William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

William Shakespeare has been called “The Bard” because the word bard means “poet”. Shakespeare is without doubt the most well-known poet in history.

His words and ideas have become so familiar to us that it is sometimes with a start that we realize we have been speaking Shakespeare when we utter a cliché such as "one fell swoop" or "not a mouse stirring."

Shakespeare's legacy is a body of work that will never again be equaled. His words have endured for over 400 years, and still reach across the centuries as powerfully as ever.

No other writer, in English or in any other language, can rival the appeal that Shakespeare has enjoyed. And no one else in any artistic endeavor has projected a cultural influence as broad or as deep.

Most famous quote:

To be, or not to be: that is the question. (Hamlet III:1)