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[[Image:Foliou.jpg|right|thumb|Portrait of William Shakespeare on the cover of the First Folio (1623), the first collected edition of his plays]]

[[Image:Foliou.jpg|right|thumb|Portrait of William Shakespeare on the cover of the First Folio (1623), the first collected edition of his plays]]

'''William Shakespeare''' (1564-1616) is conventionally regarded as the greatest English-language playwright of all time. Many of his plays are required reading in many U. S. school curricula; those taught in schools often include [[Romeo and Juliet]], [[Macbeth]], [[A Midsummer Night's Dream]] and [[Hamlet]].

'''William Shakespeare''' (1564-1616) is conventionally regarded as the greatest English-language playwright of all time. Many of his plays are required reading in many U. S. school curricula; those taught in schools often include ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', ''[[Macbeth]]'', ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' and ''[[Hamlet]]''.

All told, Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, and many love [[sonnets]].  All his plays are freely available on the internet.<ref>

All told, Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, and many love [[sonnets]].  All his plays are freely available on the internet.<ref>

in his conceit the only ''shake-scene'' in a country."  

in his conceit the only ''shake-scene'' in a country."  

The 'tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide' is a reference to one of Shakespeare's plays, [[Henry the Sixth, part III]], <ref> [[Great Books, Shakespeare: I]], Edited by Mortimer J. Adler, 1952.  </ref>  while 'shake-scene' is a pune or play on words on Shakespeare's name.

The 'tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide' is a reference to one of Shakespeare's plays, ''[[Henry the Sixth, part III]]'', <ref> [[Great Books, Shakespeare: I]], Edited by Mortimer J. Adler, 1952.  </ref>  while 'shake-scene' is a pune or play on words on Shakespeare's name.

His plays seem to show so much education and erudition that there are even theories that they must have been written by someone else, famous candidates being the Earl of Oxford and Sir Francis Bacon. Like Kennedy assassination theories, most scholars do not believe them, but there are enough questions that new books promoting new theories of Shakespearian authorship continue to keep coming out over the years.

His plays seem to show so much education and erudition that there are even theories that they must have been written by someone else, famous candidates being the Earl of Oxford and Sir Francis Bacon. Like Kennedy assassination theories, most scholars do not believe them, but there are enough questions that new books promoting new theories of Shakespearian authorship continue to keep coming out over the years.