William Shakespeare

The Bard of Avon

William Shakespeare was born on 26th

April 1564 died on 23rd April 1616
He was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely
regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and
the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of
Avon".

His works including:

38 plays;
154 sonnets;

two long narrative poems;

a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship.

His plays have been translated into every major living

language and are performed more often than those of any
other playwright

Why Is Shakespeare Called the Bard?

William Shakespeare is called The Bard and
also The Bard of Avon, because he is considered
to be the greatest poet that ever lived.
The word "bard" means poet. Bards were
traveling poets in medieval times, who made a
living performing and telling stories.

Shakespeare's plays can be grouped into

three categories:
Comedies - Well known comedies include: A Midsummer
Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like
It.
Tragedies - Some popular tragedies are: Romeo and
Juliet, Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
Histories - Some of his best histories would be Richard
III, Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI.
One thing that set him apart from other playwrights was
the way he would combine parts of all three categories, so his
tragedies would have comic relief and comedies would have
some serious parts. This was something that had not been
done before that time.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Most of Shakespeare's sonnets are constructed of three

quatrains, or four-line stanzas, and end with a couplet (two
lines). This makes up the 14-line sonnet.
The rhythm of each line is iambic pentameter. In English,
to have a certain rhythm in a poem, you use a combination of
stressed and unstressed syllables. Iambic is two syllables; the
first is not stressed, but the second is accented. Each set of
two syllables is called a foot, and five feet make up a
pentameter. So each line of a Shakespearean sonnet has ten
syllables.

Globe Theater

Besides being an actor and playwright, Shakespeare

was also part-owner of a theatre company called Lord
Chamberlain's Men. When the company's landlord,
from whom they were leasing the land, wanted to tear
down the theatre, they purchased land elsewhere and
constructed the Globe Theatre. The Globe's first
performance was in staged in 1599; with one of the
first plays performed was Julius Caesar.

Shakespeare's Influence
Part of the genius that is Shakespeare was the fact that his
work appealed to everyone, from kings to peasants. More than 400
years have passed since his birth, and his plays are still being read
and performed all over the world.
There are some common themes in movies and television shows
that were first used by Shakespeare, such as:

Romeo and Juliet - two young people fall in love, but are from
feuding clans;

The Taming of the Shrew - giving a person a taste of their own

medicine;

A Comedy of Errors - mistaken identity;

Hamlet - being torn between loyalty and revenge.

CONCLUSION:
William Shakespeare was a great poet,
whom works are greatly appreciated all
over the world.