Who was Shakespeare?

According to Wikipedia, Shakespeare was a poet and playwright that was big in the English language.  He wrote tragedies, histories, and comedies.  He lived in the 15th and 16th century.  All I see him as is a writer.  Shakespeare is perceived (by high school students) as a poet that lived a long time ago that wrote incredibly hard to analyze poems.  People fear him, as for many of their grades in school suffered from assignments concerning him.  My understanding of Shakespeare is better than in previous years because Dr. Preston has got a better teaching style (I couldn't pinpoint the exact trait) that helps me with this difficult task.  I believe that just because it's Shakespeare will continue to make me struggle, it always has.