13 questions · Literature
William Shakespeare, baptised in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a glover's son, married the older Anne Hathaway at 18 and surfaced soon after in London, where he became actor, playwright and shareholder of a theatre company: the Lord Chamberlain's Men, who in 1599 built their own round playhouse on the south bank of the Thames, the legendary Globe. There and at the royal court, in a little over two decades, he wrote some 38 plays that changed the theatre forever. The range is unmatched: tragedies like 'Hamlet', whose hero wrestles with 'To be, or not to be' and muses on mortality with Yorick's skull in hand; 'Romeo and Juliet', the lovers from Verona's feuding houses; 'Macbeth', the king-killer seduced by the witches' prophecy and his Lady's ambition; 'Othello' and 'King Lear'. Add comedies like 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with the fairy rulers Oberon and Titania, history plays about England's kings and 154 sonnets whose 'dark lady' and fair youth puzzle readers to this day. Along the way Shakespeare enriched the English language with hundreds of words and phrases. Around 1613 the now wealthy poet retired to Stratford, where he died in 1616: according to legend on his 52nd birthday. Since only half the plays had been printed in his lifetime, two fellow actors saved his work in 1623 with the 'First Folio' collected edition, without it, 'Macbeth' and a dozen others would be lost. Did you know that conspiracy theories have repeatedly doubted his authorship: from Francis Bacon to the Earl of Oxford? Scholarship stands firm: the man from Stratford wrote the plays. His colleague Ben Jonson put it prophetically: 'He was not of an age, but for all time.'
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Hamlet
'To be, or not to be, that is the question': the Danish prince wavers between revenge and despair.
💡 Did you know? „To be or not to be“ is perhaps the most famous line in all of theatre history.
Montague and Capulet
The lovers of Verona: their deaths finally reconcile the families.
💡 Did you know? „Romeo and Juliet“ shaped the image of tragic love like no other work in world literature.
the Globe
Built in 1599 on the south bank of the Thames, burned down in 1613; a reconstruction has stood near the site since 1997.
💡 Did you know? The original Globe burned down in 1613 when a cannon set the thatched roof alight during „Henry VIII.“
the witches'
Lady Macbeth spurs him on: theatre folk superstitiously call it only 'the Scottish play'.
💡 Did you know? Actors consider „Macbeth“ so unlucky that they call it only „the Scottish play.“
Stratford-upon-Avon
A glover's son: he died there in 1616, according to legend on his own birthday.
💡 Did you know? Shakespeare was probably born on 23 April and died on the same date 52 years later.
around 38
Tragedies, comedies and history plays: plus 154 sonnets and narrative poems.
💡 Did you know? Shakespeare's roughly 38 plays are still staged worldwide more often than those of any other author.
Oberon and Titania
Their quarrel sets off the lovers' confusion, including the weaver Bottom's transformation into an ass.
💡 Did you know? „A Midsummer Night's Dream“ blends fairy magic, tradesmen's comedy and love muddles into Shakespeare's merriest play.
154
'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?': the addressees, 'dark lady' and fair youth, puzzle readers to this day.
💡 Did you know? Many of the 154 sonnets are addressed to a mysterious young man and a „Dark Lady.“
First Folio
Published by two fellow actors, without it, 'Macbeth' and a dozen other plays would be lost.
💡 Did you know? Without the 1623 „First Folio,“ 18 plays (including „Macbeth“) would probably have been lost.
Anne Hathaway
In his will he famously and cryptically left her his 'second best bed'.
💡 Did you know? The actress Anne Hathaway was named after her: her parents were Shakespeare fans.
hundreds of new words
From 'eyeball' to 'break the ice': no author shaped English more.
💡 Did you know? Around 1,700 words and countless idioms appear for the first time in Shakespeare.
his authorship
Candidates from Francis Bacon to the Earl of Oxford: scholarship stands by the man from Stratford.
💡 Did you know? It is repeatedly speculated that someone else (Marlowe or Bacon) wrote the works; but evidence is lacking.
Foto: William Shakespeare · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) was an English playwright and poet, regarded as the greatest author in the English language. His plays are still performed worldwide.
💡 Did you know? Astonishingly little is documented about Shakespeare's life: whole years are blank, which still fuels conspiracy theories.
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