william shakespeare introduction shakespeare’s life his family the playwright his works his...
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William William ShakespeareShakespeareIntroductionIntroduction
Shakespeare’s Life
His Family
The Playwright
His Works
His Inspiration
His Genius
Why He is Appealing
Shakespeare’s LifeShakespeare’s Life
• Lived 1564-1616 during the days of Queen Elizabeth
• World’s greatest and most famous poet, playwright
• Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon
• Baptized April 26; 1 of 8 children
His Family LifeHis Family Life
• 1582 married Anne Hathaway
• 1583 first child born, Susanna
• 1585 twins born, Hamnet and Judith
The PlaywrightThe Playwright• 1592 become a famous playwright and
actor
• Rival was Robert Greene
• Was an actor for 20 years from 1585-1605
• 1594 Charter Member of Lord Chamberlain’s Men
• 1603 Lord Chamberlain’s Men became the King’s Men
His WorksHis Works
• Wrote 154 sonnets. 37 plays. 2 book length narratives poems
• Works consisted of Histories, Comedies, and Tragedies
• Masterpieces: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear
• Great Tragedies: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Romeo and Juliet
More Info. on WorksMore Info. on Works• All plays were written for kings;
Shakespeare was paid $40 per play
• His plays were popular and pleased the audiences
• His plays were published 7 years after his death
• 1623 the First Folio was published-this is a collection of the supposed “true original copies” of Shakespeare’s plays
What Inspired Will? What Inspired Will? • Most of his characters were REAL people-many
based on historical figures• Shakespeare got ideas from other plays and poems
rather than his own personal experiences or current events from local material
• Shakepeare’s Romeo & Juliet was based on the long narrative poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet written by Arthur Brookein 1562
• 1599 Julius Caesar was written; it was inspired by Plutarch’s Lives of noble Grecians and Romans
What was his Genius?What was his Genius?
• Had an understanding of the people
• Skilled with words
• Everyone should know about Shakespeare for the English Language and theater has never been the same since.
Why does he appeal to us?Why does he appeal to us?
• He speaks words that we wish we had said. People are always quoting him.
– “It was Greek to me”– “A sorry sight”– “In a pickle”– “To be or not to be”– “All that glitters is not gold”– “elbow room”– “The long and short of it”
Why does he appeal to us?Why does he appeal to us?
• He appeals to all kinds of people in all times, nations, ages, and levels
• He is serious, funny, angry, ironical…
• He does not make moral judgements.
• He captures in words and actions all the great problems that have tormented human beings throughout the ages. We take comfort in the fact that the hero has flaws and is not perfect.