Àlex Boigues

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED ABOUT SHAKESPEAR SO FAR

Have you ever heard about William Shakespeare? I’m sure you have because four centuries
after his birth, he still remains one of the most significant names in the literature world and
one of the most important writers in the English language. His writing style was and still is
unique.

William Shakespeare was an English writer, poet, and playwright that was born on 23 April
1564 and died on the same day 52 years later (1616). He is considered one of the greatest
dramatists that ever lived mainly because his work became "a great phenomenon in the
history of the universe”.

Shakespeare was the oldest in his family, he had two sisters who he lost due to a disease,
his mother was the daughter of a farmer and his dad was a glove maker, he was a lucky kid
because he was one of the few boys and girls that were able to go to the local grammar
school in his town (Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK). When he grew up, he married Ann Hathaway,
together they had their oldest daughter, Susanna (1583), later on Ann gave birth to Judith
and Hamnet in 1585 (twins), sadly when Hamnet turned 11 he passed away.

Getting into his professional life as a playwright, he created many plays although the most
notable ones were Romeo and Juliet (1597), Hamlet (1601), The Merchant of Venice (1600)
and Macbeth (1606), he tried to express differents themes, misunderstandings,
misjudgments mostly in Hamlet, betrayal and deception in Macbeth, love in Romeo and
Juliet, ambition in Macbeth,and family relationships and conflicts (The Merchant of Venice).

Summarizing, William Shakespeare was an English playwright born on 23 April 1564 and
died on the same day 52 years later. His writing style was and still is unique, that's one of
the many skills that brought him to success. Although having an extended family he had no
descendents even though he had three sons and four grandsons. Hamlet is known to be the
most famous Shakespeare play he’s ever made, but what about you, which is your favorite
Shakespeare play?