William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is England's most famous poet and playwright. He wrote 38 plays, which have been translated into all of the world's major living languages. Shakespeare's oeuvre includes comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. Some of his well-know works are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, and Othello. Not confined to the anglophone world, Shakespeare plays are performed in various languages all around the world.