WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
How much do you really know about
William Shakespeare and his life?
He was a poet and a playwright, and is
considered the greatest writer in the English language. He was born in
Stratford-upon-Avon, in central England, in 1564 and he died in 1616.
His surviving work consists of 38 plays,
154 sonnets (a special type of poem with 14 lines) and some other poems.
He is best known for his plays, which
have been translated into every major language and are performed more than
those of any other playwright in the world.
When he was 18, he married Anne Hathaway,
and they had 03 children. Shakespeare went to London to work as an actor and a
writer. In 1599 the Globe Theatre was built there and it was in this theatre
that some of Shakespeare's plays were first performed. In 1613 the theatre was
destroyed by a fire. However, a modern reconstruction of the theatre was built
near the original site in 1997 so even today you can go there to see one of his
plays.
Shakespeare’s work is still very popular
today. But why do we like these old plays? Possibly because they all contain
fantastic stories. His characters suffer, die, have family fights, problems
between brothers and sisters, or between parents and children ... The plays are
also full of parties, weddings and funerals.
Here is a selection of Shakespeare’s
plays.
1.-THE MERCHANT OF VENICE:
This play is about the idea that people
usually get what they deserve in the end, good or bad. Antonio, a businessman,
borrows money from Shylock, a money lender. If he doesn’t pay back in time,
Shylock will cut off a piece of his body. Antonio loses all his business and
must pay this terrible price … but is saved by love.
2.-HAMLET
This play is about revenge and also about
how difficult it is to take action sometimes. Hamlet’s father is murdered by
another man, who then marries Hamlet’s mother. Everybody wants to see Hamlet
dead. Hamlet must take revenge, but will he be able to? The famous quotation ‘To be or not to be, that is the
question’ comes from this play.
3.-AS YOU LIKE IT
This play is a comedy about romantic
love. There is a battle between two evil brothers and two good brothers. People
hide in a beautiful forest. They fall in love, women disguise themselves as
men, and there are many jokes, songs and games.
4.-HENRY V
This is a history play about a famous
English king, and a famous battle, Agincourt. We watch the preparations for the
battle, the fighting and the results. There are questions in this play: Why do men fight? What are wars?
Are they glorious or terrible?
WHICH PLAY WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?
