Happy 450th Birthday, William Shakespeare!
Not only is it St George’s day today, it’s also the 450th birthday of the great bard, William Shakespeare. At least, it would be if he had the kind of super powers that enabled him to become immortal. Even though he shuffled off this mortal coil several centuries ago, the work of Shakespeare is still widely loved (and widely loathed by teenagers who are forced to study it, unless things have changed dramatically since we were at school).
To show our appreciation of the Bard and his works, here are a few of our favourite Shakespeare related facts and quotes. If we’ve missed any of your favourites, be sure to add a comment and let us know.
Top 10 Facts about William Shakespeare
- Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday on 23rd April 1616
- William was one of the eight Shakespeare children: Joan, Margaret, Gilbert, Joan II, Anne, Richard and Edmund were his seven siblings
- Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and the couple had three children together – Hamnet, Susanna and Judith. There are no descendants as his only grandchild died childless in 1670. If anyone tells you they are a descendant, they are as inventive as Shakespeare
- He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. That equates to a very impressive 1.5 plays every year of his working life
- Shakespeare was an actor by trade and acted in quite a few of his own productions
- The only English book quoted more than the works of Shakespeare is the Bible
- Shakespeare has more pages about him on Google than God who has a mere 132 million, compared to Shakespeare’s 157 million
- Abraham Lincoln was a huge fan of Shakespeare’s work; his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was a famous Shakespearean actor
- Shakespeare’s longest play, Hamlet, takes an incredibly long four hours to perform in full
- A play called Cardenio, which was written by Shakespeare and performed during his lifetime, is one of approximately 20 plays which have never been found
Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes:
- “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times, and now how abhorr’d in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it.” Hamlet, Act 5 Scene 1
- “The course of true love never did run smooth.” A Midsummers Night’s Dream, Act 1 Scene 1
- “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Twelfth Night, Act 2 Scene 5
- “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend.” Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3
- “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” As You Like It, Act 1 Scene 7
- “All that glisters is not gold.” The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 7
- “Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.” Twelfth Night, Act 3 Scene 1
- “Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?“ As You Like It, Act 3 Scene 5
- “If music be the food of love, play on.” Twelfth Night, Act 1 Scene 1
- “Love is blind, and lovers cannot see, The pretty follies that themselves commit.” The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 6
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