William Shakespeare

“The Bard” was Shakespeare's nickname. He was the best of the best at writing. Shakespeare was born on April 23, He was raised in Stratford Upon Avon, England. He was a playwright and actor for the Globe Theater in London.. He died on his birthday, April 23, 1616.

The Globe Theater

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. The names of his sonnets were all numbered. They were poems that consisted of 14 lines. Half of these were written to a dark lady. The other half were written to a man. None were written to his wife.

Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. He based them on three catagories. Some were histories, others were tragedies, and comedies. These were acted out by performers.

History Plays The history plays he wrote on were based on the history of England. Examples include: King Henry IV, V, VI King Richard II, III King John

Comedies *A Midsummer Night's Dream *All's Well that Ends Well *The Merchant of Venice *Twelfth Night

Tragedies He is best known for his tragic plays. These include: Romeo and Juliet Hamlet Othello Julius Ceasar Macbeth Antony & Cleopatra King Lear

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