William Shakespeare

‘Shakespeare’s era’ was the time of Renaissance and the time of ‘Elizabethan Age’. England became the sea power, the trade rapidly grew and there were also big changes in culture. The Renaissance was a period of revival antic ideals, especially ideals of human physical and psychical beauty, ideals of relations between man and woman etc. People began to love and enjoy their life again. The Renaissance and Humanism brought into literature and drama a new wave of realism and satire, which most important representative was W. Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare was the greatest writer in the English language. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was farmer and businessman with glove-maker. He was the Mayor of Stratford. At the age of fourteen William had to leave school because his father lost his property. He couldn’t support him in his studies and William helped his father in business. At the age of eighteen he married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than himself. She was from Shottery, a village near Stratford. They had three children - Suzanne and twins Hamnet and Judith.
At the age of twenty-two he left his native town and move to London, where he worked as an actor and a playwright. He was a part owner of some theatres, but above all he was a dramatist author. He became not only a famous man but also a wealthy man.
Shakespeare joined a group of actors called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1594 and worked as their leading actor and dramatist. This all-male company of experienced and talented players built their own theatre - the Globe. It was open to the sky and its owners, including Shakespeare, shared its profits.
For the next decade the Globe, on the Thames at Bankside, became one of the main London’s theatre and the home of Shakespeare’s work. Many of his greatest plays were written during those ten years, and were acted here.
He bought the biggest house in Stratford called New Place and spent there his retirement and he died there in 1616 at the same day he was born at the age of 52. The legend says that he died after his birthday’s party. William Shakespeare is buried in Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

William Shakespeare perfectly understood man and his character with all his weaknesses and good qualities. He had no higher education and his main teacher was life itself. He describes life as it isn’t as is should be. In his work we can also find his wet and humour. He uses a blank verse. He often mixes prose and verse as well as tragedy and comedy. For all these qualities his place have been successful in the stage of all over the world until today.

Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets (a kind of poem). His most famous plays are the four great tragedies – Othello (a Moore of Venice - tragedy of jealousy), Macbeth, Hamlet (Prince of Denmark - tragedy of irresolution), and King Lear (tragedy of selfish pride). Here belong his first masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. He also wrote several historical plays. Eight of these plays were about English kings, including Richard II (Is about a husband of Czech Princess Ann. He was a week king.), Henry V and Richard III (Historical play about cruel king.). Others dealt with Roman history and included Julius Caesar (It is about the conspiracy against Julius and about his death.) and Anthony and Cleopatra. But not all of Shakespeare’s plays were serious. He also wrote comedies, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream (fairy comedy), As you like it (patroller) and Twelfth Night. The Comedy of Errors was about twin and brothers are mistaken for each other.
Shakespeare died in Stratford on 23 April 1616, but his plays are still very popular today. They have been translated into several different languages, and many of them have been made into films, both in England and other languages. Shakespeare’s plays are about the great issues of life - love, hatred, jealousy, power, ambition, death and so on. So, his plays are just as relevant today as they were in the sixteenth century. To show this, modern directors sometimes do the plays in modern dress, and one of Shakespeare’s plays has even been turned into a modern musical. His romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet (Tragedy of love in conflicts with fate.), was the basis for the musical West Side Story.

Hamlet is the tragedy of the suffering and hesitation of an honest, strong and responsible man who isn’t able to kill or punish without having a clear proof of guilt.
Hamlet is a Prince of Denmark. Hamlet’s uncle Claudius murders Hamlet’s father, succeeds the throne and also marries Hamlet’s mother. The ghost of death king appears to Hamlet and tells of his murder. Hamlet wants to revenge, but he is racked by doubts and begins to behave very strangely. In order to find some proof of guilt against Claudius, he pretends madness. He tests the story of the murder with a theatrical performance and carefully watches Claudius. The shocked reaction of the King makes Hamlet sure that he is the murderer. A dramatic interview with his mother follows, during which Hamlet kills by mistake Ophelia’s father Polonius. Then is Hamlet sent to England. Meanwhile Ophelia goes mad and falls into a stream. Ophelia’s brother Laertes comes to revenge. Claudius provokes Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a fencing match. In case Hamlet wins the match, Claudius prepares a glass of poisoned wine for him and he also poisons Laertes’s sword. All the main characters die: Laertes´ poisoned sword kills Hamlet, the King and Laertes himself and the Queen drinks a cup of poisoned wine.