He also wrote about 150 sonnets, of which perhaps 25 are considered by many to be among the greatest poetry ever written in English.
The writings of Shakespeare have traditionally been assigned to an actor who lived in Stratford, England between 1564-1616. He wrote most of his work between 1585-1610, although the exact chronology of the authorship of his plays is not precisely known.
It is often said that we know little about Shakespeare's life, although some assert that we know a good deal -- more than we do about any literary figure of that day, with the exception of Ben Jonson.
There remain many theories on who, other than the Stratford actor, may have written the works. Currently, the most popular among these alternative theories proposes that the actual author was Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford. Shakespeare's reputation--as a poet and dramaturgist--has ebbed and flowed over the past five centuries.
We can divide his dramatic work in this way:
His other literary works include:
Some famous /quotations
See also his contemporaries Christopher Marlowe, and Queen Elizabeth I.