William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and died there in 1616. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His extant works include approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and three long narrative poems. He produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613, writing comedies, histories, tragedies, and tragicomedies. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Reading William Shakespeare in translation

The reader already reads English, the language William Shakespeare wrote in. On Paralelo they read Romeo and Juliet in the original with a translation beside them (French, German, Spanish), using the English they know as the anchor while they learn the other language. Aligned phrase by phrase, this early play features dialogue and description typical of his comedies. The vocabulary and sentence structures are accessible, making it a gentle introduction to his style. It is the shortest book in our catalogue, taking about 118 minutes to read, which makes it the best first read for exploring his work.