1. Happy Birthday Mr Shakespeare! The 450 th birthday of one of our greatest writers

2. William Shakespeare: born in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 rd April 1564, died 23 rd April 1616 aged 52. Actor, playwright and poet. Happy Birthday Mr Shakespeare! 38 plays 154 sonnets 5 major poems 36+ songs

3. William Shakespeare – creative genius ‘But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun.’ Romeo and Juliet ‘All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.’ As You Like It ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me?’ Macbeth ‘Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.’ Romeo and Juliet ‘Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn and cauldron bubble.’ Macbeth ‘ A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’ King Richard III Writer of some of the world’s most famous lines:-

4. William Shakespeare – writer of plays which are still read throughout the world. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Hamlet King Lear Macbeth Romeo and Juliet The Tempest …to name just six The World of William Shakespeare

5. Making a name, building a reputation… 1587Moves to London to try and make his name as an actor & writer. (Now has a wife and child to support.) 1592Working as an actor/playwright at The Rose Theatre at Bankside, London. (Financially supports his father who is in danger of going to prison for debt.) 1595Writes Richard III & A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (London’s theatres open again after the plague.) 1596Writes The Merchant of Venice. (Hamnet, his son dies aged 11.) 1600Hamlet, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Henry V. (The Globe Theatre now open.) 1605King Lear, Macbeth (regarded as two of his finest works. The year of the Gunpowder Plot). 1612The Tempest (the last play he wrote himself). 1616Died in Stratford-on-Avon. (Two surviving children but no heirs.)

6. Copyright didn’t exist so creative ideas were easily stolen. Today, copyright protects the creative work that’s produced from an idea. Just as it’s wrong to steal a pen, a mobile phone, a car… In Shakespeare’s time… It’s wrong to steal an idea. Make sure that copyright theft doesn’t STOP the next William Shakespeare from emerging onto the scene.

7. … just imagine If people had stolen Shakespeare’s work (especially his early plays). Had taken his ideas (such as the magical forest in A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Or copied his work (other writers were jealous of his success). Maybe even pretended that the great characters he created (like Tybalt and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet) were their own inventions, not his. And had stolen his storylines (He thought up and wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor in just 14 days!). Plagiarism and copying people’s work was rife in Elizabethan times

8. Stealing Shakespeare’s work might have… Prevented him from earning enough to carry on writing (especially in his early days when he had few savings to fall back on). Ruined his reputation as a writer (by altering his work and making it less brilliant). Destroyed his love of writing (why write a word if nobody acknowledges what you’ve done?). Crushed his opportunities to achieve more. (Playwrights would sometimes get paid a sum of money to write a play – a commission. If Shakespeare wasn’t recognised as a writer he wouldn’t win commissions and wouldn’t be able to afford to write the next play.)

9. …and using it as your own is theft. That includes: Taking someone’s work… A story An image An essay A school project A poem A song Information downloaded from the internet

10. The world-famous copyright symbol

11. But… Original work is protected from theft with or without the © symbol. You, me, we all have the right to own what we create. The copyright symbol © protection of any of your own work =

12. Just like William Shakespeare, we own… the stories we create the pictures we draw or paint the essays we write the information we put on to the internet the articles we write for the school magazine, the local or national newspaper … and the fascinating characters we create for plays – like William Shakespeare’s fiery Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet or the comical Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The right to protect our work For more information go to www.shakespeareyoungwriters.co.uk