Who Was Alive

Were Galileo Galilei and William Shakespeare alive at the same time?

Yes. Galileo Galilei and William Shakespeare were alive at the same time for 51 or 52 years, from 1564 to 1616.

Galileo Galilei was under a year old when William Shakespeare was born.

Galileo Galilei was 52 when William Shakespeare died, aged 51 or 52.

Galileo Galilei

Italian polymath

Born 15 February 1564 · died 8 January 1642, aged 77

William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet

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

  1. Michelangelo
  2. Miguel de Cervantes
  3. Francis Bacon
  4. Galileo Galilei
  5. William Shakespeare
  6. René Descartes
  7. Rembrandt
  8. Molière
Galileo Galilei and William Shakespeare 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.