What was William Shakespeare's impact on Europe?

Answer 1

Shakespeare's reputation took a while to build up, but by the end of the eighteenth century, he was recognized in Europe as a great writer, and translations began to appear. Some of the great nineteenth century European writers famously translated Shakespeare's works--Goethe into German and Tolstoi into Russian for example. Many Romantic composers adopted Shakespearean themes for symphonic compositions (Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, for example) or operas (Verdi's Otello or Falstaff for example). Shakespeare's plays are perhaps less likely to be actually staged in Europe than in the English-speaking world, as the style of theatre is different from European traditions.