Reading Shakespeare

reading shakespeare

4eso

Let's go back in time to 1500

1- William Shakespeare

4- Works

3- London

2- Family life

index

9- Your grades

8- Macbeth's Witches

5- Romeo and Juliet

01

william shakespeare

Life and Plays

William Shakespeare 1564-1616

William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April, which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616. Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also remain popular to this day.

https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/

02

shakespeare's

Family Life

Family Life

John Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he was even more likely to have sent his children, including William, to the local grammar school. When William Shakespeare was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six. It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Together they had three children. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding and was later followed by twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was just 11 years old.

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03

Shakespeare

in London

in London

During his time in London, Shakespeare’s first printed works, two famous poems. He also became a founding member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, under Queen Elizabeth I reign, a company of actors. Shakespeare was the company's regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year, for almost twenty years. He remained with the company for the rest of his career, during which time it evolved into The King’s Men under the patronage of King James I. During his time in the company Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous tragedies, such as King Lear and Macbeth, as well as great romances, like The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. They were all the shareholders and builders of The Globe.

This is me in London

The Globe (real pictures)

Inside

Outside

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04

shakespeare's

Works

Shakespeare's Works

Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today (all materials written during William’s time were burned in a fire). It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all.

They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio. It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.

Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place, the largest house in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon. 💛 Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52.

The plays

Now, let's read and act

You will choose between two of his major works

Romeo and juliet and Macbeth

vs

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth's witches

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth's Witches

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your grades