William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet or "The Bard". His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, many of them considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, William Shakespeare wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.