According to The American Heritage Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus, William Shakespeare was a creative (characterized by originality; imaginative) actor and writer in his time (Kleinedler 178). Shakespeare is a well-known playwright and author. He influenced many people and paved the way for many of today's writers. I intend to describe the creative and classic works of William Shakespeare and his path to success. No one knows for sure when Shakespeare was born. His date of birth is estimated as the day of his baptism. Since the date of his baptism was April 26, 1564, it is believed that William was born on April 23, 1564. His birthplace was Stratford-upon-Avon, where he attended Holy Trinity Church (biography of William Shakespeare). This aspiring writer attended a high school in Stratford, called King's New School, at the age of eleven. He studied drama and theater, even Latin literature and history (William Shakespeare). He was eighteen when he married Anne Hatheway, aged twenty-six. She was married before their marriage. Their firstborn's name was Susanna, born on May 26, 1583. Anne later gave birth to twins Hamnet and Judith on February 2, 1585. Hamnet died at age eleven of unknown causes. Shakespeare was not around his family much after he began pursuing his career as an actor and writer (biography of William Shakespeare). Early in Shakespeare's theatrical journey, he was doubted and criticized. According to the London playwright Robert Greene, "There is a vexed raven, adorned with our feathers, who, with his tiger's heart wrapped in a gambler's skin, supposes that he is as capable of delivering blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute factotum of Johannes, is in his own vanity in the middle of paper...... imagine how much he himself is worth (Most expensive autograph). He was a respected man who made something of himself. Many see him as a positive person, who did what he loved. William's creativity and class were demonstrated through his plays and novels. There are many foundations and organizations under his name. Shakespeare played and still plays a major role in the theatrical arts. Work Cited Merriman, “William Shakespeare” CD. March 27, 2013. January 29, 2014. www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/Pickett, John S. and Steven R. Kleinedler. The American Heritage Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus. Boston: Houghton Mufflin Co., 2005. “The Most Expensive Newspaper” Most Expensive Autograph. February 6, 2014. www.most-cherch.com/autograph “William Shakespeare”. 2014. Biography Channel website. January 26, 2014. www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323