Shakespeare...the legend

I'll admit it - I am excited for Shakespeare. I really enjoy his plays - I wish we could have read more of them in high school. I've read a few of his works on his own, but I feel like his works are best learned through discussion (with someone who actually knows what he's saying...)

Shakespeare is such a popularized figure. Like da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Shakespeare created characters, words and plays that have become so integrated into popular culture that most people don't even realize it was he who invented the word "bittersweet." I was shocked when I first discovered it was Hamlet who said "to be or not to be" - I was introduced to that idea on the popular TV show "Doug."

To prove my point, and to relate this blog to sonnets...

Buy one of these!

Or this!

But, what is it about Shakespeare that has made him such a popular figure in our culture?

Why is he all over the place?

Of all the brilliant authors, why do most people automatically think of Shakespeare when asked to name a play writer?