EnglandEngland's 's national poetnational poet and the " and the "BardBard of of AvonAvon""

William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare

15641564 – – 16161616

Early lifeEarly life

15641564 ：： born in born in Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon 15821582：： married the 26-year-old married the 26-year-old

Anne HathawayAnne Hathaway

Shakespeare's lost yearsShakespeare's lost years

1585 -15921585 -1592 fled the town for London to escape fled the town for London to escape

prosecution for deer poaching prosecution for deer poaching started his theatrical career minding started his theatrical career minding

the horses of theatre patrons in the horses of theatre patrons in LondonLondon

London and theatrical career London and theatrical career

1592-16051592-160515921592 ：： plays were on the London plays were on the London

stagestage 15961596：： only son, only son, HamnetHamnet died of unkno died of unkno

wn causes wn causes 15981598 ：： a selling point a selling point

Later years and deathLater years and death

1606-16161606-1616wrote fewer plays, and none wrote fewer plays, and none

are attributed to him after 1613 are attributed to him after 1613 buried in the chancel of theburied in the chancel of the

Holy Trinity ChurchHoly Trinity Church

Plays Plays four periods four periods Until the mid-1590sUntil the mid-1590s ：： comedies acomedies a

nd history playsnd history plays1595-15991595-1599 ：： greatest comedies and histgreatest comedies and hist

oriesories1600-16081600-1608 ：： tragic period tragic period 1608-16131608-1613 ： ： tragicomedies called romatragicomedies called roma

ncesnces

Famous comediesFamous comedies

A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamThe Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing The Tempest The Tempest

Famous tragediesFamous tragedies

Hamlet Hamlet Othello Othello King Lear King Lear Macbeth Macbeth

PoemsPoems

Sonnets Sonnets ：： the last of Shakespeare's nothe last of Shakespeare's non-dramatic works to be printed n-dramatic works to be printed

a profound meditation on the nature of la profound meditation on the nature of love, sexual passion, procreation, death, ove, sexual passion, procreation, death, and time and time

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more

temperate...“Sonnet 18

InfluenceInfluence

a lasting impression on later theatre and la lasting impression on later theatre and literature iterature

expanded the dramatic potential of expanded the dramatic potential of characterisationcharacterisation, , plotplot, , languagelanguage, and , and genregenre

influenced novelists such as influenced novelists such as Thomas HardyThomas Hardy, , William FaulknerWilliam Faulkner and and Charles DickensCharles Dickens

shape modern English shape modern English

Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to showshowTo whom all scenes of Europe To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.homage owe.He was not of an age, but for all He was not of an age, but for all time!time!

~~Ben Jonson

~Thanks for your ~Thanks for your attention~attention~

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