William Shakespeare, the Greatest Dramatist of All Time

William Shakespeare is the most widely read of all authors and the popularity of the works of Shakespeare, in English speaking countries, is second only to the Bible.

 Read and speak about William Shakespeare

  1. William Shakespeare is one of the world’s greatest writers.
  2. He was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, a small English town.
  3. William went to a grammar school and had a good education.
  4. His father was a glove-maker.
  5. When he fell into debt, William had to help him in the family business.
  6. At the age of eighteen William married Anne Hathaway.
  7. Ann was eight years older than her husband and the marriage wasn’t a happy one.
  8. William had three children when he left for London in 1587.
  9. Some people say that the reason he had left his wife and children was his love to poetry and theatre.
  10. There is a story that Shakespeare’s first job in London was holding rich men’s horses at the theatre door.
  11. Later, Shakespeare began to act and to write plays and soon he became an important member of a well-known acting company.
  12. Most of his plays were performed in the Globe Theatre, built on the bank of the River Thames.
  13. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
  14. He wrote ten tragedies, such as “Hamlet”, “King Lear”, “Othello”, “Macbeth”, “Romeo and Juliet”.
  15. He also wrote several historical plays.
  16. Eight of these plays were about English kings, including Richard II, Henry V and Richard III.
  17. Others were dealt with Roman history and included “Julius Caesar” and “Anthony and Cleopatra.”
  18. But not all of Shakespeare’s plays were serious.
  19. He also wrote comedies, such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “As You Like It”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, “Twelfth Night”.
  20. Shakespeare spent the last years of his life at Stratford, where he died on the same date as his birthday, the 23rd of April, 1616.
  21. He was buried in the Trinity church of Stratford.
  22. A monument was erected to the memory of the great playwright in the Poet’s corner in Westminster Abbey.
  23. Shakespeare’s works are truly immortal.
  24. They have been translated into different languages, and many of them have been made into films.
  25. Life itself is shown in his plays.
  26. Shakespeare’s plays are about the great issues of life – love, hatred, jealousy, power, ambition, death and so on.
  27. His plays are just as relevant today as they were in the sixteenth century.

Word List

glove-maker – рукавичник
fall into debt – впасти в борги
a well-known acting company – відома акторська компанія
the Globe Theatre – театр «Глобус»
including – в тому числі, включаючи
be dealt with – мати справу з
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – «Сон літньої ночі»
“As You Like It” – «Як вам це подобається»
“Much Ado About Nothing” – “Багато галасу даремно”
was buried – був похований
erect a monument – поставити пам’ятник
playwright – драматург
truly immortal – справді безсмертний
the great issues of life – великі питання життя
hatred – ненависть
jealousy – ревнощі; заздрість
power – влада
ambition – честолюбство; амбіція
death – смерть
relevant – актуальний