17._READING_BOOKS

-> it must have been a wonderful experience for his personality and imagination

- at 18 he married Anne Hathaway from Shottery, who was eight years older -> they had three children - Susanna

and the twins - Hamnet and Judith

- in 1587 he went to London where he joined a group of actors called the Lord Chamberlain's men

- soon after that he became a leading actor and dramatist, By 1599 this all-male company of experienced and

talented players had built their own theatre the GLOBE

- Shakespeare's plays became very popular with Queen Elizabeth I who loved music and drama

- in those times he made a lot of money to build a comfortable life

- in 1612 he went home, his son Hamnet had died when only 11

- Shakespeare was now a wealthy man and he bought a lovely house, New Place, the second largest in Stratford

- he died on 23 April 1616- the same day as his birth and was buried at Trinity Church in Stratford

- generally speaking Shakespeare's dramatic works can be divided into tragedies, comedies and historical plays

- besides these 37 plays he wrote extraordinary beautiful sonnets and a few poems

- tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar (also historical play), Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth,

Anthony and Cleopatra (also historical play),

- comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night

- historical plays: Richard III, Henry IV, Julius Caesar

- Shakespeare is appreciated because of his love of man and his understanding of human weakness

- his plays are still topical after four centuries because they are realistic and depict characteristic features of man

and aspects of life

- Shakespeare's favourite topic are about: love, jealousy and revenge, ambitions to gain power even through crime,

sufferings and hesitations

Romeo and Juliet

It is set in Verona, in Italy, and tells the story of two young people, Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love although they are from families who are enemies. They marry secretly but are unable to live together and family kill themselves.

The play is famous for its beautiful poetry and the balcony scene. The ballet Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev and the

musical show West Side story were both based on the play.

Hamlet

Many people consider it Shakespeare's finest play. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, becomes very sad when his father, the king, dies and his uncle, Claudius, becomes king. His father's ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered him and asks for revenge. Hamlet wants to do this but delays too long. He is not able to kill without having

clear proof of guilt. All the main characters die in the end.

Othello

The story is about a great man who is destroyed by jealousy. Othello is a Moor who is a powerful and respected commander in the navy of Venice. He is gradually persuaded by the evil officer Iago that his wife, Desdemona, and another officer, Cassio, are lovers. Othello kills his wife but then discovers that she was innocent and kills himself.

Macbeth

It is telling the story of Macbeth, a figure from Scottish history. At the beginning he meets three witches who predict that he will one day become king. Lady Macbeth, his ambitious wife, encourages him to murder the existing king, Duncan. He does so and takes Duncan’s place, but finds he has to murder several more people to remain in power. Lady Macbeth goes crazy, imagining that her hands are covered with blood that cannot be washed off, and kills herself. Finally Macbeth is also killed.