William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) is the English playwright and poet who wrote Antony and Cleopatra. Many readers call him the greatest writer in the English language. This page gives a short biography of Shakespeare, explains his career in the theatre and shows where Antony and Cleopatra fits among his works. To study the play itself, start with the background of the play and the plot summary.

Early Life

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town in England. Records show that his family baptised him on 26 April 1564, and tradition gives his birthday as 23 April. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove maker and a local official, and his mother, Mary Arden, came from a farming family. Shakespeare most likely attended the local grammar school, where pupils studied Latin and read classical writers. This education later helped him write plays set in ancient Rome.

In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway. They had three children: Susanna, born in 1583, and the twins Hamnet and Judith, born in 1585. Hamnet died young, in 1596.

Career in the Theatre

Shakespeare moved to London, probably in the late 1580s, and became an actor and a writer. By the early 1590s, he had gained attention as a playwright. He joined a company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and he became one of its shareholders. When King James I took the throne in 1603, the company became the King’s Men and performed at court as well as in public.

The company used the Globe Theatre, which opened in 1599 on the south bank of the Thames. Audiences from all social classes came to watch the plays. Shakespeare wrote for this crowd and for his own actors, and he often used poetry, humour and strong stage action in the same play.

His Works

Shakespeare wrote about thirty-seven plays, which are usually divided into three groups:

• Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice
• Histories: Richard III, Henry IV and Henry V
• Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth

He also wrote 154 sonnets and long narrative poems such as Venus and Adonis. Some of his best-known plays are tragedies from the period between 1599 and 1608, when his writing reached its fullest power.

Shakespeare and Antony and Cleopatra

Shakespeare wrote Antony and Cleopatra around 1606 or 1607, when he was in his early forties and already famous. He took his story from Plutarch, whose work he read in Sir Thomas North’s English translation. The play belongs to his late tragedies and to his group of Roman plays, which also includes Julius Caesar and Coriolanus.

The play shows several features of his mature style. The language is rich and full of images of fire, water, gold and air. The scenes are short and move quickly between Egypt and Rome. The two main characters are neither simple heroes nor simple villains, and Shakespeare lets the audience see both their greatness and their faults. You can see these features in the themes and famous quotes pages.

Later Life and Death

Shakespeare gradually reduced his work in London and spent more time in Stratford, where he owned a large house called New Place. He wrote his last plays with other writers, and he retired around 1613. He died on 23 April 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

In 1623, two of his fellow actors, John Heminges and Henry Condell, published the First Folio. This large book gathered thirty-six of his plays, and it preserved eighteen that might otherwise have been lost. Antony and Cleopatra first appeared in print in this volume, so every modern edition owes its existence to the Folio.

Shakespeare’s Language and Style

Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse, which is unrhymed poetry with ten syllables to a line. Noble characters usually speak in verse, while comic or lower-class characters often speak in plain prose. He also used rich images, long speeches in which a character thinks aloud, and sudden turns of wit. In Antony and Cleopatra, these skills produce speeches such as Enobarbus’s description of the barge and Cleopatra’s final lines before her death.

Timeline of Shakespeare’s Life

• 1564: Baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon
• 1582: Marries Anne Hathaway
• Late 1580s to early 1590s: Moves to London and begins writing for the stage
• 1599: The Globe Theatre opens
• 1603: His company becomes the King’s Men under James I
• About 1606 to 1607: Writes Antony and Cleopatra
• 1616: Dies in Stratford-upon-Avon
• 1623: The First Folio is published

Key Facts for Exams

Examiners often ask about the author’s name, dates, theatre and kind of drama. Remember that Shakespeare was an English playwright who lived from 1564 to 1616, wrote for the Globe Theatre, and produced comedies, histories and tragedies. For Antony and Cleopatra, remember that it is a tragedy from around 1606 or 1607 and that it first appeared in the First Folio of 1623.

Shakespeare’s Influence on English

Shakespeare’s writing shaped the English language itself. Scholars credit him with introducing or popularising hundreds of words and expressions that people still use today. Teachers also use his plays to show students how rhythm, imagery and character can work together in a single speech. His influence reaches beyond literature into film, music, politics and everyday talk, which is one reason his works remain on school syllabuses around the world.

Why Shakespeare Still Matters

Shakespeare’s plays remain popular more than four hundred years after he wrote them. Writers, actors and directors across the world, including in Nigeria, still stage and adapt his work. His stories deal with love, power, jealousy, loyalty and death, ideas that every audience understands. Students who study him learn about language, character and the way a story builds toward its ending.

Continue Reading

• Background of the Play: Antony and Cleopatra
• Antony and Cleopatra Plot Summary
• Antony and Cleopatra Characters and Character Analysis
• Antony and Cleopatra Study Guide and Essay Questions