Things You May Not Know About Him

Interested in Willam Shakespeare facts? Beneath y'all can read 7 quick facts about Shakespeare, or delve deeper into our longer selection of interesting facts about the great man and his life.

Leap to section: Shakespeare's life, Shakespeare's era, Shakespeare's works, Fun Shakespeare facts

Bear in listen that very niggling in the mode of hard facts is actually known about Shakespeare's life (dissimilar facts about Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which are fairly well documented), but we've researched long and hard to come up upward with this huge – and unique – option of verifiable Shakespeare facts.

7 Quick William Shakespeare Facts…

1. Parents: John Shakespeare & Mary Shakespeare (nee Arden).
2. Built-in: Generally accepted as 23 April 1564, as he was baptised 26 April 1564.
3. Hometown: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
4. Married woman: Anne Hathaway.
5. Children: Susanna, Hamnet & Judith
6. Works: 37 plays (at to the lowest degree), 154 sonnets, many poems.
7. Died: Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Facts Nigh Shakespeare'south Life

eight. Shakespeare's father fabricated gloves for a living

Shakespeare'southward parents were John and Mary Shakespeare (nee Arden). John came to Stratford upon Avon from Snitterfield before 1532 as an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. He prospered and began to deal in farm products and wool before existence elected to a multitude of civic positions.

John Shakespeare'south glove workshop at the Shakespeare Birthplace, complete with the window where he displayed and sold his gloves to passersby.

9. Shakespeare was born 23^rd April 1564

There is documentary proof that Shakespeare was baptised on 26th April 1564, and scholars believe that, in keeping with the traditions of the fourth dimension, he would have been baptised when he was three days one-time, meaning Shakespeare was probably born on April 23rd. However, as Shakespeare was born nether the old Julian calendar, what was April 23rd during Shakespeare'due south life would actually be May 3rd according to today'due south Gregorian calendar.

ten. Shakespeare had seven siblings

Shakespeare had vii siblings: Joan (b 1558, only lived ii months); Margaret (b 1562); Gilbert (b 1566); another Joan (b 1569); Anne (b 1571); Richard (b 1574) and Edmund (b 1580). Read more than near Shakespeare's family.

xi. Shakespeare married an older, meaning lady at 18

Shakespeare married his married woman Anne Hathaway when he was 18. She was 26 and three months pregnant with Shakespeare's child when they married. Their first kid Susanna was born six months later the wedding.

Anne Hathaway Painting by Roger Brian Dunn (2010) based on a drawing by Nathaniel Curzon (1708)

12. Shakespeare had three children

Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had iii children together – a son, Hamnet, who died in 1596, and ii daughters, Susanna and Judith. His only granddaughter Elizabeth – daughter of Susanna – died childless in 1670. Shakespeare, therefore, has no descendants. Read more than about Shakespeare'south family.

13. Shakespeare moved to London equally a boyfriend

Shakespeare left Stratford upon Avon – likely in the late 1580s – and went to London. The showtime record of William Shakespeare in London is of him living in Bishopsgate in 1596 (run across our post on where Shakespeare lived in London). The accost is unknown, though is thought to be in the vicinity of Leadenhall Street and St Mary Avenue.

xiv. Shakespeare was an actor, also as a writer

Few people realise that apart from writing his numerous plays and sonnets, Shakespeare was too an actor who performed many of his own plays as well as those of other playwrights. There is show that he played the ghost in Hamlet and Adam in Every bit Y'all Like Information technology.

15. Shakespeare wore a aureate hoop earing

It's probable that Shakespeare wore a gold hoop earring in his left ear – a creative, bohemian look in the Elizabethan & Jacobean eras. This manner is evidenced in the Chandos portrait, one of the well-nigh famous depictions of Shakespeare.

The Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, consummate with gold hoop earing

sixteen. Shakespeare became very wealthy

During his lifetime Shakespeare became a very wealthy man with a big property portfolio. He was a brilliant businessman – forming a joint-stock company with his actors pregnant he took a share in the company's profits, as well as earning a fee for each play he wrote.

17. Shakespeare lived betwixt London and Stratford

Shakespeare lived a double life. Past the seventeenth century, he had become a famous playwright in London but in his hometown of Stratford upon Avon, where his wife and children were, and which he visited ofttimes, he was a well-known and highly respected man of affairs and property owner.

eighteen. Shakespeare's Stratford domicile was chosen 'New Place'

Shakespeare's family domicile in Stratford upon Avon was called New Identify. The business firm stood on the corner of Chapel Street and Chapel Lane, and was the largest house in the town at that time.

View of knot garden in New Place, Stratford, with views to Keen Garden and Regal Shakespeare Theatre

19. Shakespeare performed earlier both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I

During his life William Shakespeare and his theatre company performed before both Queen Elizabeth I and, after, James I, who was an enthusiastic patron of his work.

20. Shakespeare was a favourite of King James I

Shakespeare had shut connections with King James I. The King made the actors of Shakespeare'south company 'Grooms of Bedroom', in response to which Shakespeare changed the company'south name from the 'Lord Chamberlain's Men' to the 'Rex's Men'. The new title made Shakespeare a favourite with the Male monarch and in much need for Court performances.

21. Shakespeare had his ain family unit coat of arms

Sometime later on his unsuccessful awarding to go a admirer, William Shakespeare took his begetter to the College of Arms to secure their own Shakespeare family crest. The crest was a xanthous spear on a yellow shield, with the Latin inscription "Non Sans Droict", or "Not without Right".

The Shakespeare family glaze of arms

22. Shakespeare left his wife his "second best best"

On his death, Shakespeare made several gifts to various people merely left his property to his girl, Susanna. The simply mention of his married woman in Shakespeare's own volition is:"I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the piece of furniture". The "piece of furniture" was the bedclothes for the bed.

23. Shakespeare died on his birthday

William Shakespeare'south burial at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon is documented as happening on 25th Apr 1616. In keeping with traditions of the time it's probable he would have been buried two days afterward his death, pregnant Shakespeare probable died 23rd April 1616 – his 52nd birthday.

24. Shakespeare put a curse on his grave

Shakespeare penned a expletive for his grave, daring anyone to motility his body from that last resting place. His epitaph was:

Good friend for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.

Though it was customary to dig up the bones from previous graves to make room for others, the remains in Shakespeare's grave are all the same undisturbed.

The curse on Shakespeare's gravestone in Holy Trinity Church building – cursed be he that moves my bones!

25. Shakespeare was a Catholic

Although Catholicism was effectively illegal in Shakespeare's lifetime, the Anglican Archdeacon, Richard Davies of Lichfield, who had known him wrote some time afterward Shakespeare's death that he had been a Catholic.

Facts Almost Shakespeare's Era

26. Shakespeare was both an Elizabethan and Jacobean

Shakespeare is most oft referred to as an Elizabethan playwright, only equally most of his near pop plays were written after Elizabeth's death he was really more than of a Jacobean writer. His later plays also show the distinct characteristics of Jacobean drama.

27. There was no such thing as copyright

Copyright didn't be in William Shakespeare'southward time, as a result of which there was a thriving trade in copied plays. To help counter this, actors got their lines only in one case the play was in progress – frequently in the course of cue acting where someone backstage whispered them to the person shortly before he was supposed to deliver them.

No copyright for Shakespeare's works

28. Waves of plague closed all theatres

An outbreak of the plague in Europe resulted in all London theatres being closed betwixt 1592 and 1594. As at that place was no demand for plays during this fourth dimension, Shakespeare began to write poesy, completing his first batch of sonnets in 1593, aged 29.

29. Females were non allowed to perform on stage

It was illegal for women and girls to perform in the theatre in Shakespeare's lifetime so all the female parts were written for boys. The text of some plays like Hamlet and Antony and Cleopatra refer to that. It was only much afterward, during the Restoration, that the kickoff woman appeared on the English language stage.

30. The Globe Theatre burned down

Shakespeare'south Globe Theatre came to a premature end on 29th June 1613 after a cannon shot set fire to the thatched roof during a performance of Henry VIII. Within two hours the theatre was burnt to the ground, to be rebuilt the following year. (Encounter our article on interesting facts on The Earth Theatre.)

31. Writing by candlelight didn't happen

Candles were very expensive in Shakespeare's fourth dimension and so they were used only for emergencies, for a short time. Most writers wrote in the daytime and socialised in the evenings. There is no reason to recall that William Shakespeare was whatever different from his contemporaries.

Candles were actually very expensive…

Facts Well-nigh Shakespeare's Works

32. Shakespeare was incredibly productive

During his life, William Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and a number of poems! that we know of. In add-on, at that place are a number of "lost plays" and plays that Shakespeare collaborated on. This means Shakespeare wrote an average of 1.five plays a twelvemonth since he get-go started writing in 1589.

33. Shakespeare is bested merely by the bible for quotes

Co-ordinate to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, William Shakespeare wrote close to a tenth of the most quoted lines e'er written or spoken in English. What's more, according to the Literature Encyclopaedia, Shakespeare is the 2d about quoted English writer after the writers of the bible (read our selection of Shakespeare's all-time quotes).

Shakespeare is second only to the bible in terms of quotability

34. At that place are 13 suicides in Shakespeare's plays

Suicide occurs an unlucky thirteen times in Shakespeare's plays, with three suicides occurring in both Antony & Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, and two suicides in Romeo and Juliet.

35. Two of Shakespeare's plays are written completely in verse

Only 2 of Shakespeare'due south plays are written entirely in verse: they are Richard II and King John. Many of the plays have half of the text in prose.

36. Shakespeare wrote at least two plays that accept been lost

It's certain that Shakespeare wrote at least two plays that take been lost – titled Cardenio, and Dear'due south Labour's Won. It's likely that Shakespeare wrote many more than plays that have been lost.

37. Shakespeare's longest play is three times longer than his shortest

Shakespeare's shortest play, The Comedy of Errors contains just one,770 lines and is only a tertiary of the length of his longest, Village, which takes 4 hours to perform.

38. Two Shakespeare plays are available in Klingon

2 of Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet and Much Ado About Cipher, take been translated into Klingon. The Klingon Language Institute plans to translate more! (If you lot're into quirky William Shakespeare facts bank check out our  list of 23 things you never knew about Shakespeare.)

Klingons performing Shakespeare on stage

39. Shakespeare wrote his terminal play aged 49

Shakespeare'due south terminal play – The Two Noble Kinsmen – is reckoned to have been written in 1613 when he was 49 years old.

40. At that place's a conspiracy that Shakespeare didn't write his plays

Some scholars take maintained that Shakespeare did not write the plays attributed to him, with at to the lowest degree fifty writers having been suggested as the "real" author. However, the show for Shakespeare's having written the plays is very stiff.

41. Shakespeare was a dandy collaborator

In Elizabethan theatre circles it was common for writers to interact on writing plays. Towards the end of his career, Shakespeare worked with other writers on plays that have been credited to those writers. Other writers also worked on plays that are credited to Shakespeare. We know for certain that Timon of Athens was a collaboration with Thomas Middleton; Pericles with George Wilkins; and The Ii Noble Kinsmen with John Fletcher.

42. Shakespeare was never published in his lifetime

Shakespeare'south plays were never really published during his lifetime. They are known today only because 2 of his beau actors – John Hemminges and Henry Condell – recorded and published 36 of them posthumously under the proper name 'The First Folio', which is the source of all William Shakespeare books published.

Offset Folio inside pages, containing 36 of Shakespeare's plays

Fun Shakespeare Facts

43. Shakespeare got panned by critics in his fourth dimension

Although Shakespeare is almost universally considered as one of the finest writers in the English language, his contemporaries were not always every bit impressed. The first recorded reference to Shakespeare, written by theatre critic Robert Greene in 1592, was every bit an "upstart crow, beautified with our feathers".

44. The first purchase past the National Portrait Gallery was a Shakespeare portrait

The National Portrait Gallery in London'south starting time acquisition in 1856 was the 'Chandos' portrait of Shakespeare, attributed to the artist John Taylor. It's now considered the merely representation of the writer that has whatsoever real claim to having been painted from life. (See a gallery of Shakespeare portraits.)

45. Shakespeare'south relative was executed for plotting against the queen

One of Shakespeare'due south relatives on his mother's side, William Arden, was arrested for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I, imprisoned in the Belfry of London and executed.

A public execution in front of the Tower of London

46. Did you know…

'William Shakespeare' is an anagram of 'I am a weakish speller'.

47. The bible contains a hidden message to Shakespeare (maybe!)

In the Male monarch James Bible the 46th discussion of Psalm 46 is 'milk shake' and the 46th word from the end of the same Psalm is 'spear'. Some think this was a hidden altogether bulletin to the Bard, as the King James Bible was published in 1611 – the twelvemonth of Shakespeare'southward 46th birthday.

48. Uranus' moons are named afterwards Shakespeare characters

The moons of Uranus were originally named in 1852 after magical spirits from English literature. The International Astronomy Union afterward developed the convention to proper name all further moons of Uranus (of which there are 27) subsequently characters in Shakespeare's plays or Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock.

49. Starlings exist in the U.s.a. because of Shakespeare

The Usa has Shakespeare to thank for its estimated 200 million starlings. In 1890 an American bardolator, Eugene Schiffelin, embarked on a project to import each species of bird mentioned in Shakespeare'southward works that were absent from the US. Function of this projection involved releasing two flocks of 60 starlings in New York'south Central Park.

Starlings in the The states, thanks to Shakespeare!

50. Abraham Lincoln and his assassin were both blindside into Shakespeare

The American President Abraham Lincoln was a great lover of Shakespeare'due south plays and frequently recited from them to his friends. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth was a famous Shakespearean actor.

51. Shakespeare was John Keats' creative muse

Rumour has it that poet John Keats was so influenced past Shakespeare that he kept a bust of the Bard beside him while he wrote, hoping that Shakespeare would spark his creativity.

52. The RSC perform to one-half a 1000000 people each yr

The Imperial Shakespeare Company sells more than than one-half a million tickets a year for Shakespeare productions at their theatres in Stratford-on-Avon, London, and Newcastle – introducing an estimated fifty,000 people to a live Shakespeare performance for the first time each yr.

53. Shakespeare'southward proper noun was spelled at least 80 means

There are more lxxx variations recorded for the spelling of Shakespeare'south proper noun. In the few original signatures that accept survived, Shakespeare spelt his name "Willm Shaksp," "William Shakespe," "Wm Shakspe," "William Shakspere," "Willm Shakspere," and "William Shakspeare". There are no records of him ever having spelt it "William Shakespeare", as nosotros know him today.

Shakespeare'due south signature on his will

54. Shakespeare'south grave now shows him property a quill

Shakespeare'south original grave marker showed him holding a purse of grain. Citizens of Stratford replaced the bag with a quill in 1747.

55. Shakespeare introduced 3,000 words to the English language

Shakespeare has been credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with introducing near 3,000 words to the English linguistic communication. Estimations of his vocabulary range from 17,000 to a boundless 29,000 words – at least double the number of words used by the average conversationalist.

56. Shakespeare used vii,000 words just in one case each in his works

Co-ordinate to Shakespeare professor Louis Marder, "Shakespeare was then facile in employing words that he was able to employ over vii,000 of them – more than occur in the whole King James Version of the Bible – only once and never again."

Congratulations on making it all the manner through these William Shakespeare facts!

Are you still in need of even more facts nigh Shakespeare? If so, check out our list of 23 things you never knew about Shakespeare. And if these extra William Shakespeare facts aren't enough for you to understand the Bard and his life, check out our complete biography of Shakespeare, or this Shakespeare timeline.

What do you think of these Shakespeare facts – any that surprise you, or that you lot didn't know? Or perhaps you'd like to share your own facts nearly William Shakespeare. Delight allow us know in the comments section below!

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