William Shakespeare

       Волгоградский государственный колледж профессиональных технологий, экономики и права. 
 

       Волгоград 2006 
William Shakespeare. 

       The last half of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII centuries are known as the golden age of English literature. It was the time of the English Renaissance, and sometimes it is even called “the age of Shakespeare”.

       William Shakespeare was one of the greatest and famous writers of the world. Many people know and like his works but many facts of Shakespeare ’ s life are still unknown. William Shakespeare is one of the most outstanding personalities in the world literature.

       The things that we know about Shakespeare ’ s life begin with the date when he was baptised in the church of Stratford, on April 26, 1564, when he was only a few days old. So he is believed to have been born on April 23.   William Shakespeare was born in Stratford – on – Avon, a small English town.

       His father, John Shakespeare, came to Stratford from a village and opened a shop there. He newer became a rich man, his business was making and selling leather gloves. But at one time he was an important officer in the city.

       His mother was daughter of an important farmer.

       He studied at local grammar school because his father wanted his son to be an educated person. While studying at school, William didn’ t have much free time but he liked to go to the forest and river Avon.

       When he was nineteen, William married Anne Halthaway of Shottery. She was a farmer ^,  s daughter and she was some years older than himself. During that years he may have helped his father by the family business or he may have been a country schoolmaster for a time, we don ’  t know exactly.

       Shakespeare had three children: Susannah, the eldest, the twins – a son, Hamnet, and another girl, Judith. In 1587 Shakespeare went to work in London, leaving Anne and them children at home.

                Young William liked to watch actors and actresses who visited Stratford – on – Avon. He was fond of actor ’ s profession and decided to become an actor. With this purpose he went to London.

       There is a story that Shakespeare ’ s first job in London was holding rich men ’ s horses at the theatre door. But nobody can be sure that this story is true.

       Some years later Shakespeare began to write plays. Them parents did not even guess that their son would be such an important figure in English poetry and drama and that he plays would still be acted four hundred years later in England and all over the world. By 1592 Shakespeare was an important member of well – known company. William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for 25 years. By the end of the 16th century William Shakespeare and friends had enough money to build the own theatre – the Globe. In 1599 the famous Globe Theatre was built on the south bank of the river Thames. In that theatre most of his plays were performed. It was a round building with the stage in the center, open to the sky. If it was raining, the actors got wet; if the weather was too bad, there was no performance at all. By 1603 Shakespeare was the leading poet and dramatist of his time.

       In all Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, 2 long poems, a sonnet cycle of 155 small pieces. He cooperated with the best English theatres during twenty-five years. His best and the most famous plays are “Othello”, “King Lear”, “Hamlet”, “Romeo and Juliet”.

       William  Shakespeare had a natural gift for comedy. In his comedies “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, “As you Like It”, “The Twelfth Night” William Shakespeare describes the adventure of young men and women, their love, friendship, happiness.

       Shakespeare ’ s tragedies “King Lear”, “Othello”, “Romeo and Juliet” depict noblemen who opposed evil in the world. Since they were written there has never been a time when at least some of Shakespeare ’s plays were not staged. His knowledge of the stage and his poetical genius made his plays the most wonderful ones ever written.

       Most of Shakespeare’s plays were not published in his lifetime. So some of them may have been lost in the fire when the “Globe” burned down in 1613.

       Besides plays Shakespeare wrote a lot of poetry, which is translated into many languages and is well known throughout the world.

       He continued to write for the next ten years. In 1613 he finally stopped writing and went to live in Stratford where he died in 1616. He was buried in the church of Stratford-on- Avon. A monument was erected to the memory of the great playwright in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey.

       But his creations are still popular now and millions of people still admire them.

       In England and other countries it is the highest honour for an actor to be invited to play in a comedy or a tragedy by Shakespeare. In the last 35 years all the plays by W. Shakespeare have been filmed. Since 1879 Shakespeare ’ s Festival has been held every at Stratford – upon – Avon.