William Shakespeare
Introduction
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and theatre actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. He is often referred to as “the Bard of Avon” or “the Swan of Avon” due to his close association with Stratford-upon-Avon. His contributions to literature have been immense and influential throughout the world for centuries. He wrote plays that emphasize timeless themes such as love, ambition, jealousy and betrayal while also exploring deeper questions about life's meaning.
Family
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23rd 1564 and baptised there three days later on April 26th 1564. His father John Shakespeare was a glove maker by trade while his mother Mary Arden came from a wealthy landowning family. They had eight children together including William who became their eldest son after two daughters died in infancy. William married Anne Hathaway when he was eighteen years old; they had three children - Susanna (1583), twins Judith (1585) & Hamlet (1585). Hamlet sadly passed away when he eleven years old leaving Judith & Susanna without a brother; it has been speculated that this event may have shaped some of Shakespeare's work featuring tragic endings brought about by death . It has never been confirmed whether or not William ever visited Italy but it seems highly likely given allusions within his works regarding Italian cities & culture which could only be known through direct experience or second hand accounts from reliable sources at least according some scholars .
Literature
The literary works attributed to William Shakespeare include 38 plays , 154 sonnets , 2 long narrative poems , several other shorter poems along with various collaborations & unconfirmed attributions over the course of 20+ years between 1590 – 1613 . The majority are considered comedies , histories followed by tragedies although many defy categorisation based on their complex tone & subject matter spanning multiple genres across distinct periods throughout Elizabethan/Jacobean eras covering politics/society/culture etc.. It is believed that up to half were written solely by him while others suggest co authorship involving collaborator(s) such as George Peele / Christopher Marlowe / Thomas Middleton etc.. His legacy lives on today allowing us access into those worlds via books/plays/movies providing us with valuable insights into how people perceived themselves back then ; indeed many characters tropes appear so contemporary even now its hard not believe these stories were written just recently !
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