William Shakespeare 1564- 1616

Biography

1-     Died from a fever, some say he was drinking too much

2-     Came from Stratford-upon-Avon

3-     Was known as the Bard of Avon

4-     His father was a merchant and so he wasn’t Noble

5-     At 18 he married Anne Hathaway who was 8 years older than he was

6-     They had one kid called Svzanna and twins, one called Hamnet and the other Judith

7-     He died at Judith’s wedding day

Literary

When he graduated from Grammar school he wrote two great poems

1-     The rape of Lucrece

2-     Venus and Adonis

-         his patron was the Earl of Southampton

-         Shakespeare didn’t want fame after his life he only cared for worldly things

-         He wrote great historical plays for Queen Elizabeth.

1-     Henry the 6^th

2-     Richard the 2^nd

3-     Richard the 3^rd

-         When his father died he started writing dark plays [Tragedies]

1-     Hamlet

2-     Macbeth

3-     King Lear

4-     Othello

- Then he wrote Comedies [Romances]

1- The Tempest

2- Winter’s Tale

3- Twelfth Night

4- Cymbeline

He had 154 Sonnets and was in indifinit Sequence

1-     1- 17 was about a beautiful friend who must marry to beget a son

2-     40-42 the friend steals the mistress

3-     78-86 another poet steals the mistress

4-     127- 152 the Dark Lady who is promiscuous [a woman with multiple lovers]

5-     153-154 were parodies

Types of Poems

1-     Attack on writing about women

2-     Attacks Petrarch

3-     He’s a Realist as well as a Lyricist

4-     He wrote the “Will” Poems [the ones with Will as a desire, and his name and a naughty meaning.]

5-     He wrote in Blank verse and mostly in 11 syllables

-         He was Groom of the Bed Chamber to James I

-         He published his works on 1633.