William Shakespeare

1564–1616

Nationality: English

Historical Period: The Early Modern Period

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is probably the best known poet and playwright of the English language. He is considered by many to be the greatest poet and dramatist of all time. The plays he wrote nearly four hundred years ago for a small theater in London are now performed in more countries and more often than those of any other playwright.

See the Liberty Matters online discussion on The Corrupting Influence of Power in Shakespeare’s Plays

Quotes from William Shakespeare:

• William Shakespeare on the powerful ruler who doesn’t hurt
• William Shakespeare on sweet love remembered
• William Shakespeare on the Duke of Burgundy asks the Kings of France and England why “gentle peace” should not be allowed to return France to its former prosperity
• William Shakespeare has King Henry IV reflect on the reasons for invading the Holy Land
• William Shakespeare in Pericles on how the rich and powerful are like whales who eat up the harding working “little fish”
• In Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare has Isabella denounce the Duke’s deputy for being corrupted by power
• In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Caliban complains about the way the European lord Prospero taught him language and science then enslaved him and dispossessed him of the island on which he was born
• In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the king is too easily persuaded by his advisors that the English economy will continue to function smoothly, like obedient little honey-bees in their hive, while he is away with his armies conquering France
• In Shakespeare’s Henry V the soldier Williams confronts the king by saying that “few die well that die in a battle” and that “a heavy reckoning” awaits the king that led them to it
• William Shakespeare farewells his lover in a Sonnet using many mercantile and legal metaphors

Titles from William Shakespeare:

• Author: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare)
• Author: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 1 (The Oxford Shakespeare)
• Author: The Tempest
• Author: The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• Author: The Merry Wives of Windsor
• Author: Measure for Measure
• Author: The Comedy of Errors
• Author: Much Ado About Nothing
• Author: Love’s Labour’s Lost
• Author: The Merchant of Venice
• Author: As You Like It
• Author: The Taming of the Shrew
• Author: All’s Well that Ends Well
• Author: Twelfth-Night: or, What You Will
• Author: The Winter’s Tale
• Author: The Life and Death of King John
• Author: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
• Author: The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
• Author: The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth
• Author: The Life of King Henry the Fifth
• Author: The First Part of King Henry the Sixth
• Author: The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth
• Author: The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth
• Author: The Tragedy of King Richard the Third
• Author: The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth
• Author: Troilus and Cressida
• Author: Coriolanus
• Author: Titus Andronicus
• Author: Romeo and Juliet
• Author: Timon of Athens
• Author: Julius Cæsar
• Author: Macbeth
• Author: Hamlet Prince of Denmark
• Author: King Lear
• Author: Othello the Moor of Venice
• Author: Antony and Cleopatra
• Author: Cymbeline
• Author: Pericles Prince of Tyre
• Author: A Midsummer-Night’s Dream
• Author: The Poems and Glossary (Oxford ed.)
• Author: Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Tempest (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The two Gentlemen of Verona (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Merry Wives of Windsor (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Measure for Measure (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Comedy of Errours (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Much adoo about Nothing (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Loves Labour lost (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Midsommer Nights Dreame (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Merchant of Venice (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: As you Like it (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Taming of the Shrew (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: All is well, that Ends well (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Twelfe Night, or what you will (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Winters Tale (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life and Death of King John (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life and Death of Richard the Second (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The First part of King Henry the fourth (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Second part of King Henry the fourth (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life of King Henry the Fift (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The First part of King Henry the Sixt (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Second part of King Henry the Sixt (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Third part of King Henry the Sixt (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life and Death of Richard the Third (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life of King Henry the Eight (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Troylus and Cresida (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Tragedy of Coriolanus (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Titus Andronicus (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Romeo and Juliet (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Timon of Athens (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Life and Death of Julius Caesar (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Tragedy of Macbeth (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: The Tragedy of Hamlet (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: King Lear (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Othello, the Moore of Venice (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Anthony and Cleopatra (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Cymbeline King of Britaine (facs. 1st Folio 1623)
• Author: Shakespeares Sonnets (facs. ed. 1609 )
• Author: Shakespeare’s Sonnets And A Lover’s Complaint
• Author: Twenty-Five Sonnets of Shakespeare