Shakespeare's influence<span> extends from theater and literature to present-day movies, </span>Western philosophy<span>, and the English language itself. </span>William Shakespeare<span> is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of the English language, </span><span>and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. </span><span>He transformed European theater by expanding expectations about what could be accomplished through innovation in </span>characterization<span>, plot, </span>language<span> and </span>genre.<span>Shakespeare's writings have also impacted a large number of notable novelists and poets over the years, including </span>Herman Melville Charles Dickens,<span> and </span>Maya Angelou, <span>and continue to influence new authors even today. Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the history of the </span>English-speaking world <span>after the various writers of the Bible; many of his quotations and </span>neologisms<span> have passed into everyday usage in English and other languages.</span>
