THE QUALITY OF MERCY William Shakespeare (1564-1616) of
Stratford-upon-Avon is England's, and the world's, most noted
playwright. Shakespeare lived during the reigns of Queen
Elizabeth l (1558-1603) and King James l (1603-1625), who
commissioned the Authorized King James Version of the Holy
Bible, published in 1611. William was born to John and Mary
Shakespeare, one of eight children. The only record available is
his baptism at Holy Trinity Church on April 26, 1564. It is
evident from his plays that he was moved by his studies of Greek
and Latin classics. He married Anne Hathaway at age eighteen,
and they had three children, Susanna, and the twins Hamnet and
Judith. The death of his only son Hamnet at age eleven was
devastating for Shakespeare, and proved a powerful influence on
his Tragedy Hamlet. Shakespeare's popularity rests on his
perceptive understanding of human nature. The 36 plays published
in the First Folio are generally divided into Tragedies, such as
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,