William Shakespeare

1
William Shakespeare

• Worlds Best Known Dramatist

2

• Birth
• Birthplace
• Father
• Mother

• Late April, 1564 (some records say 23rd, some say
  26th)
• Stratford-upon-Avon in England
• John Shakespeare- a glove maker and wool merchant
• Mary Arden, daughter of a successful farmer

3

• Siblings
• School

• He was the 3rd of 8 children, but he was the
  first son
• From age 5 attended the local Stratford grammar
  school. Studies here based on Latin and classical
  writers. Classes began at 6 or 7 and went to
  early evening, year round except for religious
  holidays

4

• Marriage
• Daughter
• Twins

• At age 18
• Married Anne Hathaway
• Susanna, born Mar.26, 1583
• Feb. 2, 1585
• Boy-Hamnet
• Girl- Judith

5

• He goes to London
• By 1598
• 1599

• Does well as an actor and playwright
• Was becoming well known
• Globe Theater built many of his plays were
  performed here

6
Others facts

• Wealthy
• Because of his work

• House called New Place
• 107 acres north of town
• ½ interest in a farm
• With 3 other investors bought a house in London
• Spent most of year in London, family stayed in
  Stratford

7
More on Family

• Son Hamnet dies
• Father dies
• Mother dies
• Daughter Susanna marries
• Daughter Judith marries
• William dies
• Anne Dies

• At age 11, 1596
• 1601
• 1608
• Married John Hall, a physician, in 1607
• Thomas Quincy -1616
• 1616
• 1623

8
His Death

• One report says it was after a merry meeting
  with fellow writers
• Buried
• Left

• drank too hard
• North of the altar in Holy Trinity Church
• For the poor of Stratford, friends, family.
  Most of the estate was left to oldest daughter,
  Susanna

9
Interesting Facts

• Writing translated in to over 100 languages
• Disney transfored Hamlet in The Lion King
• In the last decade, 10 films of his plays have
  been released, including Romeo and Juliet
  starring Clare Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Member of a troupe of actors called Lord
  Chamberlins Men.
• Became rich from success of acting company rather
  than for the sale of his plays.

10
More

• He wrote his plays to be acted, not to read as a
  text.
• After his death some men published a collection
  of his play called the First Folio.
• This had 36 of his plays (18 had never been
  published)
• He wrote about 2 plays a year for 18 years
• Wrote about love and jealousy, friendship and
  betrayal, politics and ambition, desire and death.

11
Sonnet 116

• Let me not to the marriage of true minds
• Admit impediments. Love is not love
• Which alters when it alteration finds,
• Or bends with the remover to remove.
• O no, it is an ever-fixed mark,
• That looks on tempests and is never shaken.
• (This is part of the Sonnet a sonnet is 14
  lines)