What is shakespeare famous for

Why Is William Shakespeare so Famous?

He’s been popular for 400 years

Shakespeare is undoubtedly the world’s most influential poet and dramatist. In a poem titled «To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare,» Ben Jonson noted, «He was not of an age, but for all time!» Now, four centuries later, Jonson’s words still ring true.

Students and readers new to Shakespeare often ask, “Why is William Shakespeare famous? Why has he stood the test of time?” In an attempt to answer this question, here are five top reasons for Shakespeare’s centuries-long popularity.

His Themes Are Universal

Whether writing tragedy, history, or comedy, Shakespeare’s plays wouldn’t have lasted if people weren’t able to identify with the characters and the emotions they experience. Love, loss, grief, lust, anguish, desire for revenge—they’re all there in Shakespeare’s plays and they’re all present in the lives of modern-day readers.

His Writing Is Masterful

Every moment of Shakespeare’s plays drips poetry, as characters frequently speak in iambic pentameter and even sonnets. Shakespeare understood the power of language—its ability to paint landscapes, create atmospheres, and bring alive compelling characters.

His dialogue is memorable, from the mental anguish of his characters in tragedies to his characters’ jokes and witty insults in comedies. For example, two of his tragedies include the famous lines «To be, or not to be, that is the question» from «Hamlet» and «O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?» from «Romeo and Juliet.» For his famous insults, well, there’s an entire adult card game (Bards Dispense Profanity) based on them, for starters.

Today, we still use hundreds of words and phrases coined by Shakespeare in our everyday conversation. «For goodness’ sake” («Henry VIII») and «dead as a doornail» («Henry VI Part II») can both be attributed to him, as well as jealousy described as a «green-eyed monster» («Othello») and people going overboard to «kill with kindness» («Taming of the Shrew»).

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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is the greatest of all playwrights and poets of all times. Not much is known of his life. He was probably the son of a businessman and was born in 1564 in Stradford-upon-Avon. He probably attended the local grammar school and got a classical education. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and had three children. Little is known of his life before 1592, when he appeared as a playwright in London. Soon he became an actor playing supporting roles like the ghost in «Hamlet». In 1599 Shakespeare became a part owner of the Globe Theatre in London.

Shakespeare’s work as a playwright is subdivided into three periods. Written in the first period, Shakespeare’s plays are mostly history plays like «Henry VI», and comedies with strong elements of farce («The Comedy of Errors»). His masterpiece of this period is «Romeo and Juliet».

Shakespeare was a great poet and would be well known for his poetry alone. His major achievement as a poet is his sonnets, first published in 1609. A sonnet is a poem consisting of 14 lines, with a moral at the end. The sonnets are addressed to some «W.H.» and to the mysterious «Dark Lady of Sonnets». The sonnets deal with the great themes of love, friendship, death, change and immortality. Shakespeare looks at his own poetry as a means of immortality. Shakespeare’s sonnets are excellent. They are full of harmony and music; they praise love, friendship and beauty, though there is no sentimentality in them.

Shakespeare’s poetry is at the summit of human achievement. Many centuries have passed since his death in 1616, but Shakespeare is still considered to be the greatest of all playwrights and poets.

Topical Vocabulary

Newsround

18 Mar 2015 18 March 2015

Many people believe William Shakespeare is the best British writer of all time.

His many works are about life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery.

It has been almost 400 years since he died, but people still celebrate his work all around the world.

What do we know about Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England in 1564.

Nobody is exactly sure which day he was born, but we do know he was baptised on 26 April that year.

In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and the couple went on to have three children.

Shakespeare lived in London for 25 years and wrote most of his plays here.

He died at his home in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616, aged 52.

Shakespeare the writer

Shakespeare wrote 37 plays (though some experts think it may have been more). He wrote three different types of plays:

Shakespeare also wrote plenty of poetry and in 1609 published a book of 154 sonnets.

We know his work was popular at the time because he earned enough money to live in a smart area of London, where he wrote some of his most famous plays.

Words Shakespeare invented

He had an incredible influence on the English language and invented hundreds of words we still use today.

Shakespeare facts

Thanks to Folger Shakespeare Library and Shakespeare Online

Here are some of the more than 1,700 words first used in Shakespeare’s writing:

Shakespeare the actor

As well as writing plays, Shakespeare performed on stage with a group of actors called the Lord Chamberlain’s Company.

When James I became king in 1603 the group was renamed the King’s Company.

In Shakespeare’s time, women were not allowed to act on stage so all the female parts had to be played by boys.

Who was William Shakespeare, what are his most famous plays and what are his best quotes?

William Shakespeare was born more than 450 years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon and is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of all time.

But just when was the playwright born and how does his hometown mark his birthday? Here are some top facts about the iconic bard.

William Shakespeare facts

When is Shakespeare’s birthday?

The exact date is unknown but it is most often celebrated on April 23, the same date he died aged 52.

We do know that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1565.

His baptism is recorded in the Parish Register at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday, April 26, 1564.

These usually took place within three days of birth, according to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

How does Stratford-upon-Avon celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday?

Usually his home town goes all out in celebrating the famous writer’s birthday, and last year there was a birthday parade through Stratford-upon-Avon.

The following day saw a special service take place at Holy Trinity Church.
However, celebrations were cancelled this year over the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement organisers said that «all scheduled public events at the Shakespeare Centre and Shakespeare’s family homes have been suspended with immediate effect.

They added: «We understand that this is disappointing news for all concerned, but the health and wellbeing of visitors, staff and volunteers is our top priority.»

What are Shakespeare’s most famous plays?

We won’t spill the beans and give away the ending if you haven’t read or seen this outstanding play.

It is another of Shakespeare’s tragedies featuring witches, murder and intrigue, including the famous line «Out, damn spot».

The play also features love interest Ophelia, Hamlet’s pal Horatio and a group of players.

It features fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, a magic potion that goes wrong, plus the amusingly named characters Puck and Bottom.

And, of course, it features the love story of Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius.

All-conquering Caesar returns from war, but there is a plot to murder him.

We’re saying no more.

Other famous tragedies include:

Other famous comedies include:

Other famous history plays include:

What are some of Shakespeare’s best quotes?

Shakespeare is responsible for some of the most famous phrases we still love and use today. Here are just a few

Everything You Need to Know About Shakespeare’s Plays

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

William Shakespeare is best known for his plays, although he was also an accomplished poet and actor. But when we think about Shakespeare, plays like «Romeo and Juliet,» «Hamlet,» and «Much Ado About Nothing» immediately spring to mind.

How Many Plays?

A remarkable fact about Shakespeare’s plays is that scholars can’t agree on how many he actually wrote. Thirty-eight plays is the most popular hypothesis, but after many years of wrangling, a little-known play called «Double Falsehood» has now been added to the canon.

The main problem is that it is believed that William Shakespeare wrote many of his plays collaboratively. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the content penned by the Bard with any accuracy.

What Were Shakespeare’s Plays About?

Shakespeare was writing between 1590 and 1613. Many of his early plays were performed at the building that would eventually become the infamous Globe Theatre in 1598. It was here that Shakespeare made his name as a budding young writer and penned such classics as «Romeo and Juliet,» «A Midsummer Night’s Dream,» and «The Taming of the Shrew.»

Many of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s and would have been performed at the Globe Theatre.

Genres

Shakespeare wrote in three genres: tragedy, comedy, and history. Although this seems very straightforward, it is notoriously difficult to categorize the plays. This is because the histories blur comedy and tragedy, the comedies contain elements of tragedy, and so on.

Some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are tragedies. The genre was extremely popular with Elizabethan theatergoers. It was conventional for these plays to follow the rise and fall of a powerful nobleman. All of Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists have a fatal flaw that propels them towards their bloody end.

Popular tragedies include «Hamlet,» «Romeo and Juliet,» «King Lear,» and «Macbeth.»

Popular comedies include «Much Ado About Nothing,» and «The Merchant of Venice.»

Shakespeare used his history plays to make social and political commentary. Therefore, they are not historically accurate in the same way we would expect a modern historical drama to be. Shakespeare drew from a range of historical sources and set most of his history plays during the Hundred Years’ War with France.

Popular histories include «Henry V» and «Richard III.»

Shakespeare’s Language

Shakespeare used a mixture of verse and prose in his plays to denote the social standing of his characters.

As a rule of thumb, common characters spoke in prose, while noble characters further up the social food chain would revert to iambic pentameter. This particular form of poetic meter was extremely popular in Shakespeare’s time.

Although iambic pentameter sounds complex, it is a simple rhythmic pattern. It has ten syllables in each line that alternate between unstressed and stressed beats. However, Shakespeare liked to experiment with iambic pentameter and played around with the rhythm to make his character’s speeches more effective.

Why is Shakespeare’s language so descriptive? We should remember that the plays were performed in daylight, in the open air, and with no set. In the absence of atmospheric theater lighting and realistic sets, Shakespeare had to conjure up mythical islands, the streets of Verona, and cold Scottish castles through language alone.