William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), playwright and poet.
The 2nd most frequently quoted source in the OED, with a total of 33108 quotations (about 1.06% of all OED quotations).
See article in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
| Total number of quotations | 33108 | Find quotations |
|---|---|---|
| Quotations providing first evidence of a word | 1598 | Find quotations |
| Quotations providing first evidence of a particular meaning | 8045 | Find quotations |
| Name | Total Quotations | Percentage of quotations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hamlet | 1605 | 5.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 2. | Tempest | 1079 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 3. | King Lear | 1051 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 4. | Macbeth | 1043 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 5. | Love's Labour's Lost | 1042 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 6. | Henry IV, Pt. 2 | 1024 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 7. | Merchant of Venice | 1015 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 8. | Othello | 1000 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 9. | Henry IV, Pt. 1 | 974 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
| 10. | Henry V | 964 | 3.0% | Find quotations in OED |
