William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He wrote 39 plays (with about half of them considered comedies) and two long poems in his lifetime. He lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, England. His plays are still performed today. He is often quoted in modern writing.
Shakespeare wrote his works between about 1590 and 1613. His plays are among the best known in English literature and are studied in schools around the world. Along with writing, Shakespeare also acted in The Chamberlain's Men acting company, starting in 1594.
Shakespeare wrote plays of different kinds, or genres. There are histories, tragedies and comedies. Shakespeare was the first person ever to write a tragicomedy. (A tragicomedy is a play that mixes comedy and tragedy, with a happy ending.)
Shakespeare's plays are written in poetic language. Many of the plays are set in strange, distant places and times. The stories are often exciting, very funny (in the comedies), or very sad (in the tragedies). These stories make people want to know what will happen to the characters. The plays talk about things that are still important today, like love, sadness, hope, pride, hatred, jealousy, and foolishness.
Shakespeare added new words and phrases to the English language. He created over 1,700 English words. He also made some words more popular.