

In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language.

His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 15. 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 whether the works attributed to him were written by others. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Sometime between 15, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. 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. He is often called England's national poet and the " Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor.
