He was the greatest writer in the English language and is known around the world. But how much do you know about William Shakespeare and his life?
!William Shakespeare was a poet and a playwright and is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He was born in Stratfordupon-Avon, in central England, in 1564 and he died in 1616. His surviving work consists of 38 plays, 154 sonnets and some other poems. He is best known for his plays, which have been translated into every major language and are performed more than those of any other playwright in the world.
When William Shakespeare was 18 years old he married Anne Hathaway, and they had three children. Shakespeare went to London to work as an actor and a writer. In 1599 the Globe Theatre was built in London and it was in this theatre, situated on the banks of the River Thames, that some of Shakespeare's plays were first performed. In 1613 the theatre was destroyed by a fire. However, a modern reconstruction of the theatre was built near the original site in 1997, so even today you can go to the Globe Theatre to see one of Shakespeare's plays.
Shakespeare's work is still very popular. But why do we like these old plays? Perhaps it is because they all contain fantastic stories. His characters suffer bloody battles, deaths by poison, huge family fights, problems between brothers and sisters, problems between parents and children ... The plays are also full of parties, weddings and funerals. They are quite simply action-packed.
Which Shakespeare's plays have you heard of?
Activity 1 - Vocabulary
Match the vocabulary with the correct defi nition and write a-d next to the numbers 1-4.
1........ a play a. a type of poem with 14 lines
2........ a playwright b. a place where you can watch actors perform
3........ a sonnet c. a story for actors to perform
4........ a theatre d. a person who writes plays
To find more English language activities visit www,britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens
(c)British Council 2018
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