\paperw5085 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 Great artists are their countryÆs most effective diplomats. None more so than William Shakespeare, whose plays have
been translated and are performed throughout the world. The Elizabethan age in which he lived was one of remarkable artistic wealth as well as impressive diplomatic and maritime enterprise. ShakespeareÆs portrayal of England, and indeed of Scotland, pr
ovides us with an image of historical events in all their specificity as well as focusing on the timeless drama of the human passions. Moreover, his use of language continues to enchant the ear of successive generations and shape the English that they s
peak. That so little should be known about the life of an artist who is perhaps the most famous Englishman of all time is one of lifeÆs little ironies; one that the poet himself might have enjoyed.\par
