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William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Shakespeare is the most famous English language playwright and the world's greatest dramatist. He is credited with having written more than 37 blank verse plays including comedies, histories, tragedies and romances. He wrote to appeal to the broadest range of London society, people who came from all backgrounds to the theatre for relaxation and to escape.
Born in Statford-upon-Avon, Warwickwhire, Shakespeare was the eldest son of a wool dealer. His childhood was spent entirely in Stratford. He married Anne Hathaway, 26, pregnant with his child and a farmer's daughter from nearby Shottery, at the tender age of 18.
Shakespeare left Stratford for London and a career as an actor, a stockholder in an acting company and one of a group of investors who built the famous Globe Theatre in London in 1599 where his plays were performed.
At the end of his life, Shakespeare returned to Stratford where he had been investing in land and titles. By 1611, he was no longer involved with the London theatre, yet he wrote Henry VIII in 1613. He died on April 23, 1616, from what we do not know. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church. In 1623 his the First Folio of his collected works was published by his colleagues John Hemminge and Henry Condell.
| Shakespeare's Plays Listed Chronologically & by Type |
| Title |
Date |
Type of Play |
| "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" |
1590-91 |
Comedy |
| "Henry VI Part One" |
1592 |
History |
| "Henry VI Part Two" |
1592 |
History |
| "Henry VI Part Three" |
1592 |
History |
| "Titus Andronicus" |
1592 |
Tragedy |
| "Richard III" |
1592 |
Tragedy |
| "The Taming of the Shrew" |
1593 |
Comedy |
| "The Comedy of Errors" |
1594 |
Comedy |
| "Love's Labour Lost" |
1594-95 |
Comedy |
| "Richard II" |
1595 |
History |
| "Romeo and Juliet" |
1595 |
Tragedy |
| "A Midsummer Night's Dream" |
1595 |
Comedy |
| "King John" |
1596 |
History |
| "The Merchant of Venice" |
1596-97 |
Comedy |
| "Henry IV Part One" |
1596-97 |
History |
| "The Merry Wives of Windsor" |
1597-98 |
Comedy |
| "Henry IV Part Two" |
1597-98 |
History |
| "Much Ado About Nothing" |
1598 |
Comedy |
| "Henry V" |
1598-99 |
History |
| "Julius Caesar" |
1599 |
Roman |
| "As You Like It" |
1599-1600 |
Comedy |
| "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" |
1600-01 |
Tragedy |
| "Twelfth Night" |
1601 |
Comedy |
| "Troilus and Cressida" |
1602 |
Tragedy |
| "Measure for Measure" |
1603 |
Dark Comedy |
| "Othello" |
1603-04 |
Tragedy |
| "All's Well That Ends Well" |
1604-05 |
Dark Comedy |
| "Timon of Athens" |
1605 |
Romantic Drama |
| "King Lear" |
1605-06 |
Tragedy |
| "Macbeth" |
1606 |
Tragedy |
| "Antony and Cleopatra" |
1606 |
Tragedy |
| "Pericles" |
1607 |
Romance |
| "Coriolanus" |
1608 |
Roman |
| "The WInter's Tale" |
1609 |
Romance |
| "Cymbeline" |
1610 |
Romance |
| "The Tempest" |
1611 |
Romance |
| "Henry VIII" |
1613 |
History |
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