Shakespeare Changed Everything

Shakespeare is the most famous writer in England’s history.  But he was more than a writer.  He influenced history.

He invented modern theatre.  Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.  They were about tragedy, comedy, and history. He also wrote the first romance play.  In the 1600s, people thought romance wasn’t good for theatre. Then Shakespeare made Romeo and Juliet.  It became a new genre for both literature and theatre.

Shakespeare’s work influenced modern writers, actors, and musicians.  A popular rock band, Iron Maiden named their song, ‘Where Eagles Dare’. It was a sentence from Shakespeare’s play, ‘Richard III’.  Agatha Christie, a famous author, wrote ‘The Mousetrap.’  The title is from the play ‘Hamlet’. 

Shakespeare invented 1700 new words in English.  Some examples are bedroom, blanket, champion, fashionable, gossip, and lonely.  He also made new expressions, like ‘heart of gold’ (a kind person) or ‘in a pickle’ (to get in trouble). He also made new baby names in English, like Jessica or Ariel.