William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), a collection of sonnets and a variety of other poems.
Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Carol Rutter teaches English And Comparative Literature and is Co-Director of Graduate Studies at the Centre for Renaissance Studies at Warwick University. Her publications include Enter the Body: Women and Representation on Shakespeare's Stage and Documents of the Rose Playhouse (MUP, 1999).
George K Hunter is Emily Sanford Professor of English Emeritus at Yale University. His books include John Lyly: The Humanist as Courtier, Dramatic Identities and Cultural Tradition, English Drama 1586-1642: the Age of Shakespeare (Oxford History of English Literature Vol.6).
William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including
Romeo and Juliet (1595),
Henry V (1599),
Hamlet (1601),
Othello (1604),
King Lear (1606) and
Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616.
