Widely known as the 'Bard of avon', William Shakespeare is regarded as the world's greatest dramatist and playwright. Born in 1564 in stratford-upon-avon, England, he went on to author a massive oeuvre of work, which includes 39 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems among others. Most of his well-known works were written between 1589 and 1613. Till around 1608 he had written mostly tragedies of which hamlet, othello and king lear are considered to be some of the greatest. Four centuries later, his works continue to be as relevant as ever. This book is a collection of Shakespeare's finest works, in an abridged edition: Romeo and Juliet, king Lear, measure for measure, as you Like it and the Merry wives of Windsor.