When the young Prince Pericles puzzles out a terrible secret about the king of Antioch, he flees the city to avoid the ruler's wrath and sets sail on his ship. His adventures bring him to Pentapolis, where his strength and courage win him a princess's hand in marriage. But as Pericles embarks on the voyage home with his wife, his greatest tragedies and triumphs still lay ahead. Known as "The Bard of Avon," William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare's works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare's innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.