William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, aged about 52. 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
- 13 March 1615Birth of Innocent XII
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- from 1616 to 1912Qing dynasty
- 22 April 1616Death of Miguel de Cervantes
- 23 April 1616Death of William Shakespeare
- from 1618 to 1648Thirty Years' War
- 1619Manneken Pis
- August 1619The first enslaved Africans arrive in English Virginia
- from 1620 to 1621Polish–Ottoman War of 1620–1621
More in Art, literature & culture
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 17th century.