William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. An English playwright and poet, Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote around forty plays, among them the tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, the comedies A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night and the histories, along with 154 sonnets. He was a leading member of the acting company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later the King's Men, and a shareholder in the Globe Theatre in London. He retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he had been born, and his works have been performed and translated throughout the world ever since.
Before and after
- from 1564 to 1883Construction of Tuileries Palace
- 15 February 1564Birth of Galileo Galilei
- 18 February 1564Death of Michelangelo
- 23 February 1564Birth of Christopher Marlowe
- April 1564Birth of William Shakespeare
- 27 May 1564Death of John Calvin
- 1565Construction of Agra Fort
- 1565The Hunters in the Snow
- from 1565 to 1898Spanish–Moro conflict
More in Art, literature & culture
- 31 October 1517Origins of Lutheranism
- 10 November 1517Origins of Protestantism
- from 1545 to 1648Counter-Reformation
- 1563Construction of Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
- 1622Publication of Othello
- from 17th century to 19th centuryAge of Enlightenment
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.