W ILLIAM S HAKESPEARE ( ) William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor from the late XVI century. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in a family of businessmen ( glove makers), his father was the major of the town. He studied in his towns Grammar school. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway; with whom he had three children. Shakespeare's professional career took place in London between 1585 and In 1594 he started writing for a playing company (Lord Chamberlains Men), he was an actor as well He produced lots of known works: from comedies (A Midsummer Nights Dream) to tragedies (Hamlet) or sonnets. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 poems (sonnets) He wrote them in a stylised and poetic language, full of metaphors and rhetoric He took his plots and characters from ancient Greek and Roman stories, modern European plays, folklore, and history. He uses mistaken identities (women as men etc.) and imaginary places (forests) In the tragedies his characters are dominated by passions: love, hate, jealousy, envy, disloyalty, ambition. Shakespeare depicts a world in disorder, in which evil is as strong as goodness. His plays are known for their side plots that are sometimes more interesting than the main plots. He used blank verse Shakespeare also wrote narrative poems (Venus and Adonis) COMEDIES (A Midsummer Nights Dream, Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night) These plays focus on themes of courtship and marriage, most taken from Italian sources TRAGEDIES (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello) Even in the darkest tragedy there is a mix of comic and tragic characters, some political themes are Elizabethan ones HISTORICAL PLAYS (Henry VI, Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V) Eight of Shakespeare's ten history plays reflect the periods of English monarchy ROMANCE (Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest) share their conventions with the tragicomedy. The happy end of the romance is often reached through supernatural forces that the characters do not understand. Romeo and Juliet ( ) Probably the most famous love story ever written. Tragic romance, set in Verona. Narrates the love between two young members of rival families: the Montague and the Capulet. A Midsummer Nights Dream ( ) Comedy that portrays the events of the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Includes the adventures of four young Athenian lovers that are controlled and manipulated by the fairies of the forest. ( framed stories) Hamlet ( ) Longest Shakespeare play Most powerful and influential tragedy in the English literature. Dramatizes the revenge of Prince Hamlet on his uncle Claudius; who had previously murdered Hamlets father and seized the throne. Shakespeare was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. He put a curse on anyone daring to move his body from that final resting place. His epitaph was: Good friend for Jesus sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here: Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones. Though it was customary to dig up the bones from previous graves to make room for others, Shakespeares remains are still undisturbed. Shakespeare had three children a son, Hamnet, who died in 1596, and two daughters, Susanna and Judith. His only granddaughter Elizabeth (Susannas daughter) died childless in Shakespeare therefore has no descendants. He survived to the Black Death; an epidemic that killed 33,000 people in London. There are only two authentic portraits of William Shakespeare today Unlike most artists of his time, he died as a wealthy man. Though Shakespeare was one of the greatest figures of literature, he never attended university. He had a double life; as a famous playwright and as a highly respected businessman There are more than 80 different variations recorded for his name spelling. Shakespe ; Shakspe ; Shakspre and Shakespear All his plays and poems made up a total of 900,000 words. He is the 2 nd most quoted English writer. He wrote close to a tenth of the most quoted lines ever written or spoken in English. He introduced almost 3,000 words to the English language; including: assassination, accused, negotiate, discontent, gossip He created almost 1,400 characters Two of his plays were entirely written in verse Suicide occurs thirteen times in Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare wrote an average 1.5 plays a year since His last play The Two Noble Kinsmen was written in 1613 when he was 49 years old. An actor of his own plays and those of others. He performed before Queen Elizabeth I and James I,who was an enthusiastic patron of his work. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise knows himself to be fool Listen to many, speak to few To be or not to be, thats the question Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant never taste of death but once Brevity is the soul of wit But love is blind, and lovers cannot see Of all passions, fear is the most accused Having nothing, nothing can he loose Though almost 450 years have past since Shakespeare was born; his prose, plot and characters are still alive today. There are many reasons why Shakespeare still has relevance in our current society: He was extraordinarily creative, he played with words and language and developed complex plots. Characters are close to viewers and represent attractive figures like kings, queens, princes, but also common people His plays themes love, jealousy, loyalty, betrayal, bravery- are still appealing today. In fact, they are still used in modern literature. Shakespeare's plays include a great deal of dramatic and comic effects. In addition, they are meant to be performed, which introduces a funnier and more engaging way of approaching to English literature. Due to his relevance, there are currently many companies that organise events dedicated to Shakespeare on his 400 th anniversary Many Shakespeares plays have been adapted for cinema. Romeo and Juliet (1996) Hamlet (1996) Much ado about nothing (2013) A Midsummer Nights Dream (2005) Other stories are based on their most famous plays The Lion King (1994) based on Hamlet West Side Story (1961) based on Romeo and Juliet Pocahontas (1995) based on The TempestShes the man (2006) based on Twelfth night There is even a film Shakespeare in love (1998) whose main character is William Shakespeare. This film tells the love affair of a young William Shakespeare with Viola de Lesseps, while he was writing Romeo and Juliet Many people think that both died on the same day ( April 23rd, 1616), but thats not true because the calendar was different, so in the Catholic calendar it was May 3rd. There is a comedy film about a possible friendship between them. Hey Miguel, lets go for a pint ! Shakespeares works or quotes have also appeared in several TV series like in Gillian Island or Star Treck. The most relevant, however, could be the adaptation of Hamlet in one episode of The Simpsons . Shakespeares most relevant plays have also been introduced in the world of comics, particularly to a manga collection called Manga Shakespeare. Though Shakespeares works are still relevant today, his language might probably not be so welcome. A good example is the following video: If Shakespearean insults were used today A video about insults by Shakespeare with activities A video about insults by Shakespeare with activities Shakespeares original pronunciation Shakespeares original pronunciation Video on famous quotes Video on famous quotes Ballet Midsummer Nights Dream Ballet Midsummer Nights Dream Analysis of Sonnet 130 Analysis of Sonnet 130 THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND ENJOY MY PLAYS!