William
Shakespeare
ENG 1D1
Mr. Dedato
Selena and Cam
Who is William Shakespeare?
 Shakespeare wrote plays and poems. His plays
were comedies, histories and tragedies etc.
 He was an English poet, playwright and actor,
widely regarded as the greatest writer in the
English language and the world's pre-eminent
dramatist.
 He had several nicknames; “Bard of Avon”,
“Swan of Avon”, “The Bard”
 By 1597, 15 of the 37 plays written by William
Shakespeare were published.
The Personal Life of Shakespeare
 William Shakespeare was the son of John
Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful
glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary
Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning
farmer.
 At the age of 18, Shakespeare married the 26year-old Anne Hathaway. (she was eight years
older than him)
 Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susanna. She
later on had twins, son Hamnet and daughter
Judith. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the
age of 11.
Shakespeare's Education
 There are no specific records relating to the
education of Shakespeare or his attendance at
school but reasonable assumptions can be made
based on the information that is available
 Shakespeare would have attended King Edward
VI Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon
from the age of 7 in 1571 and left school and
formal education when he was fourteen in 1578.
 William Shakespeare was withdrawn from
education in 1577 at the age of fourteen due to
his father's financial problems
Why was Shakespeare so Important?
 William Shakespeare has become an important
landmark in English literature. He completely
revolutionized the way writing is done
 William was a master of the artistry of the
English language. He wrote with such fluidity of
thought, word, rhythm, and sound that the work
is presented in a complex manner, but is not
unintelligible, even for the inexperienced reader.
 He added over 1 000 words to the English
dictionary
 William Shakespeare was the most remarkable
storyteller that the world has ever known.
Shakespeare’s Influence on English
Literature
 William Shakespeare's influence extends from
theatre and literature to present-day movies and
the English language itself.
 William's influence extends from theatre and
literature to present-day movies and the English
language itself.
 Shakespeare's writings have also influenced a large
number of notable novelists and poets over the
years, including Herman Melville and Charles
Dickens, and continue to influence new authors
even today. Shakespeare is the most quoted writer
in the history of the English-speaking world.
The Famous Work of Shakespeare
 Shakespeare wrote plays and poems. His plays
were mainly comedies, histories, tragedies, etc.
 Shakespeare produced most of his known work
between 1589 and 1613.
 His early plays were mainly comedies and
histories, genres he raised to the peak of
sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th
century.
 His famous work includes; Hamlet, Macbeth,
Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Twelfth Night, Julius
Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra.
The Final Years of William
Shakespeare
 Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in
New Place in Stratford.
 He died on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52 in
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
 He was buried in Holy Trinity Church in
Stratford.
 The first collected edition of his works was
published in 1623 and is known as 'the First
Folio'.
Famous Quotes by Shakespeare