William Shakespeare

Famously known as 'The Bard of Avon', William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, most probably on 23rd April 1564. We say probably because till date, nobody has conclusive evidence for when Shakespeare was born. His father, John Shakespeare, was a successful local businessman and his mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a wealthy landowner. In 1582, an eighteen-year-old William married an older woman named Anne Hathaway. Soon, they had their first daughter, Susanna, and later, two other children. William's only son, Hamnet, died at the tender age of eleven. Translated into innumerable languages across the globe, Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are undoubtedly the most studied writings in the English language. A rare playwright, he excelled in tragedies, comedies, and histories. Skillfully combining entertainment with unmatched poetry, some of his most famous plays are Othello, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and The Merchant of Venice, among many others. Shakespeare was also an actor. In 1599, he became one of the partners in the new Globe Theatre in London and a part owner of his own theatre company called The Chamberlain's Men - a group of remarkable actors who were also business partners and close friends of Shakespeare. When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603 and was succeeded by her cousin King James of Scotland, The Chamberlain's Men was renamed The King's Men. Shakespeare died in 1616. The characters he created and the stories he told have held the interest of people for the past 400 years. Till date, his plays are performed all over the world, and have been turned into movies, comics, cartoons, operas, and musicals.