William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. By the end of the sixteenth century, Shakespeare was already an established playwright and actor as well as co-manager of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. His early plays include some of his most well-known comedies such as The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and As You Like It, as well as the history plays Richard II and Henry V. It was in the 1600s that Shakespeare wrote his unforgettable tragedies, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth and Hamlet. He turned to tragicomedies in his later years, producing The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. Shakespeare died on 23 April, 1616.