William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He died on 23 April 1616 (aged 52). He married Anne Hathaway and had three children: Susanna Hall, Hamnet Shakespeare and Judith Quiney.

He was a very famous English writer. He wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and 4 poems. Some of his most known works are: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and the Tempest. His works are so great that they are still played to this day.

His many works are mostly about life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery. Shakespeare’s plays are divided into three categories: comedy, tragedy and history. Shakespeare’s tragedy and history plays tend to be his longest. His comedies are also referred to as romances or romantic comedies.

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614. It could seat 3,000 people and 1,000 standing in the yard. This theatre closed in 1642.

The Globe Theatre we see in London today is a copy of Shakespeare’s theatre. It opened in 1997 near the site of the original theatre.

Romeo and Juliet

The play Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1594-96. The play starts with a fight between two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Montague’s son, Romeo, and Capulet’s daughter, Juliet, fall in love with each other. They get married secretly. But then Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt in a duel and they exile him.

Juliet’s father wants his daughter to get married to someone, so Juliet with the help of a monk takes a fake poison and drinks it. When Romeo comes back and thinks she is dead, he drinks a real poison and dies. But then Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead. She takes a knife and stabs herself.

A Midsummer’s Night Dream

A Midsummer’s Night Dream is one of William Shakespeare’s comedies, written in 1595/96.

Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons, are going to get married. Hermia is in love with Lysander. The Duke tells Hermia to obey her father and choose Demetrius, or else she will die. Lysander and Hermia run away from Athens but get lost in the woods. They are followed by Demetrius, and then by Helena, who is in love with Demetrius. Oberon, king of the fairies, has argued with his queen, Titania, over a boy she refuses to give him. That’s why Oberon calls upon naughty Puck and instructs him to play a trick and then things get complicated. Titania falls in love with a donkey. Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena. What a mess!

Hamlet

Hamlet is a prince with the same name as his father, who dies unexpectedly. His uncle Claudius ascends to the throne after getting married to Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.

A ghost shows up who looks like King Hamlet and his son finds out that King Hamlet was killed by Claudius. The ghost tells Hamlet to take revenge. So, Hamlet has a plan to uncover his uncle’s guilt.

In the end, Hamlet fights with Laertes and the whole family dies.

Macbeth

Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies.

The story begins with Macbeth walking with a friend. On their way they meet 3 witches who tell Macbeth that he will become king of Scotland. He has never imagined he would become a king and he is scared.

His wife, Lady Macbeth organizes a plan. She invites the king to eat in their house. When the king goes to bed, Macbeth kills him. After that, many murders and lies follow to keep Macbeth to his throne. But, eventually, he is killed when he faces 700.000 army soldiers. 

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century.

In this play, a merchant in Venice named Bassanio needs a large loan because he wants to get married. His friend Antonio offers to help him, so he borrows money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. But he can’t pay him back and has to give a pound of his flesh.

At the end of the play, during a trial, the lawyer who defends Antonio is a woman disguised as a man. This woman is Bassanio’s wife, Portia. She finds a solution and frees Antonio.

Then Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, is forced to convert to Christianity and give half of his money to his daughter and her husband.

Quiz: How much do you know about Shakespeare?

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