William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets over the course of his career. Some of his most famous plays include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Shakespeare helped build the Globe Theatre in London where many of his plays were performed. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 in Stratford-upon-Avon.