1. Life of a Renaissance Writer - William Shakespeare
3rd Yr Revision

2. Intro One of the most famous writers in the world
Epitome of the Renaissance man
Writes about ordinary humans and great historical figures

3. Early life Born in Stratford on Avon in 1564
Married Anne Hathaway when he was 18
Moved to London to become an actor
Started writing plays

4. Fame Joined a theater group called the King’s men
Become their leading playwright
Wrote in the vernacular - v renaissance thing
Before the Renaissance, all writers had to write in Latin
Shakespeare made people proud of their own language
So famous that his men performed his plays in front of Queen Elizabeth

5. Typical Renaissance Man
Like many people in the Renaissance,...
He was Influenced by the ideas of the past, including ancient times
Like great Renaissance people he was influenced by the Enlightenment
Believed in questioning old ideas
Introduced almost 5,000 new words into the English language

6. Plays
Wrote three main types of plays - tragedies, comedies and histories
Famous tragedies are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and MacBeth
Comedies are plays with a happy ending and are about love
Famous ones by Shakespeare = Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Historical plays are about important people from the past
Famous ones by Shakespeare = Julius Caesar, Henry V

8. Why so famous?
His plays are famous because they contain all the diff aspects of humanity
He could mix serious drama with side-splitting comedy
He could write in many different styles
Some of characters speak in the coarse language of peasants
Some of his others, speak in an elegant, lofty courtly language
His plays deal with important themes such as the meaning of life, and love

9. True genius Like Da Vinci, he was a polymath Also wrote sonnets
Sonnet = 14-line love poem
Considered the most beautiful sonnets in english
many addressed to a ‘dark lady’

11. End of life Returned to Stratford to live with his wife
Died in 1613 at the age of 52
Lives on through his 38 plays and his sonnets
Still Influences people today