William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, one of the greatest writers of all time. Termed as the ‘Bard of Avon,’ he is also called England’s national poet. His works have been adapted, translated and made into movies as well. His works are so brilliant that he has made a lasting impression in the fields of theatre and literature. The legendary writer died on April 23, 1616 at the age of 52. As a playwright, he captured a range of emotions starting with light comedies, tragedies, histories and tragicomedies. Today marks the 402nd death anniversary of this legend.

Let us understand a few facts about him.

  1. Shakespeare is known to introduce almost 3000 words to the English language. He has been credited by the Oxford English Dictionary for the same.

  2. It is not known what Shakespeare did between the years 1585 and 1592. There is no record from the time his twins were baptized in 1585 for the next seven years. Historians believe that he worked as a teacher and traveled across Europe during those years.

  3. There is still confusion about how to spell his name! Some sources from his lifetime show that his name is spelt in 80 different ways and in some of his signatures, he used different abbreviations.

  4. The longest word used by him is honorificabilitudinitatibus, a medieval Latin word. In his play Love’s Labour’s Lost, Shakespeare used this word. The English definition of this word is invincible glorious honorableness.

  5. Shakespeare never attended university. His literary works are today studied by literature students but Shakespeare himself wasn’t an obedient student.

  6. Shakespeare very well managed the best of both worlds. While he became famous as a playwright in London in the 17th century, back in his hometown, he was known for being a businessman and a property owner. He was one with a lot of riches!

  7. Shakespeare’s skull was stolen by grave robbers. This could be most likely a fiction but an archaeological investigation of Shakespeare’s grave gave a conclusion that the head appears to be missing and the skull could have been stolen by trophy hunters.

The great playwright has written and published 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and a few other verses. Some of his finest works include the Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. He has been a great influence to several other novelists and a subject of deep study for enthusiasts. Not only was he a great artist but also a great entrepreneur, and he till today continues to be an inspiration for many.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2018 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).