“Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the work of masonry, Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burnThe living record of your memory. 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom.So, till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.”

English playwright, poet and actor

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the leading dramatist of the world stage. Often called England’s national poet and the Bard of Avon, he remains a central figure in English literature. His surviving work includes about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and three long narrative poems, along with a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. His influence on English writing and drama has lasted for centuries, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.