The bard of Avon, as he is remembered, earned popularity and fortune during his lifetime more than four hundred years ago. Today, William Shakespeare is more famous than ever. He wrote or cowrote thirty-eight stage comedies, tragedies, and historical dramas. He also penned many romantic poems. Some of the world's best-known literary quotations come from his writings. Young readers will discover why many historians consider him the greatest playwright of all time.