Although the exact date of William Shakespeare’s death is not recorded, it’s traditionally accepted as 23 April, 1616, meaning it was 400 years ago this week.
The anniversary will be marked with a commemorative service at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday, as well as events in his home town of Stratford upon-Avon. The official London Underground Tube map has already been doctored to pay tribute to the playwright.
Some people claim that Shakespeare invented as many as 1,700 words but this is generally accepted as an exaggeration.
However, there are many words which were coined by the Bard or at least properly popularised. Of course, many words may have been in oral use before they were recorded by the Bard but his use in his plays brought them into mainstream use.
Test your knowledge of Shakespearean vocabulary with our quiz...
