22. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

He is considered to be the greatest of all dramatists all over the world. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon as a son of a glove maker John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden. William was their youngest son (he had one sister and one brother). He attended local grammar school. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway from a nearby village Shottery. She was eight years older than William and they had three children: two daughters – Susan and Judith and a son Hamnet (twin of Judith). The boy died at the age of 11.

Little of Shakespeare’s life is known until 1592 when he came to London and joined a group of actors known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who became the King’s Men under the patronage of the king James I. In 1599 Shakespeare bought the Globe Theatre. First he helped to adapt or re-write older plays but later he started to write his own plays and he was very successful. Both King James I. and Queen Elizabeth I. liked him very much. His plays were first published in 1623.

After acting and writing and after his son’s death he went back to Stratford and lived a quiet life with his family. He made a fortune so he could buy a new fine house in Stratford. He died on the same day as he was born (23 April). The legend says that he died after a noisier birthday celebration with his friends. He is buried at local Trinity Church. There are only two portraits of Shakespeare which are authentic and one of them is the bust in Stratford at Trinity Church.

Comedies:
The Comedy of Errors - Komedie plná omylů
The Taming of the Shrew - Zkrocení zlé ženy
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Dva muži z Verony
The Merchant of Venice - Kupec Benátský
A Midsummer Night´s Dream - Sen noci Svatojánské
Merry Wives of Windsor - Veselé paničky Windsorské
Much Ado about Nothing - Mnoho povyku pro nic
As You Like It - Jak se Vám líbí
Twelfth Night - Večer Tříkrálový
History plays
- Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Julius Caesar
Tragedies
- Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello
Sonnets (a kind of a poem)
– he wrote 154 of them

Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is about the unhappy love and death of Romeo and Juliet, the only children of two powerful houses of Verona – the House of Montague and the House of Capulet. These two houses hated each other. Romeo Montague fell in love with Juliet Capulet. They loved each other very much. Their love and marriage were secret and by an unfortunate coincidence Romeo killed Tybalt who was Juliet´s cousin. Romeo was sent to the exile and Juliet was forced to get married. She asked Friar Laurence for help and he gave her some magic drops after which she fell asleep for several hours and looked as if she was dead. Romeo learnt about Juliet´s death and hurried to the Capulet´s Monument in a churchyard. He didn´t know about the trick and he killed himself. Soon after, Juliet woke up and when she saw Romeo dead, she killed herself too. Both Houses reconciliated after the death of their children.

Hamlet
This is a tragedy of the sufferings and hesitation of an honest, strong and responsible man who is not able to kill or punish without having a clear proof of guilt. Hamlet also thinks about life and death. In his monologue he says: “To be or not to be – that is the question”. This sentence is known worldwide.