May 30, 2018 william shakespeare was an english poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the english language, and the worlds preeminent dramatist. William shakespeare was an english poet, playwright, and actor. Im going to let some contemporaries of the bard tell you about themselves in their own words, and your job is to identify them. Shakespeare had three children with his wife, anne hathaway. By tradition, it is generally supposed that shakespeare was born on april 23, 1564. He lived in stratforduponavon, in warwickshire, england. It is believed that william shakespeare was born on the 23rd of april in 1564. There are some of the facts that no one knows especially about his looks. I am sure you would be a most excellent student, and a great asset to the class. Shakespeare lived around the late 16th century and early 17th century, and in between the reigns of queen elizabeth i and king james i. Fun facts about rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead one of the bestknown works derived from shakespeare s play is sir tom stoppards rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead. Still, shakespeare experts rebuke this theory, claiming that a man named shakespeare did exist, and wrote plays, tragedies and poems that made him famous. May 27, 2017 shakespeares father held a lot of different jobs, and at one point got paid to drink beer.
Shakespeare s only son, hamnet, died in 1596 at the age of 11. His life was shrouded in mystery and occluded by a lack of factual accounts. It was rebuilt in 1614, but was then closed in 1642. In the month of november, 1852 wh en hathaway was three months pregnant the marriage took place in a church. I had so much fun teaching shakespeare, and the kids really liked it, too. William shakespeare is a famous british playwright, which means hes someone who wrote plays. William shakespeare is known through his works like hamlet, macbeth, romeo and juliet, etc.
Hes often called englands national poet, and the bard of avon. Playwrights in shakespeares time used language to describe special effects, but acting companies could also produce very dramatic ones too. Here are 14 interesting facts that might have escaped you. In 1616, just months before his death, shakespeare s daughter judith married thomas quiney, a stratford vintner. In this fact sheet, students will be introduced to shakespeare. Have some fun with this simple worksheet available in black and white or colour. William shakespeare, here are the 5 interesting facts you might have ignored about him. William shakespeare is one of the greats of english literature. Nov 18, 2019 there are a lot of facts out there about the famous playwright. Indeed he is, arguably, the greatest playwright that ever lived. Which shakespeare play has been translated into 75 languages. Shakespeare is so famous that many people think he was the only writer in elizabethan england. Six months after the wedding, the shakespeares welcomed a. One of the most fascinating, brilliant, and complex men in all of human history happens to be one of the most secretive.
William stracheys a true reportory of the wracke and redemption of sir thomas gates, knight, an account of his experience during the wreck of the ship sea venture on the island of bermuda, was written in 1609, and many scholars believe that the bard read this account. John and mary shakespeare reused the name joan after their firstborn daughter died. Explore fascinating facts about the life and legacy of englands famous and. Shakespeares father held a lot of different jobs, and at one point got paid to drink beer. The lead actor and star of many of shakespeare s plays was richard burbage. Fun international facts about shakespeare british council. William shakespeare william shakespeare understanding shakespeare. Apr 23, 2020 reading shakespear book gives me much joy. In shakespeare s time, you only had one copy of a play, and after you wrote it for the acting company, you. The title of stoppards play is taken from one of the final lines in hamlet. Below you can read seven quick facts about shakespeare, or delve deeper into our longer selection of interesting facts. Shakespeares plays have been translated into every major language. William shakespeare, who is considered universally to be the greatest playwright of the english language. Teaching shakespeare the fun way owlcation education.
Readers and playgoers in shakespeare s own lifetime, and indeed until the late 18th century, never questioned shakespeare s authorship of his plays. Take a look below for 30 more interesting and fun facts about william shakespeare. He did, however, retire back to stratford at the end of his career. Shakespeare s leading ladies and the status of women in theater is a major focus of the corresponding exhibit for this site, currently located on the campus of emory university. Top 15 weird but interesting facts about william shakespeare. William shakespeare s exact birth date remains a mystery to this day. William shakespeare was an english dramatist, poet, and actor considered by many. William shakespeare was born in stratforduponavon in england. William shakespeare facts 30 facts you will need for your. Two of shakespeare s most important colleagues are born.
Aug 06, 2015 10 shocking things about william shakespeare. If you want to learn more about william shakespeare, here are the 5 interesting facts you might have. Learn about william shakespeare, the worlds most famous playwright, and enjoy our colouring pages and printable activities, puzzles and worksheets. Birthdate is unknown the actual birthday of shakespeare is unknown. It appeared on the cover of the first collection of shakespeare s plays, which was published after his death. We are committed to making our scholarship public through a range of online resources. The earliest play that is directly attributed to shakespeare is the trilogy of king henry vi, with richard iii also being written around. There are very few primary sources left that tell us about shakespeares life. A list of interesting facts about the most famous poet and playwright of all time william shakespeare from stratford upon avon, england. Five fascinating facts about shakespeares the tempest.
Keep on reading to learn 50 facts about william shakespeare. Shakespeare has been credited by the oxford english dictionary with introducing almost 3,000 words to the english language. In the month of november, 1852 wh en hathaway was three months pregnant the marriage took place in. Interesting facts about william shakespeare the lead actor and star of many of shakespeare s plays was richard burbage. Estimations of his vocabulary range from 17,000 to a dizzying 29,000 words at least double the number of words used by the average conversationalist. Shakespeare trivia questions and answers to answer or not. John adams and thomas jefferson visited shakespeare s house together and chipped off a piece of. William shakespeare 26 april 1564 baptised 23 april 1616 was an english author who wrote 37 plays and also two long poems in his lifetime. Weve tried to steer clear of the very obvious, partly because weve already written about shakespeare several times before see, for one example, this post, but all.
Shakespeare fun facts for kids and teenspdf download. For elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Although it is believed that he was born sometime in april 1564, and was baptized on the 26 th of april, some historians think that he was born before this time. A printable version of this fact sheet is available in the downloads section below. William shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays that scholars know of, with most of them labeled is comedies, histories, or tragedies. It helped the actors remember their lines like a song when shakespeare set his words to iambic pentameter it is compared to the birth of. He never gave an interview nor did he write a biography. Which of these words did william shakespeare make up. Shakespeare is known as englands national poet as well as the bard of avon. Quick, fun william shakespeare facts as william shakespeare is the most famous poet and playwright in the english language, we thought wed share five curious facts about him.
There will never be answers to the most interesting questions regarding. Five fascinating facts about shakespeare interesting. Learn all about the worlds greatest ever playwright in our twelve shakespeare facts. William shakespeare fun facts plus key fun sheet with fun facts about shakespeare. There are very few primary sources left that tell us about shakespeare s life. He arrived in stratforduponavon in 1551 and began dabbling in various trades, selling leather goods, wool, malt and corn. We might wish for a more heroic anagram for one of our nations greatest playwrights, but unfortunately i am a weakish speller does in fact ring true when applied to shakespeare. Shakespeare had four grandchildren who all died without any heir. Therefore, the most of what we do know comes from a few sources and from studying his works. No copies of shakespeare s plays in his own handwriting have survived. Help us keep shakespeare s story alive thank you for your support to help care for the worlds greatest shakespeare heritage and keep his story alive. The earliest play that is directly attributed to shakespeare is the trilogy of king henry vi, with richard iii also being written around the same time, between 1589 and 1591. Shakespeare introduced almost 3,000 words to the english.
Born around april 23, 1564 in stratford upon avon, he almost certainly attended school where he would have studied reading and writing. May 10, 2019 it comes as no surprise that there could be 27 interesting william shakespeare facts that you didnt learn in school. His older daughter susanna later married a welltodo stratford doctor, john hall. William shakespeare is credited for introducing more than 3,000 words to the english language. He was one of the first playwrights to bring the renaissances core values to the theater. Weve compiled the top 10 most mindblowing facts about shakespeare, ranging from funny facts about shakespeare to unusual facts about shakespeare to facts about shakespeare s plays and poems. There were two different types of playhouse in london during shakespeares time, outdoor and indoor. Our mission is to help everyone understand shakespeare s language. Nov 25, 2016 here are 25 kickass and interesting william shakespeare facts.
Welcome to the fun and games area of wills world, hosted by our very own puck the mischievous star of a midsummer nights dream. The influence of the renaissance in shakespeares work. A modern reconstruction of the globe was built in london by american actor sam wanamaker. There is no documented evidence about the exact date of birth of shakespeare. Shakespeare was born toward the end of the broader europewide renaissance period, just as it was peaking in england. Shakespeare was baptized on april 26, 1564, in stratforduponavon, just three days before the stratford par ish register recorded an outbreak of the plague. He was a wellknown actor from stratford who performed in londons premier acting company, among the great actors of his day. When he left for london, shakespeare left his family behind in stratford. Shakespeares son was called hamnet and died in 1596 at age eleven. Shakespeare is thought to have based his play the tempest on a reallife shipwreck. Sharilee swaity author from canada on december 04, 2011.
Shakespeare and anne hathaway had three children togethera son, hamnet, who died in 1596 at the age of eleven possibly from the bubonic plague, and two daughters, susanna and judith. Also learn to write like the bard himself, using our downloadable pdf guide that gives a great introduction to iambic pentameter. Shakespeares father john shakespeare came from snitterfield to stratford in year 1551. William shakespeare fun facts plus key esl worksheet. Here, youll find lots of fun resources to help you liven up your lessons and get students excited about shakespeare in 2016. His vocabulary was more than 4x that of an average welleducated man. William shakespeare facts 30 facts you will need for. If youre after a fun and general introduction to shakespeare, look no further than this infographic it features some fascinating facts and an idioms quiz to get students thinking and talking about the enduring, everyday relevance of shakespeare s language and plays.
Shakespeare was born and raised in stratforduponavon but later moved to london for work. The son of a tenant farmer, john shakespeare was nothing if not upwardly mobile. Scripts were thrown out when they were no longer wanted or needed. Shakespeare the man the philadelphia shakespeare theatre.
Apr 23, 2019 one of the most curious facts about william shakespeare is that his name can be reshuffled to create the sentence i am a weakish speller. Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most talented writers of all time. His works have guided, inspired and amused audiences for hundreds of years and not just in his native english. How many times does the word love appear in the complete works. Children will need to find out some facts by doing a little research, and then think about what they would talk to shakespeare about if they were to meet. William shakespeare was a poet, a playwright, and an actor, and is widely viewed as one of the greatest writers in the history of the english language. From translating shakespeare quotes to be or not to be, anyone.
In shakespeare s time, you only had one copy of a play, and after you wrote it for the acting company, you no longer owned it. Generally accepted as 23 april 1564, as he was baptised 26 april 1564. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the lord. Shakespeare week is a national celebration of all things shakespeare and a great excuse to read or watch plays or poetry, discover some of the words that shakespeare introduced to the english language, and learn about the man. Their daughter elizabeth, shakespeare s first grandchild, was born in 1608. William shakespeare fun facts plus key esl worksheet by. Zl d p w anne hathaway was 26yearold when she became the wife of shakespeare, who was only 18yearold. The total count of his surviving works consists of about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems, and other unclassified works. William shakespeare understanding shakespeare britannica.
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