2. Outline
I. Introduction
II. Do you think you know the bard? (5 facts about Shakespeare to know)
III. Shakespeare’s Life (Childhood, Family, Career, Latter years, Death)
IV. Shakespeare’s Works (Top 10 most important works, Insults by
Shakespeare, Authorship debate)
V. Conclusion
VI. References
3. I. Introduction
Who was Shakespeare? One of the
greatest poet the Western world has ever
seen. However, this simple question has
a complex answer! In asking “who was
Shakespeare?” we discover the Bard’s
eventful life, the reasons for his popularity
and reveal the authorship controversy:
Exactly who was Shakespeare?
4. II. Do you think you know the bard?
1. Shakespeare Was Born in Stratford-upon-Avon
2. Shakespeare was Catholic - an idea that has caused controversy amongst critics for
centuries. Discover the reasons here
3. Hamlet Was Written about Shakespeare's Son, Hamnet who died at a young age.
Shakespeare was devastated by the death of his only son, and it is argued that the
character of Hamlet is evidence of this
4. Shakespeare’s plays are not original! Rather, Shakespeare sourced his plots
and characters from historical accounts and classical texts
5. Shakespeare’s Grave Is Cursed! His grave has a curse engraved upon it to ward off
anyone that might want to move his bones
Here are 5 facts about Shakespeare to get you thinking.
How many of them did you know?
6. III/I. Early Years
• Parents: John Shakespeare and Mary Arden; moved to
Stratford-upon-Avon from the surrounding villages. His
father became a wealthy town official
• Shakespeare was probably born on April 23, 1564,
but this date is an educated guess because we only have
a record of his baptism three days later
• Shakespeare attended the local grammar school
where he would have studied Latin, Greek and
classical literature. His early education must have made
a huge impact on him because many of his plots draw on
the classics.
7. III/II. Shakespeare’s Family
• At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway from
Shottery who was already pregnant with their first
daughter
• The wedding was arranged quickly to avoid the shame of
having a child born out of wedlock
• Shakespeare fathered three children: Susanna born in
May 1583, but conceived out of wedlock; Judith and
Hamnet, twins born in February 1585; Hamnet died in
1596, at age 11
8. III/III. Theatre Career
• In the late 1580s Shakespeare moved to London
• By 1592 he had established himself as a writer
• In 1594 joined Richard Burbage’s acting
company and became its chief playwright for the
next two decades
• Shakespeare also worked as an actor in
the theater company, although the lead roles were
always reserved for Burbage himself
• In 1603 James I granted his royal patronage to
Shakespeare’s company, which became known as
The King’s Men
9. III/IV. Latter years
• Retired to Stratford in 1611 and lived comfortably
off his wealth for the rest of his life
• Died on April 23, 1616 (this date is an educated
guess because we only have a record of his burial two
days later)
• In his will, he bequeathed most of his properties to
Susanna, his eldest daughter, and some actors from
The King’s Men
• Bequeathed his “second best bed” to his wife, the
meaning of which has caused many disputes and
guesses
11. IV/I. Top 10 Most Important Plays (in
chronological order)
• Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595-1596)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
• Henry V (1598-1599)
• Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
• Hamlet (1600-1601)
• Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
• King Lear (1605-1606)
• Macbeth ( 1605-1606)
• The Tempest (1611-1612)
13. IV/III. Shakespeare authorship
debate
1. The William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon and the
William Shakespeare of London were two separate people.
They have been falsely connected by historians
2. Someone called William Shakespeare did work with
Burbage’s theater company, but did not write the plays.
Shakespeare was putting his name to plays given to him by
someone else
3. William Shakespeare was a pen name for another writer or
a group of writers
Shakespeare’s identity has been in dispute since the 18th
Century. There are a number of theories surrounding the
authorship of Shakespeare’s plays, most are based on one
of the following ideas:
14. V. Conclusion
Hopefully you managed to discover:
• the Bard’s eventful life
• the reasons for his popularity
• the authorship controversy
But there is still much to know about this outstanding person. To do this you can
follow some references, given at the References list at the end of presentation, and,
what’s more important, read some of Shakespeare’s works. This is how you will be
able to give your own answers to the majority of the questions connected to William
Shakespeare
15. VI. References
• Shakespeare online: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/
• 5 facts about Shakespeare: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/triviaquizzes/tp/Shakespeare-
facts.htmhttp://shakespeare.about.com/od/triviaquizzes/tp/Shakespeare-facts.htm
• Shakespeare Authorship Debate:
http://shakespeare.about.com/od/authorshipdebate/a/authorship.htm
• Insults by Shakespeare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdCjKH5IKJ8
This presentation was made by Guseva Valeria. You can contact me via my e-mail
guselera@yandex.ru
