William Shakespeare: biography and work

William Shakespeare was an English writer, poet, and playwright. Four centuries after his birth, he remains one of the most significant names in world literature and the most important writer of the English language.

The universality of the arguments that make up his works, the way of transmitting the themes contained in them or the particularity of creating characters unique and unrepeatable, are some of the reasons why Shakespeare has become a reference and a great teacher for many writers contemporaries.

His theatrical works continue to be represented in different parts of the world, although his figure continues to sow many doubts. Who was William Shakespeare? What are his most important works?

Discover everything you should know about the biography and work of this eternal genius of world literature.

1. When and where was he born

William Shakespeare was born during the second half of the 16th century. Although the exact date is not known, it is believed that he may have been born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small town located in Warwickshire, south of Birmingham (England). He was the third child of John Shakespeare, a wool merchant and politician, and Mary Arden.

2. His childhood is a mystery

The playwright's childhood is today an enigma and is subject to all kinds of speculation. One of them is that he probably attended his studies at the Grammar school from his hometown, where he probably learned classical languages ​​like Latin and Greek. He would also cultivate his knowledge in the hands of authors such as Aesop or Virgilio, something common in education at the time.

3. His wife was Anne Hathaway

At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, a young woman eight years older than him, with whom he soon had a daughter whom he named Susanna. A short time later they had twins whom they named Judith and Hamnet.

4. From Stratford to London and vice versa

Today many wonder where William Shakespeare lived. Although, it is unknown how the life of the author of Romeo and Juliet was during a stage, it is known that he moved to live in London, where he acquired fame as a playwright thanks to the theater company Lord Chamberlain´s Men of which he co-owned, later known as King's Men. In London he also worked for the court.

In 1611 he returned to Stratford-upon-Avon, his native town, where he remained until the day of his death.

5. How many plays William Shakespeare wrote

There are different versions of the amount of works he wrote. It is believed that he could write about 39 plays classified in the genres of comedy, tragedy Y historical drama. On the other hand, Shakespeare also wrote 154 sonnets and four lyrical works.

6. Shakespeare's great tragedies

In Shakespearean tragedies the feelings of pain and greed of the human soul often surface. To do this, he gives the characters the deepest feelings typical of the human being, such as jealousy or love. In his tragedies, destiny is, unfailingly, the suffering or misery of man, generally it is a powerful hero who is led to a fatal destiny. Here are the complete 11 Shakespearean tragedies:

• Titus Andronicus (1594)
• Romeo and Juliet (1595)
• Julius Caesar (1599)
• Hamlet (1601)
• Troilus and Cressida (1605)
• Othello (1603-1604)
• The Lear King (1605-1606)
• Macbeth (1606)
• Antony and Cleopatra (1606)
• Coriolanus (1608)
• Helm of Athens (1608)

7. The uniqueness of his comedies

William Shakespeare was able to blend reality and fantasy into his comedies like no one had ever done before. One of his strong points are the characters and even more so the language he uses for each of them. To do this, he makes use of metaphor and puns in a masterful way. The theme of love is important as the main engine of his comedies. The protagonists are usually lovers who have to overcome obstacles and are victims of unexpected plot twists that, finally, lead them towards the triumph of love.

• The comedy of mistakes (1591)
• The two noblemen of Verona (1591-1592)
• Lost labor of love (1592)
• The dream of a nigth of summer (1595-1596)
• The merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
• Much ado About Nothing (1598)
• As you like (1599-1600)
• The Merry Wives of Windsor (1601)
• King's Night (1601-1602)
• To a good end there is no bad beginning (1602-1603)
• Measure for measure (1604)
• Cymbaline (1610)
• Winter's Tale (1610- 1611)
• The Tempest (1612)
• The Taming of the Shrew

8. The historical drama

William Shakespeare explored the theatrical subgenre of historical drama. These are works whose arguments focus on historical events in England, whose protagonists are part of the monarchy or the nobility. Works such as:

• Edward III (1596)
• Henry VI (1594)
• Richard III (1597)
• Richard II (1597)
• Henry IV (1598-1600)
• Henry V (1599)
• King john (1597)
• Henry VIII (1613)

9. Poetic work

While Shakespeare is primarily recognized for his work as a playwright, he also wrote poems. The poet's poetic work is comprised of a total of 154 sonnets and is considered one of the most important works of universal poetry. They show universal themes such as love, death, beauty or politics.

When I have died, cry to me only while you listen to the sad bell, announcing to the world of my escape from the vile world towards the infamous worm (...)

10. William Shakespeare quotes

Shakespeare's works have been translated into more than a hundred languages, which have made him an eternal writer capable of crossing any space-time barrier. Thus, his work has left different famous phrases for posterity. These are some of them:

• "To be or not to be, that is the question" (Hamlet).
• "Love, blind as it is, prevents lovers from seeing the funny nonsense they comment (The merchant of Venice).
• “The one who goes too fast arrives as late as the one who goes too slow” (Romeo and Juliet).
• "The love of young people is not in the heart, but in the eyes" (Romeo and Juliet).
• "At birth, we cry because we entered this vast asylum" (The Lear King).

11. The mystery behind William Shakespeare

Was William Shakespeare or was he not? There is evidence that confirms his existence, such as his baptismal certificate. However, the scant information about his life has given rise to numerous theories around the figure of him, which come to question the true authorship of his works.

On the one hand, there are those theories that doubt the ability of William Shakespeare to write his works, due to his low educational level. From these different candidates have arisen who, supposedly, could not have signed his works with his real name but would have hidden behind the nickname "Shakespeare". Among them are: the politician and philosopher Francis Bacon or Cristopher Marlowe.

On the other hand, there are also theories that affirm that Shakespeare's work was written by different authors and even that behind his figure there could have been a woman.

Finally, there are those positions that vigorously defend the authenticity of William Shakespeare.

12. Death of William Shakespeare and International Book Day

William Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon (England) on April 23, 1616 on the Julian calendar, in force at that time, and on May 3 on the Gregorian calendar.

Every April 23 the International Book Day is celebrated, in order to promote reading and value literature. In 1995 UNESCO created this worldwide recognition at the General Conference in Paris. The date is not by chance since it is the day that William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died.

You can also read:

• To be or not to be, that is the question
• Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare