II.Elizabethan Drama William Shakespeare(1564-- 1616)was an English poet, playwright and actor,widely regarded as the greatest writer in the english language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.He wrote 38 plays.His tragedies include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet,Othello,King Lear,and Macbeth.Among the comedies are The Taming of the Shrew,A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night,and The Tempest. His history plays,based on English history,include Richard III,Richard II,Henry IV,and Henry V.II. Elizabethan Drama • William Shakespeare (1564 -- 1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He wrote 38 plays. His tragedies include Romeo and Juliet， Hamlet，Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Among the comedies are The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream， Twelfth Night, and The Tempest. His history plays, based on English history, include Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V