Communication 
5 Comments William Shakespeare in life and death
- William Shakespeare
The birth date of William Shakespeare is not known but it is believed he was baptized on the 26th April 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was the son of John and Mary Shakespeare he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son.
He is known and remembered for his phenomenal playwriting the most commonly known plays are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and Twelfth Night. He wrote 38 plays altogether and also wrote sonnets and poetry. Most biographers believe that he attended the ‘Kings New School’ in Stratford.
The plays we recognize today were written at around 1589 most of them were comedies or histories. Until 1608 he was known to write mainly tragedies. Although he is famous now his work was not really recognized as great until the 19th century.
From 1594 his plays were only acted out by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company owned by a group of players including himself that soon became the most popular playing company in London. The company name was then changed to The Kings Men by the king after the death of queen Elizabeth in 1603.
In 1599 a group of people built a theatre on the river Thames south bank called the ‘Globe’ they also took over the Blackfriars indoor theatre. It is said that this build made Shakespeare quite a rich man due to his property purchases and investments.
He had a wife called Anne Hathaway and three children Susanna (1583 – 1649) and twins Hamnet (1585 – 1596) and Judith (1585 – 1662).
He died at the age of 52 at his home in Stratford.
This is good basic information about William Shakespeare and his life.
I wonder if you were able to find anything that gave us more of a personal insight into what made his such a force in English Literature? Did you manage to answer all the questions on your list of things that you wondered about him?
Also, when you produce research like this, it’s important to name your sources – that means the book title, publisher and date published – or if it’s on the web, the web address and the date you accessed it.
This information will be helpful in the group’s booklet on the historical and social context of Shakespeare’s plays.
Does this mean that i have to add to it or is this sufficient.
This is sufficient, unless you’d like to take it further.
You do need to add the bibliography though – the source information.
CW
I feel Josh has made a good attempt at this Shakespeare piece. I am more than happy to help him with his references. I wondered if it were at all possible to add to this piece to give it a little more body. If so, when is the deadline.
This is a good attempt. The primary focus of the assessment and understanding of The Taming of the Shrew only requires an overview of Shakespeare’s life history. Josh’s time would be better spent on preparing for his theme study presentation (looking at the work of other students from last year would be a good start for that) and reading – and coming to grips with – the Sylvia Plath poetry he has a copy of.
With be bibliography, Josh’s piece will be added to a whole-class historical context document which Josh can use to revise with.
CW