"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
~ Shakespeare
The name's Shakespeare,
William Shakespeare.
Okay, I know what you're all thinking. 'Not the man who uses fancy words, writes soppy love poems and dances around the theatre in tights?' Yes, these presumptions are all true, but Shakespeare is much more than that. He is also responsible for English as we know it today. About 99% of the things we say today originate from the mind of Shakespeare. Fine, not that much, but you get the point. Also, many popular movies are based on Shakespeare's plays. I'm guessing 'Romeo and Juliet' just popped into your head. 'She's the Man' and '10 Things I Hate About You' are also based on Shakespeare's plays. You may remember Duke saying the quote above in 'She's the Man'.
So before you roll your eyes in disgust, delve deeper into the world of Shakespeare.
Here's the low-down on the Bard:
William Shakespeare.
Okay, I know what you're all thinking. 'Not the man who uses fancy words, writes soppy love poems and dances around the theatre in tights?' Yes, these presumptions are all true, but Shakespeare is much more than that. He is also responsible for English as we know it today. About 99% of the things we say today originate from the mind of Shakespeare. Fine, not that much, but you get the point. Also, many popular movies are based on Shakespeare's plays. I'm guessing 'Romeo and Juliet' just popped into your head. 'She's the Man' and '10 Things I Hate About You' are also based on Shakespeare's plays. You may remember Duke saying the quote above in 'She's the Man'.
So before you roll your eyes in disgust, delve deeper into the world of Shakespeare.
Here's the low-down on the Bard:
Born:
Died: Family: Education: Married: Works: |
23 of April, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
23 of April, 1616, age 52 at Stratford-upon-Avon, England (his birthday!) Take a look at his family tree. King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon however he stopped at 13 due to financial difficulties. This many people believe that he did not write all his plays. Anne Hathaway (not the Hollywood star alive today) in November 1582. Anne Hathaway was pregnant at the time as the two had an affair (turns out Shakespeare was quite the ladies man) and were hastily married when Anne discovered she was pregnant. 37 plays and 154 sonnets |
Why not take a look at this clip which gives a funny, easy to understand overview on Shakespeare's world:
Video courtesy of Teach Kids Pro ductions.