William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English writer of plays, a poet, and a dramatist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and spent much of his career in London, where he worked with a company of players who performed plays for the general public and the royal court.
He is credited with writing nearly forty plays and numerous poems, including sonnets (a verse form of fourteen lines). His works have been translated into many languages and continue to be performed in theatres and films around the world.
Life and work
Records indicate that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway and had children with her. Some time later he moved to London, where he became part of a company of players known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which was later renamed the King's Men. That company used the Globe Theatre, situated on the south bank of the River Thames.
Genres of his work
His plays are generally divided into three categories: comedies, tragedies, and historical plays concerning the kings of England. Well-known examples include Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear. The historical plays deal with governance, power, and the conflicts of the royal court.
Language and influence
His works were written in Early Modern English, and he frequently employed a poetic metre called iambic pentameter. He is credited with expanding English vocabulary and coining many phrases now in common use. After his death, fellow actors collected a compilation of his plays, which helped ensure that his work survived.