Early life
Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover (glove-maker) originally from See more

In 1593 and 1594, when the theatres were closed because of plague, Shakespeare published two narrative poems on sexual themes, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. He dedicated them to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. In Venus and Adonis, … See more

Shakespeare's first plays were written in the conventional style of the day. He wrote them in a stylised language that does not always spring naturally from the needs of the characters or the drama. The poetry depends on extended, sometimes elaborate … See more

Authorship
Around 230 years after Shakespeare's death, doubts began to be expressed about the authorship of the works attributed to him. Proposed alternative candidates include Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe See more

Most playwrights of the period typically collaborated with others at some point, as critics agree Shakespeare did, mostly early and late in his career.
The first recorded works of Shakespeare are Richard III and the three parts of Henry VI See more

Influence
Shakespeare's work has made a significant and lasting impression on later theatre and … See more

• Outline of William Shakespeare
• English Renaissance theatre
• Spelling of Shakespeare's name
• World Shakespeare Bibliography See more