William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564 ～ 1616), a great poet and dramatist of the English Renaissance period, is surely one of the greatest writers the western world has ever produced.

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William Shakespeare

The facts concerning Shakespeare's life are scarce; nevertheless there are many records left in the works of his contemporaries and later biographers that help us to restore his image.

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William Shakespeare’s life

William Shakespeare was born probably on April 23, 1564 , in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire.

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William Shakespeare’s life

As a child William was sent to the local grammar school that he had attended for six years. He studied Latin and Greek and read widely the books current in his day. When Shakespeare was fourteen, his father fell into debt, and the boy probably left school and became a country schoolmaster to help support his family. In 1582, William Shakespeare, then eighteen, was married to Anne Hathaway, eight years of his elder. Six months later, Susanna was born; in 1585, their twins, Hamnet and Judith, were baptized.

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William Shakespeare’s house

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William Shakespeare’s wife

Anne Hathaway

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William Shakespeare’s family

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William Shakespeare’s career

Shakespeare arrived in London in the year 1586 or 1587. At that time drama was rapidly gaining popularity among the people. Shakespeare worked both as actor and playwright.

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William Shakespeare

He established himself so well as a playwright that Robert Greene, one of the “ University Wits ” resentfully declared him to be “ an upstart crow. ” However, during the period in London, he became an acclaimed actor and established playwright.

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William Shakespeare

Shakespeare retired from the stage and returned to Stratford in 1612. He died on April 23,1616 , the 52nd anniversary of his birthday.

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William Shakespeare’s works Shakespeare produced 37 plays, 2 narrative

poems and 154 sonnets.

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William Shakespeare’s works

His plays can be divided into four types: historical plays, comedies, tragedies and romantic tragi-comedies. His major dramas may fall into three periods:

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William Shakespeare’s works

The first period (1590 ～ 1600)

　　 Henry VI (1590 ～ 91)

　　 Richard III (1592 ～ 93)

　　 The Comedy of Errors (1592)

　　 Titus Andronicus (1593)

　　 The Taming of the Shrew (1593 ～ 94)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594)

　　 Love's Labour's Lost (1594)

　　 Romeo and Juliet (1594)

　　 Richard II (1594)

　　 A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595 ～ 96)

　　 King John (1596 ～ 97)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works The Merchant of Venice (1596 ～ 97)

　　 Henry IV , Part I (1597)

　　 Henry IV , Part II (1597)

　　 Much Ado about Nothing (1598 ～ 99)

　　 Henry V (1598 ～ 99)

　　 The Merry Wives of Windsor (1598 ～ 1601)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works

• Julius Caesar (1599)

• 　　 As You Like It (1599 ～ 1600)

• 　　 Twelfth Night (1599 ～ 1600)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works

The second period (1601 ～ 1608)

　　 Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1600 ～ 01)

　　 Troilus and Cressida (1602) 　

　　 All's Well That Ends Well (1604)

　　 Measure for Measure (1604 ～ 05)

　　 Othello, the Moore of Venice (1604 ～ 05)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works

King Lear (1605 ～ 06)

　　 Macbeth (1606)

　　 Antony and Cleopatra (1607)

　　 Coriolanus (1607)

　　 Timon of Athens (1605 ～ 08)

　　 Pericles (1608)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works

The third period (1609 ～ 1612)

　　 Cymbeline (1609 ～ 10)

　　 The Winter's Tale (1610 ～ 11)

　　 The Tempest (1611 ～ 12)

　　 Henry VIII (1613)

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William Shakespeare’s works

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William Shakespeare’s works

Shakespeare's two long narrative poems are:

Venus and Adonis (1593)

The Rape of Lucrece (1594).

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