# William Shakespeare

## Biography

William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was also born to John and Mary Shakespeare. Though his exact birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23. He likely attended the local grammar school, receiving a classical education. At eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and together they had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith.

Sometime in the late 1580s, Shakespeare moved to London, establishing a successful career as an actor, playwright, and part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men under James I. During his prolific career, he penned numerous acclaimed plays, including comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream, histories such as Henry V, and tragedies like Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. He also wrote 154 sonnets and other poems. Around 1613, he retired to Stratford, where he died on April 23, 1616. He remains widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

## Books

- [As You Like It](https://samolit.com/books/96765)
- [King Richard III](https://samolit.com/books/96756)
- [Hamlet, Prince of Denmark](https://samolit.com/books/96619)
- [The Merchant of Venice](https://samolit.com/books/96503)
- [The Taming of the Shrew](https://samolit.com/books/96479)
- [The Tragedy of King Lear](https://samolit.com/books/96431)
- [Romeo and Juliet](https://samolit.com/books/96385)
- [The Tragedy of Julius Caesar](https://samolit.com/books/96345)
- [A Midsummer Night's Dream](https://samolit.com/books/96343)
- [The Tragedy of Macbeth](https://samolit.com/books/96336)
- [Shakespeare's Sonnets](https://samolit.com/books/96324)
- [Othello](https://samolit.com/books/96181)
- [The Tempest: The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.]](https://samolit.com/books/96173)
- [Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare](https://samolit.com/books/96147)
- [Hamlet](https://samolit.com/books/95992)
- [Macbeth](https://samolit.com/books/95935)
- [Hamlet, Prince of Denmark](https://samolit.com/books/95930)
- [The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet](https://samolit.com/books/95879)
- [The Complete Works of William Shakespeare](https://samolit.com/books/95840)
- [A Midsummer Night's Dream](https://samolit.com/books/4869)