Definition
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and world's greatest dramatist.
Etymology
Surname meaning 'one who shakes a spear,' from Middle English 'schakken' (to shake) and 'spere' (spear). Likely originally a military nickname or occupational surname for a soldier or guard.
Kelly Says
Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words that we still use today, including 'eyeball,' 'lonely,' 'fashionable,' and 'swagger.' He also popularized many phrases we consider clichés now, like 'break the ice' and 'wild goose chase' - proving his genius was in making the extraordinary seem natural and timeless.
Translations
ARالعربية
شكسبير
shak-sbayr
BNবাংলা
শেকসপীয়র
shek-spi-yor
CACatalà
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
CSČeština
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
DADansk
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
DEDeutsch
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
ELΕλληνικά
Σέξπιρ
SEHK-speer
ESEspañol
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
FAفارسی
شکسپیر
shak-sbayr
FISuomi
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
FRFrançais
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
GUGU
શેક્સપિયર
shehk-spi-yar
HAHA
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
HEעברית
שייקספיר
shay-KEH-speer
HIहिन्दी
शेक्सपियर
shek-spi-yaar
HUMagyar
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
IDBahasa Indonesia
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
IGIG
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
ITItaliano
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
KMKM
សេកសភីរ
sehk-sah-bee
MRMR
शेक्सपियर
shek-spi-yar
MSBahasa Melayu
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
MYမြန်မာ
ရှိတ်စပီးယား
sheht-sah-pee-yar
NLNederlands
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
NONorsk
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
PAPA
ਸ਼ੈਕਸਪੀਅਰ
shayk-spi-yar
PLPolski
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
PTPortuguês
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
RORomână
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
RUРусский
Шекспир
shEHK-speer
SVSvenska
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
SWKiswahili
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
TAதமிழ்
சேக்ஸ்பியர்
seyk-spi-yar
TEతెలుగు
షేక్స్పియర్
sheyk-spi-yar
THไทย
เชคสเปียร์
chehk-sapiah
TLTL
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
TRTürkçe
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
UKУкраїнська
Шекспір
shEHK-speer
URاردو
شیکسپیئر
sheyk-spi-yar
VITiếng Việt
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
YOYO
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
ZUZU
Shakespeare
shah-KEH-spareh
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Shakespeare's works center male voices and authority; female characters (Juliet, Ophelia, Lady Macbeth) are often tragic, defined by relation to men, or punished for agency. The literary canon elevated male genius while erasing women playwrights of the era.
Inclusive Usage
Acknowledge Shakespeare's influence while reading women Renaissance dramatists (Mary Wroth, Aemilia Lanyer) alongside him to avoid treating male authorship as default.
Inclusive Alternatives
["Renaissance drama","early modern playwrights","Shakespeare and contemporaries"]
Empowerment Note
Women writers like Mary Sidney Herbert, Aphra Behn, and Mary Wroth created groundbreaking work during and after Shakespeare's era; their exclusion from 'canon' reflects curatorial bias, not literary merit.