William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He wrote 38 plays and poems during his lifetime that are still performed today. Some of his most famous works include tragedies like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth, comedies such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest, and histories like Richard III and Henry V. Shakespeare's plays have become some of the most important examples of English literature and are studied worldwide.