The World's Most Famous Writer William Shakespeare The World's Most Famous Writer

Shakespeare is considered the world's greatest dramatist. Born – April 23, 1564 Died – April 23, 1616 …in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England …to middle-class parents He was the third out of eight children.

This is where I’m talking about… 

For those with poor eyesight…

Stratford-Upon-Avon (where Shakespeare was born and raised) London (where Shakespeare’s reputation was born)

In 1582… Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He was 18; she was 26... FYI: Little is known about the next 8 to 10 years of Shakespeare's life. Few records exist, so scholars call this period “The Lost Years”.

Anne Hathaway’s Home

In 1592… Shakespeare moved to London. There was an outbreak of the plague, so the London theaters closed, and Shakespeare began to sell his poems. He became well-known for his 14-line poems called “Sonnets”, like this one…

Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

In 1594 until 1608… Shakespeare worked in London as a playwright and actor. This is the period when he solidified himself as “the most popular playwright in London”. He did not gain recognition as an “unrivaled genius” until later generations studied his works more closely.

On April 23, 1616… Shakespeare died and was buried inside the Stratford parish church. As mentioned earlier, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, which have been divided into comedies, histories, and tragedies.

Have you seen these movies? They are based on Shakespeare’s plays “West Side Story” Romeo and Juliet “10 Things I Hate About You” Taming of the Shrew “She’s The Man” Twelfth Night “The Lion King” Hamlet & Richard III