Shakespeare

or Shak·spere, Shake·spear

[ sheyk-speer ]

noun

1. William, the Bardthe Bard of Avon, 1564–1616, English poet and dramatist.

Shakespeare

/ ˈʃeɪkspɪə /

noun

1. ShakespeareWilliam15641616MEnglishTHEATRE: dramatistWRITING: poet William. 1564–1616, English dramatist and poet. He was born and died at Stratford-upon-Avon but spent most of his life as an actor and playwright in London. His plays with approximate dates of composition are: Henry VI, Parts I–III (1590); Richard III (1592); The Comedy of Errors (1592); Titus Andronicus (1593); The Taming of the Shrew (1593); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594); Love's Labour's Lost (1594); Romeo and Juliet (1594); Richard II (1595); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595); King John (1596); The Merchant of Venice (1596); Henry IV, Parts I–II (1597); Much Ado about Nothing (1598); Henry V (1598); Julius Caesar (1599); As You Like It (1599); Twelfth Night (1599); Hamlet (1600); The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600); Troilus and Cressida (1601); All's Well that ends Well (1602); Measure for Measure (1604); Othello (1604); King Lear (1605); Macbeth (1605); Antony and Cleopatra (1606); Coriolanus (1607); Timon of Athens (1607); Pericles (1608); Cymbeline (1609); The Winter's Tale (1610); The Tempest (1611); and, possibly in collaboration with John Fletcher, Two Noble Kinsmen (1612) and Henry VIII (1612). His Sonnets, variously addressed to a fair young man and a dark lady, were published in 1609

Other Word Forms

• pre-Shakespeare adjective

Example Sentences

Boeing’s plight is just one aspect of a White House tariff policy that increasingly resembles, as Shakespeare might have put it, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

From Los Angeles Times

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were fictional teenage lovers, whose forbidden romance ended in tragedy, but who have become synonymous with youthful love.

From BBC

Her stage credits include plays by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw.

From BBC

Meanwhile, Gatwa has also been cast to play Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

From BBC

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has been cast in a new play as Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, the Royal Shakespeare Company has announced.

From BBC