William Shakespeare: Quick Facts

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Nov. 13, 2026

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Also Known As	William Shakspere • Bard of Avon • Swan of Avon
Baptized	April 26, 1564 • Stratford-upon-Avon • England
Died	April 23, 1616 • Stratford-upon-Avon • England
Notable Works	“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” • “All’s Well That Ends Well” • “Antony and Cleopatra” • “As You Like It” • “Coriolanus” • “Cymbeline” • First Folio • “Hamlet” • “Henry IV, Part 1” • “Henry IV, Part 2” • “Henry V” • “Henry VI, Part 1” • “Henry VI, Part 2” • “Henry VI, Part 3” • “Henry VIII” • “Julius Caesar” • “King John” • “King Lear” • “Love’s Labour’s Lost” • “Macbeth” • “Measure for Measure” • “Much Ado About Nothing” • “Othello” • “Pericles” • “Richard III” • “The Comedy of Errors” • “The Merchant of Venice” • “The Merry Wives of Windsor” • “The Taming of the Shrew” • “The Tempest” • “Timon of Athens”
Movement / Style	Jacobean age
Notable Family Members	spouse Anne Hathaway

Shakespeare's parents, wife, and children were all likely illiterate.
Starlings were brought to North America in 1890 when Shakespeare fanatic Eugene Schieffelin decided Central Park should contain all the songbirds mentioned in Shakespeare's works.
Shakespeare first popularized the names Olivia, Cordelia, Jessica, and Miranda (with those spellings).