But be not afraid of greatness: some men are born ...

The most famous English playwright of all time, 1564 - 1616. He wrote a large number of plays in different genres, such as comedies, tragedies, histories and of course romances. Some of his work is still regularly studied in classrooms to this day so his influence is enduring; for instance Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are still commonly studied. His longest play was Hamlet which many consider to be the greatest play of all time. His influence on the English language was immense with a surprisingly high number of words tracing their origin to his work, as indeed do many phrases. His mind was clearly very productive and his command for story telling and commenting on humans and humanity meant his stories have reached through the ages even if the language now is difficult to understand. For many he is the greatest writer that has ever lived.

Born:26th April, 1564
Who else has this birthday?
Died: 23rd April, 1616
Starsign: Taurus

Author Keywords: Famous, English, Playwright

Robert Atkins, Bill Shankly, Tommy Lasorda, Sir Christopher Wren, Joseph Thomson