Who Was Alive

Were William Shakespeare and Thomas Hobbes alive at the same time?

Yes. William Shakespeare and Thomas Hobbes were alive at the same time for 28 years, from 1588 to 1616.

William Shakespeare was 23 when Thomas Hobbes was born.

Thomas Hobbes was 28 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

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher

Born 5 April 1588 · died 4 December 1679, aged 91

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Francis Bacon
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. William Shakespeare
  5. Thomas Hobbes
  6. René Descartes
  7. Rembrandt
  8. Isaac Newton
William Shakespeare and Thomas Hobbes 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.