William Shakespeare, English Playwright
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Entitled: "Janssen Portrait of Shakespeare. Early 1610's, altered before 1770." William Shakespeare (baptized April 26, 1564 - April 23, 1616) was an English poet and playwright. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. His surviving works: 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped him. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world. Shakespeare died 1616, at the age of 52, within a month of signing his will, a document which he begins by describing himself as being in "perfect health". There is no surviving contemporary source that explains how or why he died.