William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright and poet who wrote famous plays and sonnets during the Renaissance period in England. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and wrote tragedies, comedies, and histories, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Some of his most famous quotes come from his plays such as "To be or not to be" from Hamlet and "What's in a name?" from Romeo and Juliet.