User talk:Mandel/Shakespeareedit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Note: This is a proposed edit of the current Shakespeare main page, by User:Mandel. For clarity I have bold and italicized my changes and additions.
William Shakespeare (baptised April 26 1564 – died April 23 1616)[1] was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He is often considered England's national poet[2] and referred to as the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard")[3] or the "Swan of Avon", after Ben Jonson's dedication preface poem to the First Folio.[4]
At least 38 of Shakespeare's plays have survived, thanks largely to a posthumous 1623 publication known as the First Folio.'[5] Shakespeare also wrote a variety of long poems, with his famous sonnet sequence ranking alongside his dramatic masterpieces. Already a popular London playwright in his own lifetime, Shakespeare became increasingly celebrated by cultural figures and writers in England, throughout Europe and the world at large, as translations of his works increased.[6]
Shakespeare wrote in the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean era. Orthodox scholars generally date his work between 1588 and 1614, although the exact chronology of his plays are under considerable debate—as is the authorship of the works attributed to him. Shakespeare's works have been translated into every major living language, and his plays are still continually performed all around the world. Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the history of the English-speaking world,[7] and many of his quotations and neologisms have passed into everyday usage in English and other languages. Many speculations about Shakespeare's life, including his sexuality and religious affiliation, continue to intrigue scholars and common readers alike.<not a very happy last line but accurate at least>