William Shakespeare birth: 1564 death: April 23,1616

William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the greatest writer in the history of the English language He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and many poems.

He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire

Shakespeare's birthplace

He married Anne Hathaway (8 years his senior) at 18 years old. Apparently, he liked older women.

He had 3 children with Anne: Susanna Hamnet and Judith (twins) Susanna was born 6 months after the wedding.

???????? Little else is known about Shakespeare's personal life.

Contemporaries of Shakespeare: Reign: 17 November 1558 – 24 March 1603 Elizabeth I of England

James I of England R eign: 24 March 1603 – 27 March 1625

Johannes Kepler Rudolf II

Sometime between 1585 and 1592 he began his acting and writing career in London as a member and part owner of the acting company Lord Chamberlain's Men. (later known as the King's Men) From 1594 this group was the only one to perform Shakespeare's plays and it became the leading theatre company in London.

In 1599, Shakespeare's company built their own theatre on the banks of the Thames River. They named it the Globe.

People could watch the play from the pit for a penny.

The original Globe burned down in 1613 in a theatre accident. It was rebuilt the next year and remained until it was closed down in 1642 by the Puritans and later dismantled in 1644.

Since 1997 there has been a reconstruction of the Globe theatre 750 metres from the original site in London.

Shakespeare's early plays were histories. Richard III and the three parts of Henry VI are thought to be his first plays. Shakespeare's History Plays: Ki ng John Richard II Henry IV (part 1 &2) Henry V Henry VI (part 1,2 & 3) Richard III HenryVIII

Shakespeare later turned to comedies. In the Elizabethan era, comedy referred to the fact that the plays had happy endings.

The comedies usually included some misunderstanding, problem or error which was solved by the end of the play and often ended with a wedding or other happy event. Shakespeare's Comedies: The Tempest The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Merry Wives of Windsor Measure for Measure The Comedy of Errors Much Ado About Nothing Love's Labour's Lost A Midsummer Night's Dream The Merchant of Venice As You Like It The Taming of the Shrew All's Well That Ends Well Twelfth Night The Winter's Tale Pericles, Prince of Tyre The Two Noble Kinsmen

Shakespeare's most-loved tragedies were written between 1601 and 1608 The tragedies have a protagonist who has an admirable but flawed character and this character flaw leads to disaster. Shakespeare's Tragedies: Titus Andronicus Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Hamlet Troilus and Cressida Othello Timon of Athens King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Cymbeline

Shakespeare's Sonnets ·a Sonnet is a type of poem with 14 lines ·each line usually has 12 syllables ·the sonnets are written in iambic pentameter ·in Shakespeare's sonnets the rhyming scheme is a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g Sonnet 116 L et me not to the marriage of true minds (a) Admit impediments, love is not love (b) Which alters when it alteration finds, (a) Or bends with the remover to remove. (b) O no, it is an ever fixèd mark (c) That looks on tempests and is never shaken; (d) It is the star to every wand'ring bark, (c) Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken. (d)*** Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks (e) Within his bending sickle's compass come, (f) Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, (e) But bears it out even to the edge of doom: (f) If this be error and upon me proved, (g) I never writ, nor no man ever loved. (g)

Shakespeare has added immensely to the development of the English language

words were first printed in Shakespeare's works. Many of which were invented by him. For example: hurry, addiction, lonely

His works are the second-most often quoted in the history of the English-Speaking World. They are second only to the Bible.

Many common expressions that we use in English were first coined by the bard. For example: to eat someone out of house and home good riddance laughing stock one fell swoop ebb and flow with bated breath foregone conclusion Even the grammar and rules of English were greatly influenced by Shakespeare.

Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 as a wealthy man. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon.