Much Ado About Nothing William the Great William Shakespeare is called the greatest English writer of all time Students read his work in classrooms everywhere His plays are performed on stages and screens around the globe But is Shakespeare really that great Or is it much ado about nothing Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in the world 4
The Role of a Lifetime Shakespeare lived long ago so little is known about him We do know that he played many parts in his time however He was a husband and a father He was a poet an actor and a successful businessman But he is most famous for being a playwright All the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players They have their exits and their entrances And one man in his time plays many parts William Shakespeare As You Like It In this passage Shakespeare compares the world to a stage He says that people are like actors in a play During their lives they play many parts 6 6
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING A Man of Many Words Shakespeare’s work speaks for itself and it speaks volumes He wrote at least 38 plays He also wrote more than 150 poems There were many other great writers at the time so what separates Shakespeare’s work from theirs Why has he stood the test of time This painting shows characters from some of Shakespeare’s plays He told many tales but he did not write his own life story Today we know little about him playwright someone who writes plays 77
