s life in the years immediately after his marriage, a period scholars consider “the lost years.” But by 1592, Shakespeare had moved to London and established himself as an actor in The Lord Chamberlain’s men, a theater group led by its star Richard Burbage. The troupe eventually made their home in the newly-built Globe Theatre on London’s Southbank. Shakespeare helped with the Globe’s construction, and his partial ownership stake brought him much-needed financial security.

However, it was through his work as the group’s primary playwright that he found fame. Between the late 1580s and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays. Some scholars believe he might have made contributions to plays by other people or that some original Shakespearean works were subsequently lost. Despite their place in the literary canon, there has been much debate over whether Shakespeare was actually the author of his plays . Opponents claim Shakespeare didn’t have the educational background and knowledge displayed in the works and have proposed several alternate candidates, but the consensus among scholars is that he was indeed the real author.

His works drew deeply on historic events and were frequently set in foreign lands few of his audience had ever visited. As with much of Shakespeare’s life, the timeline of the writing of his plays remains unclear. He likely started on his first plays around 1589. Although there is continued debate surrounding which came first, his earliest works are the three Henry VI plays, The Taming of the Shrew , and The Two Gentlemen of Verona . Shakespeare’s plays are generally grouped into three categories:

🎭 Comedies:

• The Two Gentlemen of Verona (written between 1589–1591*)
• The Taming of the Shrew (1590–1591)
• The Comedy of Errors (1594)
• Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594–1595)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)
• The Merchant of Venice (1596–1597)
• The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597–1598)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1598–1599)
• As You Like It (1599–1600)
• Twelfth Night (1601)
• Troilus and Cressida (1602)
• Measure for Measure (1603–1604)
• All’s Well That Ends Well (1606–1607)
• Pericles (1607)
• The Winter’s Tale (1609–1610)
• Cymbeline (1610–1611)
• The Tempest (1610–1611)
• The Two Noble Kinsmen (1613)

→ Get an overview of A Midsummer Night’s Dream , including key themes and characters, by downloading our Shakespeare study guide PDF

🎭 Tragedies:

• Titus Andronicus (1592)
• Romeo and Juliet (1595)
• Julius Caesar (1599)
• Hamlet (1600–1601)
• Othello (1603–1604)
• King Lear (1605–1606)
• Timon of Athens (1606)
• Macbeth (1606)
• Antony and Cleopatra (1606)
• Coriolanus (1608)

→ Get an overview of Romeo and Juliet , including key themes and characters, by downloading our Shakespeare study guide PDF

🎭 Histories:

• Henry VI, Part 2 (1590–1591)
• Henry VI, Part 3 (1591)
• Henry VI, Part 1 (1592)
• Richard III (1592–1593)
• Richard II ( 1595)
• King John (1596)
• Henry IV , Part 1 (1596–1597)
• Henry IV, Part 2 (1597–1598)
• Henry V (1598–1599)
• Henry VIII (1613)

→ Get an overview of Richard III , including key themes and characters, by downloading our Shakespeare study guide PDF

*Editor’s Note: Sources vary on when Shakespeare wrote many of his plays. Data based on The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Second Edition ) and the Royal Shakespeare Company

Shakespeare also wrote poetry, including at least 154 sonnets. The sonnets were first published in 1609 likely without his permission. Each sonnet is 14 lines long, divided into three stanzas of four lines each (known as a quatrain ) followed by a two-line couplet . Like his plays, the sonnets were written in iambic pentameter rhyming scheme with 10 syllables in each line.

Scholars believe 126 of the sonnets are addressed to a handsome, young aristocratic man, known as the “Fair Youth.” In these poems, Shakespeare details his close relationship with the Fair Youth, praising his beauty and urging him to marry and procreate to carry on his line. While some scholars believe these sonnets depict a romantic intimacy between the two men, others believe that the relationship was platonic.

Each sonnet is 14 lines long, divided into three stanzas of four lines each (known as a quatrain ) followed by a two-line couplet . Like his plays, the sonnets were written in iambic pentameter rhyming scheme with 10 syllables in each line

Approximately two dozen of the sonnets were addressed to the “Dark Lady,” a woman who infatuates Shakespeare. Based on his physical descriptions, some scholars believe the Dark Lady might have been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I , a female poet, or even a London prostitute. As in the case of the Fair Youth, the Dark Lady’s identity hasn’t been confirmed. In any case, these sonnets alternate between desire, obsession, jealousy, and anguish.

In addition to the sonnets, Shakespeare wrote several longer narrative poems. The two most important of which were Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594).

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Download our complete William Shakespeare Study Guide to delve into Sonnet 18, arguably the most famous of his sonnets. Read and discuss the text, plus test your own sonnet-writing ability.

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Shakespeare’s influence on our language is deep and everlasting. But did you know that he even invented words we still use today? Scholars estimate he used more than 20,000 different words in his work. Among them are some 1,700 words that Shakespeare either invented or published for the first time in his works.

Check out a few of his inventions:

• Alligator ( Romeo and Juliet )
• Bedazzled ( The Taming of the Shrew)
• Cold-blooded ( King John )
• Eyeball ( Henry VI, Part 1 )
• Fashionable ( Troilus and Cressida )
• Gossip ( The Comedy of Errors )
• Obscene ( Love’s Labour’s Lost )
• Rant ( Hamlet )
• Swagger ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream )
• Uncomfortable ( Romeo and Juliet)

He didn’t just stick to innovative words and phrases, either. Shakespeare’s plays also introduced or popularized names that have become widespread in the centuries that followed, including Jessica, Miranda, Olivia, and Viola.

Shakespeare’s works are also full of some of the best examples of Elizabethan humor: insults.

Here are five of his best put-downs, with modern-day translations in the dropdown:

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Translation: They have a poisonous tongue and spread lies.

“His wit’s as thick as Tewkesbury mustard.” — Henry IV, Part 2

Translation: He’s stupid.

“Sell when you can, you are not for all markets.” — As You Like It

Translation: Take whatever offers you get because you’re unattractive and not everybody’s “cup of tea.”

“You have a February face, so full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness.” — Much Ado About Nothing

Translation: You have a sour, cold, and deadpan expression.

“I am pigeon-livered and lack gall” — Hamlet

Translation: I’m a coward.

Shakespeare’s plays have been continuously performed around the world for more than 425 years, and several of them have been made into movies . Some are straightforward versions of the original plays, while others have used Shakespeare’s stories as a launching pad for original works. These include musicals like West Side Story (based on Romeo and Juliet ) and Kiss Me Kate ( The Taming of the Shrew ).

The creators of the Disney musical The Lion King based much of its plot and several characters on Hamlet . Simba is a prince whose father is murdered just like Hamlet, and he also receives ghostly visitations from his father. Simba must avenge his father’s death and vanquish his murderous uncle Scar (a stand-in for Claudius). The Lion King also makes nods to other Shaskpearian works, including a character named Timon (the lead character’s name in Timon of Athens ) and Pumbaa, the gluttonous warthog many scholars believe resembles the character of Falstaff, who appears in three of Shakespeare’s history plays.

🎞️ Films Based on Shakespeare Works

The Taming of the Shrew also served as inspiration for 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), reusing several of the original character’s names to tell the story of Katherine “Kat,” an unlikable “shrew” who is tricked into a fake relationship with Patrick so that her father will allow her younger sister, Bianca, to date.

Another adaptation involving high school is She’s the Man (2006), which stars Amanda Bynes as Viola, a teen who switches places with her twin brother, Sebastian, as in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night . Both are set in Illyria, an island in the play and a boarding school in the film. In both versions, Olivia falls in love with “Sebastian,” not realizing it’s really Viola in disguise.

When listing Shakespeare’s plays in your works cited, include the author’s last name then first name separated by a comma. Next comes the italicized play title followed by the book or website name. For book citations, include the version or edition information, editor(s), publisher, publication year, and page range. Web sources should be followed by the URL and access date. Examples:

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark . The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: The Cambridge Edition , edited by William Aldis Wright, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1936, pp. 731–779.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Folger Shakespeare Library , www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

Including Shakespeare’s poetry in your works cited follows similar rules. Remember the name of the sonnet or poem should appear in quotation marks. Examples:

Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 116.” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: The Cambridge Edition , edited by William Aldis Wright, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1936, p. 1418.

Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds.” Poetry Foundation , www.poetryfoundation.org/poems /45106/sonnet-116-let-me-not-to-the-marriage-of-true-minds. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

To cite Shakespeare using an in-text parenthetical citation, include the italicized play name then the act, scene, and line number(s). For sonnets, include the author’s last name and the line number(s). The citation should appear at the end of the sentence. Examples:

( Hamlet 3.1.55-57)

(Shakespeare 1-2)

As each edition of Shakespeare’s work has different line numbers, make sure to check the accuracy based on the edition you are using.

• Biography.com’s Complete Biography of William Shakespeare
• Why Is William Shakespeare’s Life Considered a Mystery?

Was Shakespeare the Real Author of His Plays?

• Shakespeare Wrote Three of His Famous Tragedies During Turbulent Times
• 20 Famous Shakespeare Quotes That Show the Bard’s Wit and Wisdom
• How Did Shakespeare Die? What the Few Intriguing Clues Tell Us
• Folger Shakespeare Library
• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
• Poetry Foundation: William Shakespeare

Barbara Maranzani is a New York–based writer and producer. She is a frequent contributor to HISTORY and Biography.com , covering American and European history, politics, pop culture, and more. In her free time, she enjoys planning and plotting her next travel adventure.

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Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Images

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has an extensive collection of museum objects, books, and treasured documents within its archives. Additionally, we possess a considerable assortment of theatre performance photographs. All these items are predominantly associated with the works, life, historical context, and birthplace of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Given the delicate nature and limited accessibility of many of these items, we diligently undertake the task of digitising these precious artifacts, ensuring that they are made available to the public.

This website curates a selection of visually captivating items that have recently undergone the highest quality digitisation process. After registration, they can be downloaded in low-resolution for personal, non-commercial use. For more extensive applications such as inclusion in books, e-books, printed media, exhibitions, film and television productions, or commercial design projects (brand licensing), we offer the option to license our high-resolution images.

Our comprehensive digital service facilitates an efficient and user-friendly experience, enabling you to search, order, and download images directly from our website. Please feel free to ask for our assistance in this process.

Upon registration, you will gain access to the "Lightbox" tool, a feature that allows you to curate and share your own image collections tailored to your future projects or sources of inspiration.

Despite our continuous efforts to expand our digitised collection, it is important to note that there is a substantial number of items in our care that have yet to be photographed or scanned. If you have been unable to locate a specific item of interest, we encourage you to explore our ' Discover Shakespeare ' website, where we meticulously catalogue our holdings. Additionally, we offer digitisation services for a small fee should you require that. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email if you require any guidance during your search.

For more detailed information regarding the search, ordering, and downloading processes and the terms of use of our images, we invite you to visit our comprehensive ' Frequently Asked Questions ' pages.

Contact us by sending us an e-mail,  [email protected]  or via our  contact form .

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Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, England

Famous around the globe, William Shakespeare is known as one of the greatest English writers of all time. With some of his most celebrated works including Romeo and Juliet , Hamlet and Macbeth , Shakespeare is believed to have written around 37 plays and over 150 poems in his lifetime. And while he lived over 400 years ago, his work and legacy is still celebrated in theatres, schools and on television screens around the world.

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon . This picturesque setting shaped both the early years and also the later years of his life, when he returned from a successful career in London. Today, the town is a popular tourist attraction where visitors can explore the history of his life. There are many buildings in the town associated with Shakespeare that have been preserved in excellent condition.  The buildings tell Shakespeare’s fascinating story and the story begins at Shakespeare’s Birthplace .

History of Shakespeare’s Birthplace

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to parents John and Mary Shakespeare. The house in which he was born was located on Henley Street , and operated as both a family home and a workshop for his father. John Shakespeare was a respectable man in the town and worked primarily as a glovemaker. He also dabbled in other businesses and in 1568 became Mayor of Stratford. This afforded his family some privileges and meant that young William had the advantage of attending the local grammar school.

The Shakespeare family lived in the house all throughout William’s childhood. When William wed his wife Anne Hathaway in 1582, they also continued to live in the house with his parents and eventually their three children. William was believed to have left for his life in London sometime in the late 1580s, but inherited the family home upon the death of his father 1601. He rented a cottage on the property to his sister and the rest of the house became an inn called the Maidenhead, or later, the Swan and Maidenhead, which was in operation until the mid 19th century. 

When William passed away in 1616 the property was left to his daughter Susanna and was passed down through a few different family members and individuals. The property was eventually put up for sale in 1846, where it peaked the interest of another famous English writer, Charles Dickens . Fascinatingly, it was actually Dickens who rescued the home after launching a campaign to save it. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust purchased the property at auction in 1847 and it has been in their care ever since.

Visiting William Shakespeare’s Birthplace Today

The house is a wonderful example of  Tudor architecture and would be fascinating to walk through even if it wasn’t the birthplace of such a famous individual. Visitors today can walk through the entirety of the house and garden.

The tour starts out with an exhibition that takes you through the history of the Shakespeare family and the house itself. Inside you’ll also be able to walk through the room that Shakespeare was born in. Some of the features in the house have understandably been changed over the years however, you will find a few remaining features from his time, including the stone floor on the main level that Shakespeare himself would have walked on.

Downstairs, you’ll also find his father’s workshop , which is an informative guide to John’s Shakespeare’s work as a glove maker. This part of the house is a great interactive experience, as you can learn about the process of making gloves in the 16th century, as well as view samples of the types of gloves John would have produced. 

My favourite part of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace is the Birthroom Window , which is on display upstairs. Shakespeare’s Birthplace has long been a tourist attraction and it was a tradition for visitors to sign their name on the window formerly in his birth room. The oldest name on the window dates back to 1806 and includes some very recognizable signatures such as the renowned Scottish writer Walter Scott and famous Shakespearian actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry .

Visitors can also have a wander around the garden, where you’ll often find actors reciting some of Shakespeare’s greatest sonnets. Overall, Shakespeare’s Birthplace is a fascinating look into the early life of the writer and also into Tudor life in an English village. 

Tips for Visiting William Shakespeare’s Birthplace

How do you get to stratford-upon-avon.

Stratford-upon-Avon is located in the West Midlands of England and can be easily reached by either car or public transport. If travelling from London, the drive will take you just under two hours. Alternatively, you can take a train from London Marylebone Station which will take you to Stratford-upon-Avon, with a journey time of about 2.5 hours. If coming from the north, Stratford-upon-Avon is only about a 40-minute drive from Birmingham. There is also a 40 minute train from Birmingham Moor Street that takes you directly to the town. 

Where is Shakespeare’s Birthplace located?

The house is located on Henley Street, a pedestrian street located in the middle of the town. The centre of Stratford-upon-Avon is easily walkable, or you might opt to purchase a ticket for the open air bus tours, which will drop you off at all of the main Shakespeare sites. 

How much does it cost to enter?

A single entry ticket to any one of the Shakespeare properties costs about £20.00. However, I highly recommend that you purchase the ‘ Shakespeare’s Story ‘ ticket as for approximately £26.00 you get entry to multiple Shakespeare attractions. Visit here to learn more about ticket prices .

How long do you need to explore Shakespeare’s Birthplace?

The house takes about half an hour to walk through, although you can spend as much time visiting as you like. Stratford-upon-Avon itself is worth exploring in its entirety I would recommend staying for at least a day or two to see more of the Shakespeare attractions. 

What other Shakespeare sites are nearby?

Stratford-upon-Avon has multiple Shakespeare sites that are worth visiting. Another one I highly recommend is Hall’s Croft , the home of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband Dr. John Hall. Within the town you can also visit New Place , Shakespeare’s final residence and the place he died in 1616 or Holy Trinity Church , where he is buried. Slightly outside of the town is Anne Hathaway’s Cottage , the home of William Shakespeare’s wife. It is one of the most picturesque sites in the area and can be easily reached on the open air bus. You can also visit Mary Arden’s Farm , the home of William’s mother, which is an excellent interactive experience for learning about life on a Tudor Farm. 

A quick note, that not all sites are open at the moment, so make sure to check the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust website before you visit.

What other things are there to do in Stratford-upon-Avon?

There are so many wonderful things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon that I highly recommend spending a few days exploring. If you’re interested in theatre, you can take in a show at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre , where many famous Shakespearian actors have graced the stage. Not far from the theatre is The Black Swan , better known as The Dirty Duck , favoured by a number of famous actors such as Judi Dench.

If you’re looking fora great meal, I can highly recommend Lambs on Sheep Street. Located in a beautiful 16th century building and one of the oldest buildings in the town, Lambs offers top quality food and overall just a wonderful experience. For a further list of recommendations, check out 10 Historical things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon .

The article’s information was last updated in July 2022.

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What is the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust?

An introduction to the trust and its works.

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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is the independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the global centre for learning about and experiencing the works, life and times of the world’s best-known writer.  Through the five historic Shakespeare family homes, internationally designated museum collections, award-winning learning programmes and digital channels, we provide imaginative, immersive and interactive opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to get up-close-and-personal with Shakespeare.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is a self-sustaining charity which generates income through the support of visitors, donors, volunteers and Friends. In April 2018 it was granted National Portfolio funding from Arts Council England for the first time, enabling new creative and outreach programmes with a particular focus on communities that are currently less engaged in arts, culture and heritage.

Find out more about who we are and what we do to share Shakespeare with the world. 

Help keep Shakespeare's story alive

Shakespeare's birthplace, anne hathaway's cottage, shakespeare's new place.

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