William Shakespeare (Stratford-upon-Avon, 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. One of the greatest writers of English drama and European literature, his literary legacy and influence can be found throughout the world. In England, he is revered as the nation’s songbird (“Bard of Avon”, or simply “The Bard” or “the Swan of Avon”). According to Pythagoras, the soul of a poet enters the body of a swan after death, perhaps hence the playwright Benjamin Jonson’s contemporary title “the sweet swan of Avon”. His works have been translated into almost every living language and his plays are performed continuously on stages around the world.