William Shakespeare

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, William Shakespeare is an English poet, playwright and actor whose career has bridged the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. After an early life as the son of a glover and alderman, he moved to London where he became a leading member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men, writing and performing in their playhouse. He has produced some thirty-eight plays, including comedies, histories and tragedies, along with two long narrative poems and a sequence of sonnets. His works transform English drama by fusing classical learning with native vigour and linguistic daring. Currently, he continues to probe the contradictions of the human heart through verse that marries formal rigour with psychological fluidity. Eternal craftsman of the stage, William still demonstrates that language, rightly tempered, can hold a mirror up to nature and transform every frailty into enduring art. He is alive today.