Shakespeare is one of the most celebrated writers of all time. His works have been performed for centuries and continue to be widely read and studied. He has had a profound influence on literary history, with many authors citing him as an inspiration for their own work. In particular, his plays are renowned for their skillful use of language, complex characters, and intricate plots that explore themes such as love, power, revenge, loyalty, and death. It is no surprise, then, that he is considered to be one of the greatest dramatists ever known.
Throughout his career, Shakespeare wrote over 35 plays: some comedies like The Taming of the Shrew or Much Ado About Nothing; others tragedies such as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet; and other works were a combination like Macbeth, which contains elements from both genres. These plays often feature unforgettable characters who display recognizable human traits despite living in fantastical worlds full of witches, ghosts, gods, fairies, etc. This blend between reality and fantasy was unique at the time when these plays were first performed on stage during Elizabethan England's Golden Age.
These plays were more than entertaining performances meant solely for audience enjoyment. These theatrical presentations also served a much deeper purpose: they allowed people to reflect on topics related to society through allegory and metaphor without directly challenging political authority. People could learn more about problems in their own lives or in the country as a whole by following dramatic conventions. These conventions let writers express their opinions about current events in a roundabout way (for example, by commenting on religious reformations) without being censored because they were less specific than direct criticism in prose or poetry texts that were published openly and put at risk under monarchical rule.
Shakespeare's writing was also different from that of others because he was able to create interesting stories with believable main characters whose actions are still relevant today, something that wasn't common among playwrights' scripts until after 1600 AD. After that, many of the story devices that Shakespeare used became common in productions all over Europe, especially in Italy, where they were called "commedia dell'arte."
Finally, there exists strong evidence showing innovation extended beyond just the theater realm alone—poems written by the same author, including famous sonnets, are still studied by students worldwide. The sonnets highlight technical mastery, structure, meter, rhyme, and masterful control of rhythm, which modern poets continue to draw inspiration from.