There are many reasons why Shakespeare continues to be thought of as one of the greatest of all writers. His plays portray recognisable people in situations that all of us experience at one time or another in our lives - love, marriage, death, mourning, guilt, the need to make difficult choices, separation, reunion and reconciliation among them. They do so with great humanity, tolerance, and wisdom. Because they are written to be acted they are constantly fresh and can be adapted to the place and time they are performed. Their language is wonderfully expressive and powerful, and although it may sometimes seem hard to understand in reading, actors can bring it to vivid life for us. The plays provide actors with some of the most challenging and rewarding roles ever written. They are both entertaining and moving. They help us to understand what it is to be human, and to cope with the problems of being so.