Shakespeare: The Bard. The word bard means poet. Bards were traveling poets in medieval times, who made a living performing and telling stories. Shakespeare's plays can be grouped into three categories: 1  Comedies-Well known comedies include: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It.is writing career was only 20 years long, and yet he wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and greatly influenced the world of literature. He died at the age of 52 in 1616. He is called The Bard, because a bard is a poet, and The Bard of Avon, because of his birthplace.