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26 Interesting Facts About Shakespeare Better Than Fiction 2024 

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There are few writers as synonymous with English literature as William Shakespeare. Bearing the title of England’s National Poet and fondly called The Bard of Avon, there’s simply no escaping the influences his works and his life have left in the world.

Now you may have read or seen one (or more) of his plays, maybe you’ve delved into the history books to learn more about him, or you’ve recently rewatched Shakespeare in Love. As many interesting facts about Shakespeare as you may think you know, there’s definitely a lot more to discover.

Perched atop a pedestal overlooking other literary giants like John Steinbeck, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman, Shakespeare knows no equal — time to find out why.

26 Interesting Facts About Shakespeare

Contrary to what you might believe, a lot about Shakespeare’s life isn’t actually known. But what is known is without a doubt better than any work of fiction ever. Here are some of the most interesting facts about Shakespeare.

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1. Shakespeare Added Roughly 3,000 Words to the English Language

Let’s kick things off with what can only be described as Shakespeare’s most incredible living legacy. While you may know that many phrases are used in modern English courtesy of The Bard, the Oxford English Dictionary attributes a whopping 3,000 words to the pen of William Shakespeare.

To put that into perspective, historians estimate that his vocabulary ranged from about 17,000 to a staggering 29,000 words. This is considered at least twice the number of words an average conversationalist will ever use. These 3,000 words, along with each of his published plays, have been translated into every major language worldwide.

2. Shakespeare’s Productivity is Legendary

From the first recorded play written by Shakespeare until the last three years before his death, the writer penned at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and many poems. Above and beyond those are at least two “lost plays” that he wrote, which were never recorded, and a few he collaborated on. If you do the math, that means he wrote 1.5 plays every year since he started writing in 1589.

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3. You Are Most Likely Spelling Shakespeare’s Name Incorrectly

As odd as it might seem, you’ve probably been incorrectly spelling Shakespeare’s name, or at least his last name. Don’t stress about it too much. According to historical sources, he also never spelled it correctly, but Shakespeare notoriously couldn’t spell most words.

He never spelled his name as William Shakespeare in the handful of signatures that have survived over time. In fact, there are an estimated 80 variations of the spelling of his last name alone. These range from “Shappere”, “Shaxberd”, and even “Willm Shakp”. 

You can thank Old English for his commonly used name, which, when translated, means “to brandish a spear”.

4. Shakespeare Is One of the Most Quoted Men Ever

When you think of Shakespeare and his impact on the English language, consider this. William Shakespeare is responsible for nearly a tenth of the most quoted phrases in English, and he is the second most quoted writer, beaten only by quotes from the Bible.

 According to the Literature Encyclopedia, collectively, the writers of the Bible are the only people to have ever lived who are quoted more than William Shakespeare.

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5. Grave Robbers Most Probably Stole Shakespeare’s Skull

What began as an urban legend turned out to be more fact than fiction. During the 18th century, a story began doing the rounds that grave robbers had stolen the skull of Shakespeare from his grave, and up until 2016, it was considered a myth. However, the first archaeological investigation of his grave proved this true.

This investigation of his final resting place at Holy Trinity church in Stratford-on-Avon delivered startling revelations. Two of which were that he was buried in a shallow grave and that his remains were all there, apart from his head. Many suspect trophy hunters raided the church and came upon his body without even knowing who he was.

6. Shakespeare’s Birthday is Unknown, and Some Suspect He Didn’t Exist at All

Get your conspiracy hats ready. Well, almost ready. While some historians believe Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April 1564, his exact birthday remains a mystery. The only reason for the assumption is that his baptism happened on the 26th of April, 1564.

Now for the conspiracy. There’s an entire collective that believes Shakespeare didn’t even exist, to begin with. These skeptics argue that there’s no conceivable way a provincial commoner who barely ever made it out of his hometown could become one of history’s most prolific writers. This hypothesis remains unverified.

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Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

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7. Critics Didn’t Really Like His Works

Almost universally considered one of the greatest writers in the English language, critics of the time were not at all impressed with his works. Many of his contemporaries were harsh in their critique of his plays, and the very first recorded reference to his works is the Robert Greene pamphlet. Greene was a theater critic in 1592 and infamously called Shakespeare an “upstart crow beautified by our feathers”.

8. Shakespeare Married an Older Woman

At the relatively young age of 18, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in a very hastily arranged ceremony. Now that doesn’t seem too odd, but at the time of the marriage, Anne was eight years older than he was and three months pregnant, which was quite out of the ordinary for the times.

Six months after the ceremony, the couple welcomed daughter Susanna into the world and twins Hamnet and Judith in the following year. Although not much is known about William and Anne’s relationship, he left her only one thing in his will — his “second-best bed”.

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9. Shakespeare Never Went to University

Who could have imagined that a man who never went to university, in fact, one who left formal education at the age of 14, would live to become a literary legend? While Shakespeare was enrolled in the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford in 1578, he seemingly disappeared.

Many years later, he reemerged, in the late 1580s (more on that a bit later) in London, where he lived in Bishopsgate. And upon his reappearance, he presented himself as a professionally trained actor and later began writing, even though no official record of any higher education exists.

10. Some of Uranus’ Moons Are Named After Shakespeare’s Characters

Uranus is the largest planet in our solar system and features many moons that orbit around it, all named starting in 1852. Mostly these names were inspired by or directly taken from magical spirits throughout popular literature of the time. Since then, the International Astronomy Union has developed a naming convention based on the works of Shakespeare.

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11. Shakespeare Most Likely Wore a Gold Hoop Earring

Considering the man lived many (many) years ago, there are quite a few noteworthy depictions of what he looked like. Most of these come from 17th-century portraits that may or may not have had The Bard himself sitting behind the canvas. One of the most famous of these is the Chandos portrait.

Here you see William depicted with a full beard, a receding hairline, loosened shirt-ties, and one shiny gold hoop earring dangling from his left ear. The earring is not an odd sight of the time and is mostly evidence of a bohemian lifestyle inspired by sailors. This earring was meant to cover potential funeral costs should they die at sea.

You might enjoy reading my article on Interesting Facts about Helen Keller.

12. Shakespeare’s Father Held Many Jobs

Born into a middle-class family, Shakespeare grew up not poor but not rich either. During his lifetime, though, Shakespeare’s father, John, held many jobs — some more strange than others. Considering his father was most likely illiterate, he was a leather goods salesman, a money lender, and at one point, even the mayor of Stratford.

One of his more quirky career moves was to become the official ale tester of a local borough close to Stratford. He made quite a pretty penny spending his days drinking beer and tasting bread but soon swapped professions again to become a glove maker. 

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13. Both Abraham Lincoln and His Assassin Were Fans of Shakespeare

Add this one to your facts about Abraham Lincoln list, but strangely enough, the famous president and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, were massive fans of Shakespeare. Abraham Lincoln loved many, if not all, of The Bard’s plays and often recited them to his friends, whereas Wilkes Booth was a renowned Shakespearean actor of the times.

14. The Playwright’s Parents Were Probably Illiterate, and His Children Definitely Were

Speaking of William’s parents, many historians argue that both his mother, Mary, and father, John, were probably illiterate. This isn’t strange, considering that during the Elizabethan era, many people of their standing never learned to read or write. 

Now there are some who maintain that to be mayor of Stratford meant John had to be somewhat literate, but he always signed his name with a simple cross. On the other hand, it is widely known that all of Shakespeare’s children, Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith, were illiterate. But Susanna could at least scrawl what resembled her signature as she grew up.

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15. Shakespeare’s Life Between 1585 and 1592 Is a Complete Mystery

Despite the best efforts by his biographers, Shakespeare’s life from 1585 up to 1592 is a complete mystery. Disappearing off the historical record shortly after the baptism of his twins, the first known reference to him came almost seven years later when the playwright Robert Greene named him an “upstart crow” in a pamphlet.

Historians call these seven years the “lost years”, and it would seem, thanks to the Robert Greene pamphlet, that Shakespeare had made a name for himself in London during that time. Many theorize that he studied law, traveled across Europe, and joined an acting troupe that was passing through Stratford. 

16. Women Never Appeared in Shakespeare’s Plays

This might not be news to some, but it is still quite shocking. During the time when Shakespeare produced and put on his plays, it was illegal for women and girls to perform in the theater. This resulted in every female role being played by men and boys even though they were written as female. It was only during the Restoration that women were allowed on stage.

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17. Shakespeare Cursed Any Who Dared Disturb His Grave

Talk about covering your bases. Shakespeare died on the 23rd of April, 1616, at 52. While the jury is still out on what exactly caused his death, Shakespeare had the foresight to write his own epitaph, which is displayed above his tomb inside the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

The verse he wrote was intended to warn off any would-be grave robbers (this didn’t work) by pronouncing a curse over anyone who disturbed his resting place. It reads, “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare, / To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, / And cursed be he that moves my bones.”.

18. Shakespeare Survived the Bubonic Plague

Not many pandemics have been as devastating as the Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, and although Shakespeare lost his son, Hamnet, to the disease at the age of 11, he survived. The plague seemingly influenced many of The Bard’s later works, claiming the lives of more than 33,000 people in London alone.

His most tragic character, Hamlet, was believed to be inspired by his own son and his passing. After Hamnet’s death, themes such as disease, grief, and death became significant points in many of his plays. 

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19. Shakespeare Was Very Wealthy

Shakespeare amassed quite a lot of money during his life, and his continued success resulted in his buying of the largest house in Stratford-on-Avon in 1597. Some speculation indicated that the house had as many as 30 rooms which for the time was quite extraordinary. Shakespeare’s family was granted their own crest thanks to his popularity, fortune, and influence with King James I.

20. Shakespeare Was Not An Elizabethan Playwright

While many consider Shakespeare an Elizabethan playwright, this is technically incorrect. Yes, he did write numerous plays during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but he wrote far more during the Jacobean era, which means he’s, factually speaking, a Jacobean writer.

Although his theater company performed before both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, the writer had far closer ties to the king than the queen. So much so that the king even made the actors of his company “Grooms of Chamber”, in response to which Shakespeare renamed the company the “King’s Men”.

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21. Starlings Fly the Skies of America Thanks to Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s plays reference many wild animals and many different bird species, from swans to doves, sparrows, and turkeys. One of the most famous birds mentioned in his plays is the starling, a songbird with the gift of mimicry, native to Europe and Western Asia.

In 1890, an American “bardolator”, Eugene Schiffelin, decided to import the starling and every other bird type mentioned by Shakespeare to the United States. He released a flock of 60 starlings in New York’s Central Park, and today, more than 120 years later, there are more than 200 million starlings in the country.

22. Shakespeare’s Relative Was Executed for Treason

William Shakespeare had quite a few relatives, and one of them, on his mother’s side, William Arden, met a tragic end during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Charged with treason and plotting to overthrow the government, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and later executed.

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23. Shakespeare Stopped Writing After the Globe Burned Down

During his premier years, theaters were considered a new and imagination-defying thing, but they were also quite a chaotic place to visit. Why? Well, mostly thanks to their perceived “special effects”. These would range from throwing live fireworks through a trapdoor to imitating lightning and rolling a cannonball across the floor to mimic the sound of thunder.

However, courtesy of a cannon that was fired to announce the start of Henry VIII in 1613, a blazing mix of gunpowder and wadding set the outer roof of The Globe alight. It didn’t take long for the entire theater to burn to the ground, resulting in Shakespeare never writing again.

24. Two of Shakespeare’s Plays Have Been Translated Into Klingon

If you’re not familiar with Klingon, don’t panic. The language, which originates from the science fiction television series, Star Trek, isn’t a major language apart from the fantasy worlds portrayed in the show. The Klingon Language Institute, though, is very real.

The institute spent years translating two of Shakespeare’s plays, namely Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, from English into the fictional language. They plan to eventually translate all of The Bard’s works into Klingon.

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25. Shakespeare’s Portrait Was the First Purchase By the National Portrait Gallery

When the National Portrait Gallery opened its doors in 1856, its first official purchase was the “Chandos” portrait of William Shakespeare. The painting attributed to artist John Taylor is widely considered to be the only representation of The Bard that has any claim to having been painted with the writer present.

26. Shakespeare Never Published Any of His Plays

Wrap your head around this one, but as unbelievable as it seems, none of Shakespeare’s plays were published during his lifetime, and when they were, it wasn’t even he who did it. Every work from the playwright you can find in print today thanks to two actors of his time.

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John Hemmings and Henry Condell, fellow actors to Shakespeare, recorded and later published 36 of the writer’s works after he died in 1616. They published the “The First Folio” collection, which would become the only source of Shakespeare’s works to ever exist.

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