William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 see § Early life below. He was baptised 26 April.}} April 1564 – 23 April 1616)}} was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them ''Hamlet'', ''Othello'', ''King Lear'' and ''Macbeth'', all considered to be among the finest works in English. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) such as ''The Winter's Tale'' and ''The Tempest'', and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, who hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time". Provided by Wikipedia
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1726
Published 1726
printed by and for A. Rhames, opposite the Pied-Horse in Capel-Street
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1754
Published 1754
printed by and for William Sleater, at Pope's Head, on Cork-Hill
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1786
Published 1786
printed for, and under the direction of, John Bell, British-Library, Strand, Bookseller to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1797
Published 1797
[printed for T. Longman, B. Law, C. Dilly, J. Johnson, G. G. and J. Robinson, [and 32 others in London]
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1770
Published 1770
printed by A. Donaldson, and sold at his shop, corner of Arundel-Street, Strand, London; and at Edinburgh
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1799
Published 1799
[Printed by Collins Shoe Lane publish'd Janr. 24. 1799. by W. Bromley, Jessamine House, Hammersmith [C. Whittingham, printer, London]
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1739
Published 1739
printed by R. Reilly, printed for John Smith, at the Philosophers Heads on the Blind-Key; and, Abraham Bradley, at the Two Bibles in Dame's-Street
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1770
Published 1770
printed by A. Donaldson, and sold at his shop, corner of Arundel-Street, Strand, London; and at Edinburgh
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1777
Published 1777
printed for and sold by W. Oxlade, at Shakespeare's Head, Middle-Row, Holborn
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1767
Published 1767
printed for H. Woodfall, Mess. Hawes, and Co. E. Johnson, W. Johnston, J. Rivington S. Crowder, T. Longman, B. Law, T. Caslon, T. Lowndes, and C. Corbett
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1734
Published 1734
printed: and sold by the booksellers of London and Westminster
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by Shakespeare, William
Published 1785
Published 1785
printed for, and under the direction of, John Bell, British Library, Strand, Bookseller to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales