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 | William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) |
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William Shakespeare - Poet and Playwright |
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Probably the most famous Warwickshire person of all, William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, (Shakespeare's Birthplace), the descendant of an ancient Warwickshire family, and moved to London in the late 1580s to become an actor.
It was there that he wrote some of the most famous plays of all time, such as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'As You Like It', 'Macbeth', and 'Hamlet'.
A prolific writer of poetry, Shakespeare retired to Stratford where he died in 1616. He is buried in the The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity where he had been baptised 52 years before.
He is now regarded as a literary genius whose creative achievement has never been surpassed in any age. |
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Shakespeare's History and his links with Warwickshire
Shakespeare was born and raised in the market town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Stratford upon Avon has many places linked to Shakespeare. All can be visited by the public and have been developed to provide a great day out. |
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Locations linked to Shakespeare include the buildings ran by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (Shakespeare's Birthplace, Mary Arden's, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Hall's Croft, Harvard house, Nash's House and New Place). There is also the Falstaff's Experience/Tudor World, and the Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity where Shakespeare himself is buried.
Locations further afield include Temple Grafton near Stratford, where Shakespeare at only the age of 18, married the older Anne Hathaway, 26.
April 23rd (St George's Day) is the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, and is a time of celebrations in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Among many events is a procession through the town, of bands, civic dignitaries, actors, morris dancers, and the staff and pupils of local schools. |
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Royal Shakespeare Company
Set on the banks of the River Avon, Stratford upon Avon is home to the internationally recognised Royal Shakespeare Company. Shakespeare's plays and the works of other classics and contemporary writers are performed here throughout the year.
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The heritage of the Royal Shakespeare Company stretches back over 100 years to the foundation of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, built in Shakespeare's home town in 1879. The high standards of RSC performance have been set by some of the greatest names from stage and film including Sir Lawrence Olivier, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Antony Sher and Kenneth Branagh, all of whom continue to inspire today’s acting companies.
The RSC currently performs in two theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon: the 432-seat Swan Theatre, and The Courtyard Theatre which has a thrust stage and seating for 1000 people.
What's on - See www.rsc.org.uk/whatson
Box Office Ticket Hotline
Tel: +44 (0)844 800 1110 |
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Shakespeare's Plays and other work
Shakespeare wrote approximately 38 plays and 154 sonnets, as well as a variety of other poems.
Traditionally divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy, they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being continually performed all around the world. |
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Among the most famous and critically acclaimed of Shakespeare's plays are Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Othello, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and Richard III.
For full details on Shakespeare's plays please see;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare's_plays
For details of all his works see;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare%27s_works |
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Phrases and words coined by Shakespeare
'Shakespeare coined - or to be more carefully precise, made the first recorded use of - 2,035 words. Among the first words found in Shakespeare are abstemious, antipathy, critical, frugal, dwindle, extract, horrid, vast, hereditary, excellent, eventful, barefaced, assassination, lonely, leapfrog, indistinguishable, well-read, zany and countless others (including countless).' 'Others that failed to take hold were undeaf, untent, exsuffliate, bepray and insultment'.
'Phrases coined inlude; One fell swoop, vanish into thin air, bag and baggage, play fast and loose, be in a pickle, budge an inch, beggar all description, cold comfort, flesh and blood, foul play, tower of strength, be cruel to be kind, with bated breath, foregone conclusion.'
The above extract taken from Shakespeare: The World as a Stage</A>] by Bill Byson
1. Discretion is the better part of valour. A version of the words uttered by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I.
2. All that glitters is not gold. We can thank the Prince of Morocco in the Merchant of Venice for this, though the original word used was 'glisters'.
3. The beast with two backs. Iago gives us this saucy phrase as he gets irritated by inter-racial love in Othello.
4. It was Greek to me. Roman Casca indulges in some petty nationalism in Julius Caesar.
5. Eaten out of house and home. A gluttonous accusation from mistress Quickly in Henry IV Part II.
6. I have not slept one wink. Pisanio produces this in one of Shakespeare's less-blockbuster plays Cymbeline.
7. Send him packing. Falstaff's second appearance in our list.
8. Short shrift. Ratcliffe gives us this in Richard III. It didn't appear in print again until Walter Scott's Lord Of The Isles in 1815.
9. Seen better days. This kind insult used in furniture small ads came from Flavious in Timon of Athens.
10. The worm will turn. Clifford gives hope to the small folk in Henry VI Part III.
See www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/phrases-sayings-shakespeare for a full list of phrases and explanations. |
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