When the Chinese leader Wen Jiabao visited Britain in 2011 he said that Shakespeare was the greatest writer who ever lived. People all over the modern world recognize the image of his face and have heard of his plays. But why is he really so famous? This original book looks at how Shakespeare is interpreted and performed today, showing how Shakespeare's influence has stretched much further than the reading and stage performance of his works: into films, festivals, paintings, other media, and into the English language.