William Shakespeare, born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, is often called the greatest writer in the English language. But here is something surprising: when he could not find the right word, he simply made one up. Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words that we still use today. Words like lonely, generous, and gloomy did not exist before he wrote them. He combined existing words into new ones, turning eye and ball into eyeball and bed and room into bedroom. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets, which are poems with exactly 14 lines. His plays were performed at the Globe Theatre in London. This open-air theater held audience members who stood in the yard or sat in covered galleries. His stories explored love, jealousy, power, and revenge. Some of his most famous plays include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. Shakespeare did not write for scholars or kings alone. His audiences included merchants, servants, and apprentices who paid a penny to stand and watch. He wrote for everyone, which is one reason his work has lasted more than 400 years.