William Shakespeare

The greatest writer in the English language. His 37 plays and 154 sonnets explored every register of human experience — ambition (Macbeth), jealousy (Othello), love (Romeo and Juliet), political power (Henry V, Julius Caesar), grief (Hamlet), and colonial encounter (The Tempest). He worked through the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, the age of Drake and Raleigh, and the founding of Jamestown — all reflected obliquely in his work.

• Roles: Playwright, Poet, Actor