Postage stamps issued in Britain to mark 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death

LONDON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Royal Mail launched a set of special postage stamps Tuesday to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the playwright William Shakespeare.

The 10 First Class stamps pay tribute to the genius of Shakespeare through his immortal words and poetry, said Royal Mail. They will be sold at 8,000 post offices across Britain.

Royal Mail said that a special postmark will be also applied to British stamped mail commemorating 400 years since the Bard's death. The postmark will simply say 'William Shakespeare 1564-1616'.

The stamps are the latest of many commemorations items and events to remember Shakespeare who was born in 1564 to become an actor, poet and playwright, as well as a businessman. He died on April 23, 1616.

Shakespeare's plays are continually performed and re-interpreted throughout the world, making him arguably the most influential writer of all time.

He introduced around 1,700 words and phrases into the English language, including "assassination" and "all's well that ends well".

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said: "Over 50 years, William Shakespeare and his work have appeared on 25 stamps, making him the most featured individual on Special Stamps outside of the Royal Family."