The Reinaissance.

The Reinaissance was worldwide. It was from about 1500 to 1600. England became the most powerful nation in Europe and the English controlled the seas of the world. Queen Elizabeth became the symbol of the Golden Age, the period from 1558 to 1603 ( a period of stability).

This was the age of William Shakespeare and the Golden Age of English Drama. Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed. He was an actor himself, a playwright and the director of his company, the King's Men. His plays are still performed all over the world. The themes are still relevant.

• Click here to visit a website about Shakespeare: Mr William Shakesperare and the Internet
• Or click here to read The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

Hamlet has become the best known of all Shakesperare's plays and the line

To be, or not to be, that is the question

is probably the most famous line in all English literature.