William Shakespeare, often hailed as the greatest playwright in the English language, was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. Though his early life remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, he later moved to London where his literary career blossomed. Shakespeare was not only a playwright but also an actor and shareholder with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men, which was one of the most successful playing companies in London. He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. His body of work includes comedies, tragedies, and histories which have been celebrated for their exploration of the human condition and mastery of language and form. 'Cymbeline', classified as a romance, exemplifies his late dramatic style, characterized by a shift towards more complex plot structures and a blending of the tragic and comic elements. His works have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare's plays are noted for their psychological depth, poetic grandeur, and keen insight into the facets of human nature, elements which have secured his enduring legacy in world literature. He died in 1616, but his influence continues to reverberate through contemporary culture and literature.