The Originals: Merchant of Venice

Prolific English dramatist and national poet WILLIAM ShakeSpeare (1564–1616) was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He lived in London for 25 years and wrote most of his plays there. The author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets, Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language and a dramatist without equal. Adept at both tragedy and comedy, the bard of Avon encompassed an incredible range of human emotions as well as mystery, magic, and romance in his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies and historical plays, and also performed on stage with the actors of the Lord Chamberlain’s Company.

The wordsmith left an indelible mark on the English language and invented several words which are in use today. Shakespeare’s widely-adapted tragedies include Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello and his comedies include All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.