"All the world's a stage. . . " a Stratford-upon-Avon Travel Page by yooperprof

This is the hometown of the man that most people believe was the greatest author in English. That is - a) most believe that it was humble Will Shakespeare, modestly educated and poorly connected, who wrote the great sonnets and comedies and tragedies and "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet".
And b): most people believe that the perverse inventiveness of this genius of prose and poetry reshaped the English language and expressed the noblest of sentiments and the tenderest of passions with a force that has never been equalled. It's appropriate that the most important Shakespeare monument here is not the house where he may or may not have been born, nor the church where a rather absurd bust utterly fails to convey any sense of the man's significance. No, the most important site of Shakespeare memory here is the Theatre that bears his name and maintains his words in their beautiful, living vitality. Shakespeare was above all else a man of the theatre, and it's the fact that his plays are still being performed and interpreted and argued over that makes a pilgrimage here worthwhile.

The Avon River floats dreamily through Stratford on its way to the Bristol Channel. In the summer, it's a great place for a stroll during intermission.

Shakespeare is the crowning glory of English literature.

(Actually, the photo is from from the Shakespeare memorial and depicts Prince Hal "trying on the crown" from "Henry IV, Part II".