what is shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor who is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". Shakespeare's extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays are usually divided into four categories: histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances. Shakespeare combined poetic genius with a practical sense of the theatre, reshaping each plot to create several centers of interest and to show as many sides of a narrative to the audience as possible. This strength of design ensures that a Shakespeare play can survive translation, cutting, and wide interpretation without loss to its core drama. Shakespeare's work has made a significant and lasting impression on later theatre. Although many records from Shakespeare's time are lost or never existed in the first place, we do know that his life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known.