What comes to your mind when you hear the name 'Shakespeare'? Do you think of funny puns or poetic monologues? Tragic heroes or wicked villains? Messy love triangles or star-crossed lovers? You can find all of these things and more in the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), who wrote in England during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.Â
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenWhat comes to your mind when you hear the name 'Shakespeare'? Do you think of funny puns or poetic monologues? Tragic heroes or wicked villains? Messy love triangles or star-crossed lovers? You can find all of these things and more in the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), who wrote in England during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.
So, let's dive into the life and works of Shakespeare, who remains one of the most well-known writers in the English Language of all time.
Fig. 1 - Shakespeare is known for his mastery of the English language and his use of rich and complex language, character development, and themes that are still relevant today.
William Shakespeare's Biography | |
Birth: | 1564 |
Death: | 23rd April 1616 |
Father: | John Shakespeare |
Mother: | Mary Arden |
Spouse/Partners: | Anne Hathaway (1582-1616) |
Children: | 3 |
Famous Plays: |
|
Nationality: | English |
Literary Period: | Elizabethan, Jacobean |
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England and baptised on April 26th, 1564. His mother was the daughter of a landowner, and his father was a local businessman. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married his cousin, Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than him, and they had three children together: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith.
After his marriage, Shakespeare spent most of his time in London, where he wrote and performed in his plays. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he became the part-owner of a theatre company that was first called Lord Chamberlain's Men and later changed its name to The King's Men.
Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on April 23rd, 1616, in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon with a legacy of 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and more than 30 plays.
Let's take a look at Shakespeare's most well-known works, focusing on his tragedies, comedies, and sonnets.
Shakespeare's tragedies | Shakespeate's comedies | Shakespeare's histories |
Romeo and Juliet | As You Like It | Henry IV, Part 1 |
Hamlet | Love's Labour's Lost | Henry IV, Part 2 |
Anthony and Cleopatra | Measure for Measure | Henry V |
Julius Caesar | The Merchant of Venice | Richard II |
King Lear | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Richard III |
Macbeth | Much Ado About Nothing | |
Othello | The Taming of the Shrew | |
The Tempest | ||
Twelfth Night |
There are several well-known tragedies that Shakespeare wrote during his literary career. These plays are darker in tone and deal with serious themes such as death, loss, and the downfall of important characters. Shakespeare's tragedies often have sombre endings and explore the complexities of human emotions and relationships.
Set in Verona, Romeo and Juliet is a play about two star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, who can't be together because of the rivalry between their families. Romeo and Juliet marry in secret and plan to run away together, but things go wrong; ultimately, the feud between the two families leads to the death of the young lovers.
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder
Which, as they kiss, consume.
(Friar Laurence, Act 2, Scene 6)
Did you know that the famous 1957 musical West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet? The musical sets the story in the more contemporary setting of 1950s New York.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the tragedy follows the young prince Hamlet as he attempts to get revenge on his uncle, Claudius, for the murder of Hamlet's father. It was, and remains, one of Shakespeare's most popular plays.
To be, or not to be? That is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
(Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)
Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Brannagh, and David Tennant are only a few of the famous actors who have portrayed Hamlet on stage and on screen.
Othello is set in Cyprus during the Ottoman-Venetian War (1570-1573). The play follows Othello, who is the general of the Venetian army. He is tricked by the villain, Iago, who drives him to a fit of jealous rage. Othello kills his wife, Desdemona, and then he kills himself.
Our bodies are our
gardens, to which our wills are
gardeners.
(Iago, Act 1, scene 3)
Throughout the play, Othello is referred to as a 'Moor'. In Roman times, this term was used to describe the citizens of North Africa; later, it took on different meanings, including a citizen of the country Mauritius. In the context of the play, Othello is called a 'Moor' because he has darker skin than everyone else. This marks Othello out as different and distanced from the other characters, and he is discriminated against for this reason.
King Lear is a tragedy based on the legend of King Leir of the Brittons. The play follows an elderly King Lear as he descends into madness and poverty. Tired of ruling, he divides his kingdom into two and gives it to the two daughters who flatter him while abandoning Cordelia, the only daughter who truly loves him. This sets into motion a series of events that ends in the death of his entire family.
When we are born, we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools.
(Lear, Act 4, Scene 5)
Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. The play is loosely based on the life of the Scottish king Macbeth (1040-1057). After three witches tell the brave Scottish general Macbeth that he will become king, he stops at nothing to make this happen, and his bloody deeds ultimately lead to his downfall.
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.
(Banquo, Act 1, Scene 3)
Shakespeare's comedies are lighthearted and often focus on themes of love, misunderstandings, and humorous hijinks. These plays were designed to entertain and make the audience laugh, and they often had happy endings.
The Taming of the Shrew is about the headstrong Katherina who has no suitors because she is considered aggressively assertive or 'shrewish'. Petruchio is the only man who succeeds at 'taming' Katherina and turning her into an obedient wife.
If I be waspish, best beware my sting.
(Katherina, Act 2 Scene 1)
Did you know that the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) is a modern interpretation of The Taming of the Shrew?
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy that centres around two romantic couples: Claudio and Hero and Benedick and Beatrice. Claudio is tricked into believing Hero is not a virgin by the villain, Don John, before eventually discovering the truth and marrying her. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice overcome their constant bickering and finally admit their love for one another.
I would my horse had the speed of your tongue and so good a continued.
(Benedick, Act 1, Scene 1)
Twelfth Night is about twins Viola and Sebastian, who lose each other in a shipwreck and are reunited at the end of the play. The comedy includes many comedic misunderstandings, most of which come from Viola pretending to be a man called Cesario.
If music be the food of love, play on.
(Orsino, Act 1, Scene 1)
Set in Athens, A Midsummer Night's Dream follows several subplots. The play takes place in an enchanted forest full of fairies. The king and queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania, meddle in the lives of humans and complicate their relationships.
The course of true love never did run smooth.
(Lysander, Act 1, Scene 1)
The Tempest is about the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter Miranda, who live on a remote island after being left stranded there. In an ironic turn of events, the people who put Prospero and Miranda there are shipwrecked on the same island after a storm. Prospero has revenge on his mind, but all is forgiven in the end.
We are such stuff
As dreams are made on: and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
(Prospero, Act 4, Scene 1)
Fig. 2 - Shakespeare's life and works in an informative infographic.
Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 sonnets, first published in 1609. He also included additional sonnets in some of his plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost (1590), and Henry V (1599).
All of Shakespeare's sonnets follow a specific structure: they have 14 lines and are written in iambic pentameter. The way Shakespeare wrote his sonnets even sparked a new genre: the Shakespearean Sonnet.
During his life, William Shakespeare was a prolific and well-known writer. In fact, Shakespeare was so prolific and well-known that there's an ongoing debate as to whether he really wrote all of the works attributed to him. This debate is known as the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
The Shakespeare Authorship Question involves several theories:
Do you think that Shakespeare wrote all of his works? If not, which theory do you think is more likely to be true?
Here are some facts that help summarise Shakespeare's life and literary achievements.
We don't know much about Shakespeare's personal life, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting to imagine what it might've been like. The 1998 film Shakespeare in Love introduces us to a young Shakespeare by combining facts and fiction. The novel Hamnet (2020) by Maggie O'Farrell also presents a fictional and, at points, fantastical take on what Shakespeare's family life could have looked like, focusing on the death of his young son Hamnet.
William Shakespeare is an English writer, poet and dramatist who lived and worked during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England.
William Shakespeare died on April 23rd 1616.
William Shakespeare is famous for writing 154 sonnets and more than 30 plays. Shakespeare invented more than 1, 700 words and phrases in the English language that we still use on a daily basis.
William Shakespare married his cousin Anne Hathaway (1556-1623).
Who wrote the play Othello?
William Shakespeare
Which of the following is NOT true about the character Othello?
Othello married Juliet Capulet
Which of the following is true of the play Othello?
There are no subplots.
Who kills Desdemona in Othello?
Her husband
In which city is the play Othello set?
Venice
What does Othello suspect of Desdemona?
She is having an affair.
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