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
The Life and Times of Shakespeare A Star Is Born Shakespeare was born around April 23 1564 in a small market town northwest of London England called Stratford upon-Avon Shakespeare’s father John was a successful glove-maker and businessman He was also important in local government Shakespeare’s mother Mary came from a wealthy farming family with a high place in society This is the house where Shakespeare was born Today it is a museum 8
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SHAKESPEARE The Oldest Son John and Mary had eight children but their first two daughters did not survive Growing up William was the oldest child in the family He had three younger brothers named Gilbert Richard and Edmund He also had two sisters Anne and Joan Anne died when she was just seven years old At the time children often caught deadly diseases that had no cure SCOTLAND North Atlantic Ocean Sea This map shows the location of Stratford upon Avon in England where Shakespeare was born IRELAND ENGLAND WALES Stratford upon Avon London Shakespeare was born during the English Renaissance This was a time of great change and growth in England Long and bloody wars had ended There was new interest in science and literature Many great works of art were created during this period literature written works that are considered very good or important 9
