To be or not to be, four hundred and fifty

Today’s the day of poet Shakespeare’s birth
Four hundred fifty years would be his age.
With celebrations all around the Earth
It is a fact that “all the world’s a stage”

In honor of Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, enjoy these facts and to thee friends relay:

• William Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, located in Warwickshire, England, is holding a week long celebration of the bard’s birth. Events being held in the Elizabethan town include a Shakespeare marathon and half-marathon, tours of where the poet was taught and a performance of Henry IV part I culminating in a theater rooftop fireworks display.
• The Globe Theater is launching an ambitious two-year tour of “Hamlet,” where they aim to play in every country in the world. The tour will end April 2016 in Denmark, where the character of Hamlet was prince.
• Wednesday is also “Talk Like Shakespeare Day.” If you need to brush up on your Shakespearean, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater is happy to help. They even have an anthem for this year’s celebration:

Did not thou hear? Several websites put up their own tributes to Shakespeare:

• The Guardian compiled a list of 45 different actors and actresses who have played the part of Hamlet throughout the years.
• Dan Falk, a Canadian journalist and author, believes that Shakespare’s works may have had a scientific influence.
• To “break the ice,” Business Insider explains 13 phrases that got their start from the poet.

For you who want more of the bard, ’tis common for the Newshour to do-eth stories in which he has starred:

• We took a look at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in April 2013, where they used Shakespeare’s work to open discussions about bullying and violence.
• We talked with Sir Patrick Stewart in 2010 about his performance in a modern television adaptation of “Hamlet” on PBS.
• In February 2009, we covered a Kuwaiti theater director who put a new spin on “Richard III.”