Слайд 1William Shakespeare
26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616
Слайд 2William Shakespeare is often called the world's greatest playwright. He
wrote comedies, tragedies and historical plays in England in the
last part of the 16th and the early 17th century.
Слайд 3William Shakespeare
was born in 1564 in the English town
of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Слайд 4His father was a businessman and the town's mayor. His
mother came from a family that owned land near Stratford.
William had three younger brothers and two younger sisters.
Слайд 5Shakespeare with parents.
Reconstruction
Слайд 6Like other boys of middle-class families, William attended a grammar
school in Stratford where he got a good education and
also learned Latin.
Слайд 7When William was 18 he married Anne Hathaway.
Shakespeare with
his wife.
Reconstruction
Слайд 8They had three children, first Susanna and then twins, a
son named Hamnet and a daughter named Judith. Hamnet died
when he was 11.
Слайд 9We don't really know what William did during the following
years but in 1592 he went to London to work
as a writer and actor. It was a difficult job and only the best found work in London.
Слайд 10From 1592 to 1594 the Black Death spread across England.
Many public places were closed and plays couldn't be performed
either. Shakespeare spent these years writing sonnets and poems.
Слайд 14When the theatres opened up again in 1594 Shakespeare joined
the best acting company of the country-Lord Chamberlain's Men. It
had the best actors, the best writers and the most famous theatre-the Globe.
Слайд 15The Globe was a huge amphitheatre without a roof. The
seats were curved around a stage that was built on
many levels.
Слайд 16Plays always started at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. People
who didn't have the money to buy a seat were
allowed to stand in the front of the stage. All kinds of people came to see the shows– housewives, children, noblemen and even visitors from other countries. The company also presented special plays for kings and queens.
Слайд 17Shakespeare and his fellow actors were responsible for everything in
the Globe theatre. They owned the building and the costumes,
they wrote the scripts and they also shared the profits that they made
Слайд 18The actors and writers of the theatre worked together successfully
for many years.
Слайд 19In the twenty years that he worked on stage Shakespeare
wrote 37 plays. They can be put into three big
categories:
Слайд 20Tragedies are plays that show the downfall of a main
character. His most famous tragedies are Hamlet, King Lear and
Macbeth.
Слайд 21Comedies are funny plays that have a happy ending most
of the time. A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like
It and The Merry Wives of Windsor are among the most popular.
Слайд 22Historical plays are dramas about the lives of some of
England's most powerful kings like Henry IV or Richard II.
Слайд 23William Shakespeare retired from the theatre in 1610 and went
back to his home town Stratford, where he lived until
his death in 1616.
Слайд 24
At that time the people of England did not know
that their country's greatest poet and playwright had died. They
thought of him only as a popular actor and writer.