Shakespeare The Greatest writer in History Click to enter the world of the bard.

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The Greatest writer in The Greatest writer in HistoryHistory

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Shakespeare: the manShakespeare: the manTimeline of worksTimeline of works

William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare William Shakespeare ranks as William Shakespeare ranks as

perhaps the most famous writer in perhaps the most famous writer in the history of English literature. the history of English literature. Shakespeare employed poetry and Shakespeare employed poetry and verse within his dramatic verse within his dramatic comedies, tragedies, and comedies, tragedies, and histories, and he also composed histories, and he also composed notable individual poems. His notable individual poems. His poems include a series of 154 poems include a series of 154 sonnets, unusually arranged as sonnets, unusually arranged as three quatrains and a couplet; the three quatrains and a couplet; the development was original enough development was original enough for it to become known as the for it to become known as the Shakespearian sonnet. Sonnet 18 Shakespearian sonnet. Sonnet 18 (recited by an actor) comes from (recited by an actor) comes from The Sonnets of Shakespeare The Sonnets of Shakespeare (printed in 1609).(printed in 1609).

© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Shakespeare the ManShakespeare the Man

Shakespeare’s birthShakespeare’s birth Shakespeare goes to schoolShakespeare goes to school Religion and politicsReligion and politics Shakespeare in loveShakespeare in love

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The birth of ShakespeareThe birth of Shakespeare A complete, A complete,

authoritative account of authoritative account of Shakespeare’s life is Shakespeare’s life is lacking; much lacking; much supposition surrounds supposition surrounds relatively few facts. His relatively few facts. His day of birth is day of birth is traditionally held to be traditionally held to be April 23 in Stratford-April 23 in Stratford-upon-Avon, upon-Avon, Warwickshire. The third Warwickshire. The third of eight children, he was of eight children, he was the eldest son of John the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a locally Shakespeare, a locally prominent merchant, prominent merchant, and Mary Arden, and Mary Arden, daughter of a Roman daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the Catholic member of the landed gentry.landed gentry.

Place of Shakespeare’s birth

Shakespeare goes to schoolShakespeare goes to school He was probably educated He was probably educated

at the local grammar at the local grammar school. As the eldest son, school. As the eldest son, Shakespeare ordinarily Shakespeare ordinarily would have been would have been apprenticed to his father’s apprenticed to his father’s shop so that he could learn shop so that he could learn and eventually take over and eventually take over the business, but the business, but according to one according to one apocryphal account he was apocryphal account he was apprenticed to a butcher apprenticed to a butcher because of reverses in his because of reverses in his father’s financial situation.father’s financial situation.

Religion and PoliticsReligion and Politics

In recent years, it has more In recent years, it has more convincingly been argued convincingly been argued that he was caught up in the that he was caught up in the secretive network of secretive network of Catholic believers and Catholic believers and priests who strove to priests who strove to cultivate their faith in the cultivate their faith in the inhospitable conditions of inhospitable conditions of Elizabethan England. Elizabethan England. At the turn of the 1580s, it is claimed, he served as At the turn of the 1580s, it is claimed, he served as tutor in the household of Alexander Houghton, a tutor in the household of Alexander Houghton, a prominent Lancashire Catholic and friend of the prominent Lancashire Catholic and friend of the Stratford schoolmaster John Cottom. While others in this Stratford schoolmaster John Cottom. While others in this network went on to suffer and die for their beliefs, network went on to suffer and die for their beliefs, Shakespeare must somehow have extricated himself, Shakespeare must somehow have extricated himself, for there is little evidence to suggest any subsequent for there is little evidence to suggest any subsequent involvement in their circles.involvement in their circles.

Shakespeare in loveShakespeare in love In 1582 he married Anne In 1582 he married Anne

Hathaway, the daughter Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. He is of a farmer. He is supposed to have left supposed to have left Stratford after he was Stratford after he was caught poaching in the caught poaching in the deer park of Sir Thomas deer park of Sir Thomas Lucy, a local justice of Lucy, a local justice of the peace. Shakespeare the peace. Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway and Anne Hathaway produced a daughter, produced a daughter, Susanna, in 1583 and Susanna, in 1583 and twins—a boy and a girl—twins—a boy and a girl—in 1585. The boy died 11 in 1585. The boy died 11 years lateryears later

Anne Hathaway’s cottage

Timeline of Shakespeare Timeline of Shakespeare WorksWorks

First Period Second Period Third Period Fourth Period

Although the precise date of many of Shakespeare’s plays is in doubt, his dramatic career is generally divided into four periods. These divisions are necessarily arbitrary ways of viewing Shakespeare’s creative development, since his plays are notoriously hard to date accurately, either in terms of when they were written or when they were first performed.

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First PeriodFirst Period

Shakespeare’s first period was one of experimentation. His early plays, unlike his more mature work, are characterized to a degree by formal and rather obvious construction and often stylized verse.

c. 1592

The Comedy of Errors

.

c. 1593

Richard III c. 1595

Love’s Labour’s Lost

c. 1590

Titus Andronicus

c. 1590-1592

Henry VI, Parts I, II, and III

c. 1592

The Taming of the Shrew

.

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Second PeriodSecond PeriodShakespeare’s second period includes his most important plays concerned with English history, his so-called joyous comedies, and two major tragedies. In this period, his style and approach became highly individualized.

c. 1599As You Like It

.

c. 1595 Romeo and Juliet

c. 1599 Julius Caesar

c. 1595-1596A Midsummer's Night’s Dream

c. 1594-1598The Merchant

of Venice

c. 1598-1599Much Ado

About Nothing.

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Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet