William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England and he died in 1616. His life coincided with the long reign of the last of the Tudor line on the English throne, Elizabeth I, and that of the first Stuart, James I (James VI of Scotland). The first part of this presentation includes a description of political, economic and social reality of the Tudor age. Further on, different kinds of literature of the period are described, starting with poetry and prose and ending with the Elizabethan drama. Finally, Shakespeare’s life and work and the most representative plays are presented in detail