William Shakespeare

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" These famous words were written by William Shakespeare, one of the most well known poets throughout the world. William Shakespeare was born on April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon ,Warwickshire and raised there. There is no record of his birth, but his baptism was recorded by the church, so his birthday is assumed to be the 23 of April. When he was 18, He got married to Anne Hathaway and he had three children named Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. He was an English poet and playwright. Between 1585 to 1592 he began a career as an actor and writer and was a part owner of a playing company called Lord Chamberlains Men. His works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems. Shakespeare wrote so many poems and plays. Many of his most famous plays are still popular today including Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His plays were comedies, histories and tragedies. The most famous of his tragedies are Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. Shakespeares most famous poems are sonnets, first published in 1609.His works and plays have been translated to every living language around the world. Shakespeares life can divided into 3 periods. The first 20 years in Stratford, which include schooling and marriage. The next 25 years, he went to London and began working as an actor and playwright. And last 5 years in retirement back to Stratford. Shakespeare left school when he was 15 and took some sort of job, because this period of time was his fathers financial difficulty. Numerous references in his plays suggest that William may have in fact worked for his father, thereby gaining specialized knowledge. Shakespeare began his career with a London theatrical company in 1589 as an actor and playwright of some note in 1592. Shakespeare apparently wrote and acted for Pembrokes Men, as well as numerous others, in particular Strangers Men, which later became the Chamberlains Men, with whom he remained for the rest of his career. By 1598, he was the "principal comedian" for the troupe; by 1603, he was "principal tragedian." He remained associated with the organization until his death. Although acting and playwriting were not considered noble professions at the time, successful and prosperous actors were relatively well respected. Shakespeares success left him

with a fair amount of money, which he invested in Stratford real estate. In 1597, he purchased the second largest house in Stratfordthe New Placefor his parents. In 1596, Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his family, in effect making himself a gentleman. Shakespeare's work is studied by students today and performed and read worldwide. His life and writing has inspired movies such as "Shakespeare in Love", and his work is highly esteemed today. Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet inspired the modern day musical and movie "West Side Story." As you can see, William Shakespeare has been very influential on the modern world. He has inspired great movies and wrote lines that will live on forever. His sonnets are still well known and moving emotionally. Shakespeare was a fantastic poet and he will always live on through his work. William Shakespeare lived until 1616. He was buried in the chancel of his church at Stratford. The lines above his tomb allegedly written by Shakespeare himselfread: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones And cursed be he that moves my bones.

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AMNA SALEEM