Introduction to Shakespeare: Life and Major Works

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

Tragedies

Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet

Comedies

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice

Histories

Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V

Why Study Shakespeare?

His plays explore love, power, jealousy, ambition and mortality, and he invented hundreds of words and phrases still used today.