INTRO 1564-1616, English dramatist and poet, b. Stratford-on-Avon. He is considered the greatest playwright who ever lived. HIS LIFE His father, John Shakespeare, was successful in the leather business during Shakespeare's early childhood but later met with financial difficulties. During his prosperous years his father was also involved in municipal affairs, holding the offices of alderman and bailiff during the 1560s. While little is known of Shakespeare's boyhood, he probably attended the grammar school in …showed first 75 words of 1331 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1331 total…history plays, although Shakespeare did not hesitate to transform a character when it suited his dramatic purposes. For his Roman tragedies he used Sir Thomas North 's translation (1579) of Plutarch's Lives. Many times he rewrote old plays, and twice he turned English prose romances into drama ( As You Like It and The Winter's Tale ). He also used the works of contemporary European authors. For further information on Shakespeare's sources, see the table entitled Shakespeare's Play .