William Shakespeare wrote works.
Mr. William Shakespeare 's Comedies , Histories , & Tragedies is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare 's plays . William Shakespeare ( [ ˈʃeɪkspɪə ] 26 April 1564 ( baptised ) -- 23 April 1616 ) was an English : poet , : playwright , and actor , widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world 's pre-eminent dramatist . In his last phase , he wrote tragicomedies , also known as romances , and collaborated with other playwrights . In 1623 , however , John Heminges and Henry Condell , two friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare , published a more definitive text known as the First Folio , a posthumous collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare 's .