William Shakespeare (1564-1616), dramatist, man of the theatre, and poet. He became involved in the theatre in his local Stratford-upon-Avon and later in London where he gained fame as a playwright, writing comedies, romances, and tragedies.Jacques Berthoud was Professor of English at the University of York. Sonia Massai teaches English at St Mary's University College Twickenham. Stanley Wells is Chairman of the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford and editor of the New Penguin Shakespeare series.Sonia Massai is a Lecturer at King's College London. She has edited Titus Andronicus (New Penguin), The Wise Woman of Hoxton (Globe Quartos), and a collection of essays on World Wide Shakespeares (Routledge). Her current projects include a book on Shakespeare and the Rise of English Drama in Print.