Life

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in 1564, Shakespeare moved to London in the late 1580s, when he began working as an actor and a playwright. His company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, was the most popular in London.

Works

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and 38 plays, including "Hamlet," "Othello" and "Much Ado About Nothing." He was so successful that his plays were printed and sold to the public, a rare feat for a playwright of that period.

Adaptations

Shakespeare's plays are still performed on stages across the world, and directors have been making movies based on his plays since the advent of film at the turn of the 20th century.

Influence

Shakespeare was a master of language and invented phrases and words in his plays. Examples include the words "bloodstained," "rant" and "bedroom" and the phrases "bated breath" and "too much of a good thing."

Expert Insight

Critics unfailingly praise Shakespeare as one of the greatest (or the greatest) writers in history. Literary critic Harold Bloom, in an interview with the "Harvard Business Review," said, "He is at once the best, the most original, the strongest cognitive and aesthetic writer there has ever been, in any language."

Source:

Harvard Business School: Interview with Harold Bloom

Rice University: Shakespeare's Legacy

Brandeis University: William Shakespeare

More Information:

Britannia Biographies: William Shakespeare