William Shakespeare 1564 1616 The life of William

William Shakespeare (1564 1616)

The life of William Shakespeare W. Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on. Avon. His father was a glovemaker. William went to a grammar school and had a good education. There he learned to love reading. William married when he was still a teenager. His wife, Anne Hathaway, was several years older than he was. He carved his living helping his father in the family business. He had three children when he left for London in 1587. Some people say that the reason he had left his wife and children was his love to poetry and theatre.

In London Shakespeare began to act and to write plays and soon became an important member of a well-known acting company. Most of his plays were performed in the Globe Theatre, built on the bank of the River Thames. In 1613 he stopped writing and went back to live in Stratford. There he died in 1616.

The river Avon Stratford stands on the river Avon and is one of the oldest market towns. It has still preserved its own atmosphere. The houses are small. Some of them date back to Shakespeare’s time.

The main attractions of Stratford associated with william Shakespeare and his life Ø Shakespeare's Birthplace Ø Holy Trinity Church Ø Shakespeare's Grammar School Ø Anne Hathaway's Cottage Ø The Royal Shakespeare Company

The Greatest day in the year April 23 rd, Shakespeare’s birthday, is the greatest day in the year at Stratford. The largest crowd gathers here on the Bard’s birthday. This is the day when William Shakespeare was born and , by a strange coincidence, died.

Shakespeare Festivals Stratford is now famous for its Shakespeare festivals. Every year a lot of people come to Stratford for the Festival season which lasts from April to September.

The Monument to William Shakespeare Among other sights connected with the name of Shakespeare there is an interesting monument with the statue of the great poet on the top and with characters from his plays round it.

The most famous plays written by Shakespeare v 1590 -1593 " The Taming of the Shrew “ v 1593 "The Comedy of Errors“ v 1595 “Romeo and Juliet“ v 1596 “A Midsummer Night‘s Dream“ v 1599 “Julius Caesar“ v 1600 “As You Like It“ v 1600 “Twelfth Night“ v 1601 “Hamlet“ v 1603 “All’s Well That Ends Well" v 1604 “Othello” v 1606 “ King Lear”

“A Midsummer Night‘s Dream“

“Twelfth Night ”

«Hamlet»

“Othello”

«King Lear»

“Romeo and Juliet“

Sonnets But with all his works as a playwright, William Shakespeare is also known as the author of different sonnets, which are devoted to his close friend and to the only woman in his life (unfortunately we do not know her name). •

W. Shakespeare wrote: 154 sonnets; 37 plays (tragedies and comedies); 2 poems Shakespeare`s ideas of love, freedom and humanism are still very popular nowadays.