WIlliam Shakespeare presentation | 4TG

William Shakespear

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The king of the theater

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Brought to you by: Mattia Nicolas Colombini, Alessandro Ferri, Valentina Recupero and Alessandro Nastasi

Summary

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a renowned playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. His plays, categorized into comedies, tragedies, and historical works, showcase intricate plots, memorable characters, and poetic language. Some of his famous plays include "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet," and "Macbeth." Shakespeare's impact on literature and theater is profound, as his works continue to captivate audiences worldwide with their timeless themes and complex characters.

Shakespear's life

Fun fact!

At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older and from a nearby village. They had three children together: a daughter named Susanna and twins named Hamnet and Judith. After the birth of his children, Shakespeare's life enters a period known as the "lost years," where there is limited information about his activities. It is believed that during this time, he may have worked as an actor and playwright in London. In the late 1580s, Shakespeare emerged in London's theater scene as both an actor and a playwright. He became a prominent member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a leading theater company that later became the King's Men. Shakespeare's plays were performed at various theaters, including The Globe, which he co-owned. William Shakespeare passed away on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52. He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's legacy as a playwright and poet has endured over the centuries, with his works continuing to be performed and celebrated worldwide. His contributions to literature and theater have solidified him as one of the greatest writers in history.

The Globe was an open-air theater, and performances took place during the day. The stage relied mostly on natural lighting.

‘All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players’ - Shakespeare

In 1613, during a performance of Shakespeare's play "Henry VIII," a fire broke out and destroyed the original Globe Theatre. It was rebuilt the following year and continued to operate until 1642 when all theaters were closed due to the English Civil War.

The stage

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Plots of a few of his plays

Romeo and Juliet

As You Like It

Hamlet

1599 -1601

1599 - 1600

1594 - 1596

The Merchant of Venice

Henry V

1599

1596 - 1598

‘To be, or not to be, that is the question’

- from Hamlet, spoken by Hamlet

Hamlet

We decided to talk more about this play due to its intriguing and dramatic plot.

"A never ending drama"

Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, has come back from university to find that his father, the old king, is dead. His mother has married his father’s brother, Claudius, who is now king of Denmark. Hamlet is shocked that his mother has married so soon after his father’s death, and angry that she has married Claudius. Soon, a ghost is seen walking on the castle walls. The ghost looks like Hamlet’s father, the dead king. When Hamlet sees the ghost, he is told that it is the ghost of his father. ‘I am your father’s spirit,’ the ghost tells Hamlet. It tells him that Hamlet’s father did not die naturally, but was murdered by his brother Claudius. As the king slept, Claudius put poison into his ear, causing the king a painful death. The ghost tells Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius for murdering his father. Hamlet can’t believe that his mother would marry the man who murdered her husband. He becomes depressed, and he thinks about killing himself: ‘To be or not to be – that is the question.’ Hamlet decides to pretend he is mad while he tries to find out if King Claudius really did kill his father. Claudius soon notices that Hamlet is behaving strangely, so he asks Polonius, his adviser, to spy on him. Polonius thinks that the best person to find out what is causing Hamlet’s strange moods is Polonius’s own daughter Ophelia.

This is because Ophelia is Hamlet’s girlfriend, and so she is close to him. But when Ophelia tries talking to him, Hamlet gets very angry, tells her that he never loved her and breaks up with her. Ophelia is very upset by this. A group of travelling actors arrives in town. Hamlet gets them to perform a play at the castle. Hamlet’s play contains a scene in which someone murders a king by putting poison in his ear – exactly what the ghost said had happened to him. Hamlet’s plan is to watch King Claudius during the play, and see how he reacts when he sees his own crime performed on stage. Then Hamlet will know if Claudius is guilty or not. Hamlet’s plan works. King Claudius becomes so angry that he interrupts the play, and goes off in a rage. Claudius starts thinking of ways to get rid of Hamlet. Soon afterwards, Hamlet sees Claudius praying, and wants to kill him. But he worries that if he does, Claudius will go to heaven, instead of going to hell, which as a murderer he deserves. So Hamlet does nothing, and goes to speak to his mother. While they are talking in his mother’s room, he sees someone moving behind the curtain. Hamlet thinks that it is Claudius, so he takes his sword and stabs through the curtain. But he is shocked to find he has in fact killed Polonius (the adviser) not Claudius. This of course means that Hamlet has killed the father of his girlfriend Ophelia. Ophelia goes mad, and drowns herself in a river. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, comes to her funeral and is furious about what has happened. He and Hamlet argue about who loved Ophelia most, and King Claudius now sees an opportunity to finally get rid of Hamlet. He organises a sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes.

To make sure that Hamlet is killed, Claudius gives Laertes a sword covered in poison. He also prepares a cup of poisoned wine. But Claudius’s plans go horribly wrong when the poisoned sword wounds both Hamlet and Laertes, and Hamlet’s mother drinks from the poisoned cup. Knowing that he is about to die himself, Hamlet kills Claudius, finally getting revenge for the murder of his father. At the end of the play, all of the royal household of Denmark are dead.

That's all! hope you have a wonderful day