The Thames is one of the most iconic rivers in England, and thus has been referenced in various ways throughout literature, history, and culture. Some synonyms for the Thames include River Thames, The London River, Tideway, and The River of London. The river plays a significant role in modern and historic literature, including works by Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and William Shakespeare, who describes it in Henry IV Part 1 as "This other Eden, demi-paradise... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this This England." Whatever it may be called, the Thames remains an important symbol of English culture and history.