Desperately in love with Bertram, the son of a Spanish countess, Helena schemes with the virginal Diana to fulfill Bertram's stipulations and win his love. As Bertram's infidelity and Helena's deceits are revealed, the estranged lovers reunite, but the audience is left to wonder if, in love, the end justifies the means. 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.