Reddit dug up this Wikipedia article for me:
Shakespeare's Writing Style
Differences from Contemporaries
Quote:
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Shakespeare's works express the complete range of human experience.[36] His characters were human beings[37] who commanded the sympathy of audiences when many other playwrights' characters were flat or archetypes.[38][39] Macbeth, for example, commits six murders by the end of the fourth act, and is responsible for many deaths offstage, yet still commands an audience's sympathy until the very end[40] because he is seen as a flawed human being, not a monster.[41] Hamlet knows that he must avenge the death of his father, but he is too indecisive, too self-doubting, to carry this out until he has no choice.[42] His failings cause his downfall, and he exhibits some of the most basic human reactions and emotions. Shakespeare's characters were complex and human in nature. By making the protagonist's character development central to the plot, Shakespeare changed what could be accomplished with drama.[43]
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Maybe it's not really his poetic skill that's the strength, but rather the poetic skill has to be a given. It was his ability as a poet AND storyteller, his understanding of the human condition being what set him apart.
Barbara Baig if you check out the link above there is also a list of books that the article references at the bottom of the page. Some of them could be helpful.