William Shakespeare
Of all the famous English writers,
probably the best known is William Shakespeare.
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 on April the 23rd.
His father was an important man in town
so Shakespeare had a good upbringing.
Shakespeare probably went to school
(although no records survive to prove this) but not university.
He got married when he was 18 to Anne Hathaway
and the couple had 3 children.
Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets
(a sonnet is a kind of poem).
He began working in his home town of Stratford
but by 1592 was writing in London.
He became rich enough to buy a house in the capital
and one in Stratford.
He wrote sad stories called tragedies,
like Romeo and Juliet,
funny stories or comedies, romantic stories
and stories about historical figures such as Julius Caesar.
Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616,
almost 400 years ago.
But why is his work still popular today?
His work looked at common human themes,
such as betrayal, murder, lust, power, ambition and love.
These themes are as much a part of human nature today
as they were all those years ago
and are the themes we see
in modern soap operas and Hollywood films.
Even though his theatre, The Globe, burned down in 1613
it was rebuilt in London in 1997
and you can still see his plays performed there today.
Shakespeare's influence on the English language
can still be felt today.
We talk about "fair play", meaning honest behaviour
but this phrase was first used by Shakespeare.
He coined the phrase "you can have too much of a good thing".
And it was Shakespeare who came up with the expression
to disappear "into thin air"
which we still use today when we lose something.
Shakespeare's work has been translated
into every major language in the world.
And perhaps we'll still be as fascinated by his work
400 years from now as we've been for almost the last 400.