阅读下面的短文,根据短文内容回答问题。Who do you think is the greatest English writer of all time? I think that person should be William Shakespeare. His popular sayings, like "To be or not to be, that is a question", and his stories such as the tragedy(悲剧), Romance of Romeo and Juliet, are almost known in every corner of the world.
In 1594, William Shakespeare became a key playwright(剧作家) of a popular acting company in the city. Whether comedies or tragedies, Shakespeare's plays catch people's hearts with the complicated(复杂的) characters and plots(情节) that show truths about human nature.
His comedies are always full of romance, and they always have happy endings. That's why people enjoy his comedies a lot. His tragedies, however, can be very dark, Macbeth tells the story about a Scottish man who becomes the king by killing all his enemies(敌人).
Shakespeare's works have had a big influence(影响) on the English language. He was a master(大师) of words. He created about 1,700 English words, including everyday ones like "lonely", "hurry" and "critical", according to the New YorkPost.
Of course, Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago and his English was very different from that of today. His plays have been translated into many languages and are acted more often than any other playwright. There are over 400 films and TV dramas adapted(改编) from his works. Shakespeare is not for an age, but for all time.