William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor considered the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets over the course of his career. Some of his most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear. Shakespeare began his career in London as an actor and part owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He died in 1616 in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon at the age of 52 and is buried there in Holy Trinity Church.

1. Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature William Shakespeare

2. 1563-1616 Stratford-upon- Avon,England wrote 37 plays about 154 sonnets started out as an actor Shakespeare

3. Parents: John Shakespeare and Mary Arden 1564 Attended the Stratford Grammar School Childhood

4. Young Adulthood 1582 Married Anne Hathaway She was 8 years older Three children Susanna Twins Judith Hamnet

5. William Shakespeare's Hometown Stratford Upon-Avon

6. The house Shakespeare once lived in.

7. Career Actor Lord Chamberlain’s Men The King’s Men Playwright 38 plays Poet 154 Sonnets

8. Comedies Histories Tragedies Shakespeare wrote:

9. All’s Well That Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline Love’s Labor’s Lost Measure for Measure The Comedies

10. The Comedies Single click for audio clip >>>> The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream

11. Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part II Henry V Henry VI, Part I Henry VI, Part II Henry VI, Part III Henry VIII King John Richard II Richard III The Histories

12. The Globe Built 1599 The Globe was London’s first theater built by and for actors. As one of seven shareholders in the company that commissioned it . Shakespeare probably had some say in the theater’s design. He wrote many of his plays, from Julius Caesar on, with this venue in mind. It was burned during a performance of HenryVII. Rebuilt and open to the public.

13. The Globe

14. The Globe

15. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young " star- cross'd lovers “ whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances . Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1582. ROMEO AND JULIET

17. Shakespeare became ill after a bout of hard drinking with his fellow playwrights Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton. The cause of Shakespeare's death is unknown - he died April 23rd 1616 at the age of 52 ( William Shakespeare's birth date Shakespeare retired as a playwright in 1612 or 1613, two or three years before his death. William Shakespeare is buried in Holy TrinityChurch, Stratford-upon-Avon. The Death of William Shakespeare

18. Holy Trinity Church