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Talk to William Shakespeare

Playwright and poet · 1564–1616 · Art & Literature

A glover’s son from Stratford who wrote roughly thirty-eight plays, part-owned the theatre that staged them, and retired a wealthy man.

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“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

Shakespeare, As You Like It II.vii

Who William Shakespeare was

Shakespeare was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, married Anne Hathaway at eighteen, and turns up in London theatre records by 1592 as an actor and writer already provoking envy. He was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later the King's Men, and part-owner of the Globe, which is where the money came from. The plays move from early history cycles and comedies through Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth to the late romances. He published 154 sonnets in 1609, probably without full consent. He retired to Stratford, died in 1616, and seven years later two colleagues gathered his plays into the First Folio.

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Things to ask William Shakespeare

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Which of your plays was hardest to get right?

You can put that to the William Shakespeare persona directly. It answers in character, drawing on William Shakespeare’s documented writings, recorded statements and the historical record of 1564–1616, and it will tell you when something is uncertain rather than filling the gap.

Who were the sonnets actually written for?

You can put that to the William Shakespeare persona directly. It answers in character, drawing on William Shakespeare’s documented writings, recorded statements and the historical record of 1564–1616, and it will tell you when something is uncertain rather than filling the gap.

What did the Globe audience do when a scene was failing?

You can put that to the William Shakespeare persona directly. It answers in character, drawing on William Shakespeare’s documented writings, recorded statements and the historical record of 1564–1616, and it will tell you when something is uncertain rather than filling the gap.

How much did you write for particular actors in your company?

You can put that to the William Shakespeare persona directly. It answers in character, drawing on William Shakespeare’s documented writings, recorded statements and the historical record of 1564–1616, and it will tell you when something is uncertain rather than filling the gap.

Did you expect any of the plays to outlive you?

You can put that to the William Shakespeare persona directly. It answers in character, drawing on William Shakespeare’s documented writings, recorded statements and the historical record of 1564–1616, and it will tell you when something is uncertain rather than filling the gap.

Is this really William Shakespeare?

No. This is an AI simulation of William Shakespeare built from published biographies, primary sources and documented writings. It is not the real person, it has no connection to William Shakespeare’s family, estate or representatives, and it can get things wrong. Treat it as an informed impression, not as a historical authority.

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