William Shakespeare is one of the greatest and most famous writers in the world. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon. It was a small English town. His father wanted his son to be an educated person and William was sent to the local grammar school. When he studied at school he had no free time. When he had a break William liked to go to the forest and to the river Avon. At that time actors and actresses visited Stratford-on-Avon. William liked to watch them. He was fond of their profession and he decided to become an actor. He went to London. There he became an actor. He began to write plays too. Shakespeare was both an actor and a playwright. In his works Shakespeare described the most important and dramatic events in life. His plays were staged in many theatres, translated into many languages and they made Shakespeare a very popular man. The writer's most famous plays are "Othello", "King Lear", "Hamlet" and"Romeo and Juliet". He produced thirty seven plays. He was connected with the best theatres in England for twenty five years. William Shakespeare wrote a lot of poetry. His poems have been published in many languages. They are well-known. We don't know a lot of facts about Shakespeare's life. We can only guess what kind of man he was, that's why there are many legends about his life. William Shakespeare died in 1616. His plays are still popular and millions of people admire them. Questions: 1.Is William Shakespeare one of the greatest and the most famous writers in the world? 2. Where was he born? 3. Where did William study? 4. What did he like to do when he was a little boy? 5. What plays by William Shakespeare do you know? 6. Have you read anything by William Shakespeare? 7. Why are his plays so popular?