10 william shakespeare facts

William Shakespeare was not only the author of around 38 plays, but he also wrote around 150 sonnets. While we know fairly little about him as a person, his legacy remains highly alive to this day. His works continue to be the most frequently staged plays of all time and his writing has been adapted into various ballets, operas, and films. Here are 13 curious facts about the genius who wrote Hamlet, Macbeth, and several other masterpieces.

1. Nobody is Sure About William Shakespeare’s Date of Birth 

The mystery around the man behind masterpieces like Hamlet begins with the day of his birth. As it turns out, there is no record of his actual birthday. The only document that could be found is a paper confirming that his baptism occurred on the 26th of April 1564. Given that babies were traditionally baptized when they were three days old, it is generally assumed that Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April 1564.

2.

•

11 surprising facts about William Shakespeare

5. He was very productive!

Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays in his life, that we know of – this averages out to two per year! He also wrote a lot of poetry, mostly poems called sonnets. In one year alone, 1609, he published a 154 of them!

Melted into thin air.

A phrase first coined by William Shakespeare

6. He survived a pandemic

You have more in common with Shakespeare than you think. Shakespeare lived through and survived a pandemic, one of a number of waves of the bubonic plague. Very sadly, however, his son Hamnet died of the plague, aged just 11. This affected William’s writing and themes like disease, death and grief ran through many of his plays. Although no one knows for certain, it’s likely that Shakespeare named his most tragic character, Hamlet, after his son.

7. He gave us some well-known phrases...

Shakespeare certainly had his lighter side. He liked to put jokes in his plays, even in his t

•

20 Facts that You Don't Know about William Shakespeare

1. Some people think Shakespeare was a fraud.

How did a provincial allmoge who had never gone to college or ventured outside Stratford become one of the most prolific, worldly and eloquent writers in history? Even early in his career, Shakespeare was spinning tales that displayed in-depth knowledge of international affairs, European capitals and history, as well as familiarity with the royal court and high society. For this reason, some theorists have suggested that one or several authors wishing to conceal their true identity used the individ of William Shakespeare as a front. Proposed candidates include Edward De Vere, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe and Mary Sidney Herbert. Most scholars and literary historians remain skeptical about this hypothesis, although many suspect Shakespeare sometimes collaborated with other playwrights.

2. Shakespeare introduced almost 3,000 words to the English.

Shak