НАПИСАТЬ КРАТКИЙ ПЕРЕСКАЗ ТЕКСТА. William Shakespeare
Who exactly was he?
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright during Elizabethan times (the time of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I). He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town in the centre of England. He is the greatest writer in the English language.
What did Shakespeare write?
Shakespeare wrote thirty-six plays, all of which are still studied, performed and even made into films all over the world! Shakespeare also wrote many love sonnets.
What were his plays about?
Shakespeare wrote three kinds of plays: comedies (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing), tragedies (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello) and histories (Henry V). Common themes in his comedies were mix-ups, mistaking one person for another or women who disguise themselves as men – although the actors were all men anyway! In The Merchant of Venice, a well-known comedy, a moneylender asks for a pound of flesh from a merchant who can’t pay him back some money! Life was hard during Elizabethan times and Shakespeare’s tragedies reflect this, such as Hamlet which is very bloody and is about revenge, deception and fate.
Where were his plays performed and who went to see them?
Most of Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the Globe Theatre in London, which could hold about 3,000 people. Elizabethans of all social classes enjoyed going to the Globe, even though it was noisy and smelly and the common people had to watch the play standing up in front of the stage. As there was no roof, people got very wet when it rained! There was hardly any scenery, but there were fantastic costumes and even special effects such as fireworks, smoke and actors ‘flying’. The original theatre burnt down in 1613, but a modern replica opened in 1997.
