William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is considered to be the world´s greatest playwright. His plays have been performed for centuries and it seems that they will always attract audience and readers. First of all, let me introduce the historical and cultural background associated with Shakespeare´s life...
The second half of the 16th century and the turn of the 17th century is said to be the period of a great overall flourishment in England, with Queen Elizabeth I. on the throne. England lay quite separated from the rest of Europe, so there was enough space for arts to develop - contrary to the states on the continent, which were busy fighting against the reformation as well as with each other. Moreover, Elizabeth I. and her successor James I. were great supporters of theatre. There were many new theatres being opened and some performances were even free of charge for people who could not afford to pay the entrance fee.
We know very little about his private life.

William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd April 1564 in town called Stratford upon Avon in the South Warwickshire, witch lies in the middle area of England. He was the eldest son and third of the eight children of Mary Arden and John Shakespeare, and was baptised at Stratford on 26th.

Mary was the daughter of local landowners. John was a prosperous wood and leather merchant also a glover, who went on to become alderman of Stratford.

Shakespeare was educated at local grammar school until the age of 15; William was taken out of school to help his father’s business. When he was 18 he married Anne Hathaway, eight years older girl from a nearby village. The wedding was very fast. The reason was pregnancy of Anne.
They had a daughter Susan, even after the twins Judith and Hamlet. He left his wife and children and he moved to London where he began playing in several theatrical companies and later became co-owner of the theatre. He became an owner of playing company called the ,,Lord Chamberlain’s men” later known as the ,,King’s Men”. Shakespeare came to own many properties including New place, witch was the largest house in Stratford. His plays were performed at the court of Elizabeth I. In 1599 a theatre called Globe was built in London by Shakespeare’s playing company the Lord Chamberlain’s men. This one was destroyed by fire on 1613 and there was built another one on the same site.
After his son's death he went back to Stratford and lived a quiet life with his family. The very interesting thing is that he died on the same day as he was born in the age of 52. Shakespeare died on 23rd April 1616.

His work overall consists of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and several other poems. Shakespeare has created almost 40 games. From the beginning he wrote a comedy, after his son death he began to write tragedies. His plays have been translated into every major living language.
Romeo and Juliet
It's a story about two young people who fell in love, but they can‘t share their love, as they would like because of their families, Capulets and Montagues. These two families hate each other. Romeo and Juliet love each other and they have a secret wedding and they spend the night together. Parents want a wedding between Juliet and Lord Paris. Juliet drinks the potion and looks like dead. Romeo believes that Juliet is dead and he drinks poison near the ,,dead“ Juliet. Julie wakes up and finds that her love is dead kills herselve with Romeo‘s knife.
After this tragedy, the two families reconcile with each other
Hamlet
    Prince Hamlet is heir to the Danish throne and is in love with Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain. Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark, suddenly dies. Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, immediately marries the dead king’s brother, Claudius, who makes himself king. Hamlet is confused and deeply unhappy about these events. When the play opens, some guards are talking about a ghost they have seen on the castle walls. The ghost looks like Hamlet’s father.
     Hamlet hears about the ghost and decides to see for himself. At midnight, the ghost appears and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. The ghost makes Hamlet promise to take revenge for his murder and Hamlet agrees to kill Claudius.
     However, Hamlet cannot make up his mind to do it. He wants proof of his father’s murder and asks a group of actors to perform a play about the murder of a king by his brother. When Claudius sees the play, he rushes out of the room during the murder scene. Hamlet is now convinced that his uncle is guilty and goes to accuse his mother.
     While Hamlet is telling his mother that he knows the truth, he hears a noise behind a curtain. He thinks Claudius is secretly listening to their conversation. He stabs and kills the person behind the curtain who is, in fact, Polonius, Ophelia’s father. Now King Claudius has a good excuse to send Hamlet away and he orders him to go to the England.    
     Hamlet leaves for England, not realising that Claudius has secretly planned his murder during the journey. Meanwhile Ophelia, who has been rejected by Hamlet, drowns herself from grief in a stream. Hamlet manages to escape and returns to Denmark.
     Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, wants revenge for the deaths of his father and sister, so he challenges Hamlet to a duel. King Claudius gives Laertes a poisoned sword to use against Hamlet in the duel but the plan goes wrong and both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded by the same sword.
     As the poison from the sword slowly begins to take effect on Hamlet and Laertes, Queen Gertrude drinks from a cup of poisoned wine, which Claudius prepared for Hamlet. As Laertes is dying, he tells Hamlet the truth about the poisoned sword. In the final scene, Hamlet stabs his uncle with the same sword just before he dies.
King Lear
King Lear asks his three daughters how much they love him. Tow older daughters say that they love him very, very much but the youngest daughter Cordelia says that she loves him according to her duty. He punishes her by giving her no property and banishes her out of his kingdom. A kind Prince marries her, although she is poor. Old king divides his kingdom and all his property between his two daughters. Now he has nothing and one daughter sends him to the other because he is old and makes troubles. Finally they order to him not to visit their houses again. He is left in a cruel storm alone and he becomes a fool. Cordelia learns about that and with her army she comes to help him. But she is put to the prison and handed a day later. King Lear dies of a big grief.

Historical Games - Henry IV., V., VI. Richard II, III. King John,
Comedy - The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer-night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Taming of the Shrew,
Tragedy - Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet,
Poets – sonets, The phoenix and the Turtle