Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about William Shakespeare?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about William Shakespeare facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts about William Shakespeare
1 – William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616.
2 – He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
3 – His first play was called “The Comedy of Errors” and it is believed to have been written in 1589 or 1590.
4 – Shakespeare’s most famous play is Hamlet, which he wrote around 1603-1604.
5 – Some other popular works by Shakespeare are Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Twelfth Night (or What You Will), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (or A Dream), The Tempest (or The Enchanted Island).
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6 – He married Anne Hathaway who bore him three children – Susanna, Hamnet (who died young), and Judith.
7 – His father’s name was John Shakespeare.
8 – King James I granted him a coat of arms with the motto “Non sanz droict” which means “Not without right” or “All is fair in love and war.”
9 – He wrote 154 sonnets within 14 years from 1593-1607; however, only 126 were published during his lifetime because he wanted to keep some private for himself.
10 – His father was a successful glover and wool merchant.
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11 – Shakespeare received his education at the King’s New School (now called King Edward VI School) in Stratford-upon-Avon and later attended Saint Paul’s school where he studied Latin grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics as well as classical literature.
12 – In the late 1500s he started writing poetry and plays for London’s theater scene. Shakespeare is known for his comedies, histories, and tragedies.
13 – He is the most famous playwright in history.
14 – His first poem “Venus and Adonis” was published when he was 18 years old.
15 – The Globe Theatre where many of his plays were staged burned down during a performance of Henry VIII on June 29th 1613.
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16 – He had a daughter named Susanna in 1583 and twins Judith and Hamnet in 1585. His father John was a merchant who dealt mainly with woolen cloth while his mother Mary Arden came from an influential family that owned several properties in the area.
17 – 1603 he became an actor for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men which would later become known as The Globe Theatre Company.
After some time he began to write plays himself including Romeo and Juliet; Julius Caesar; Macbeth; Othello among others.
18 – Shakespeare is the most translated author of all time. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every language and performed more often than those of any other playwright.
19 – The Globe Theatre is a reconstruction of the original theatre where his plays were performed.
20 – The first folio of his plays was published in 1623 by two of his friends – John Heminges and Henry Condell.
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21 – In 1847 the second folio became available to the public.
22 – At the time of his death he owned 7 houses and lived in one of them.
23 – His will says that when he dies all his money should go to “my fellows John Heminge and Henry Condell” who were actors at the Globe Theatre which is where Shakespeare wrote most of his plays.
24 – There are no surviving records of his birth or death, but there is a monument to him inside Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
25 – He was baptized as “William” because it was a common name among his family members at that time.
The name “Shakespeare” may come from an old word for someone who made shoes or leather goods for horses; other theories say it came from “sheep shearer,” which would make sense since he lived near sheep farms growing up; another theory says it comes from ‘shedd’, which means ‘shipman’ or sailor.’
