Who Was Alive

Were William Shakespeare and John Donne alive at the same time?

Yes. William Shakespeare and John Donne were alive at the same time for 43 or 44 years, from 1572 to 1616.

William Shakespeare was 7 or 8 when John Donne was born.

John Donne was 43 or 44 when William Shakespeare died, aged 51 or 52.

William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet

Born April 1564 · died 23 April 1616 (Julian calendar), aged 51 or 52

John Donne

English poet and cleric

Born 1572 · died 31 March 1631, aged 58 or 59

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Francis Bacon
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. William Shakespeare
  5. John Donne
  6. René Descartes
  7. Rembrandt
  8. Molière
William Shakespeare and John Donne in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.