William Shakespeare
Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, Kingdom of England
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor, whose plays have been translated into every major living language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he made his career in London as an actor, writer and sharer in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later the King's Men, and wrote some 39 plays, 154 sonnets and three long narrative poems before retiring to Stratford. More than 250 operas are based, mostly loosely, on his plays, but few have lasted. Verdi's Macbeth, Otello and Falstaff stand at the head of those that have, the last two with librettos by Boito.
Source works
- Henry IV, Part 1 (1598)
- Henry IV, Part 2 (1600)
- Macbeth (c. 1606)
- The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602)
- Othello, the Moor of Venice (1604)
Written from
- Wilson, C. R. (1992) 'Shakespeare, William', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 338-347.
- Wikipedia (2026) William Shakespeare. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).