Дидактический материала по теме "Творчество У. Шекспира"
методическая разработка по английскому языку

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sickled o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. 

Перевод: Борис Пастернак

Быть или не быть, вот в чем вопрос. Достойно ль
Смиряться под ударами судьбы,
Иль надо оказать сопротивленье
И в смертной схватке с целым морем бед
Покончить с ними? Умереть. Забыться.
И знать, что этим обрываешь цепь
Сердечных мук и тысячи лишений,
Присущих телу. Это ли не цель
Желанная? Скончаться. Сном забыться.
Уснуть... и видеть сны? Вот и ответ.
Какие сны в том смертном сне приснятся,
Когда покров земного чувства снят?
Вот в чем разгадка. Вот что удлиняет
Несчастьям нашим жизнь на столько лет.
А то кто снес бы униженья века,
Неправду угнетателей, вельмож
Заносчивость, отринутое чувство,
Нескорый суд и более всего -
Насмешки недостойных над достойным,
Когда так просто сводит все концы
Удар кинжала! Кто бы согласился,
Кряхтя, под ношей жизненной плестись,
Когда бы неизвестность после смерти,
Боязнь страны, откуда ни один
Не возвращался, не склоняла воли
Мириться лучше со знакомым злом,
Чем бегством к незнакомому стремиться!
Так всех нас в трусов превращает мысль,
И вянет, как цветок, решимость наша
В бесплодье умственного тупика,
Так погибают замыслы с размахом,
В начале обещавшие успех,
От долгих отлагательств. Но довольно!
Офелия! О радость! Помяни
Мои грехи в своих молитвах, нимфа.

A Fairy Song

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire!

I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;

The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;

I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. 

Волшебная песня
Над холмами, над долами, 
Сквозь терновник, по кустам, 
Над водами, через пламя 
Я блуждаю тут и там! 
Я лечу луны быстрей, 
Я служу царице фей, 
Круг в траве кроплю росой. 
Буквицы - ее конвой. 
Видишь золотой наряд? 
Пятнышки на нем горят: 
То рубины, цвет царицы, - 
В них весь аромат таится. 
Для буквиц мне запас росинок нужен - 
Вдеть каждой в ушки серьги из жемчужин. 
Прощай, дух-увалень! Лечу вперед. 
Сюда ж царица с эльфами придет.

A Madrigal

Crabbed Age and Youth
Cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance,
Age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn,
Age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave,
Age like winter bare:
Youth is full of sports,
Age's breath is short,
Youth is nimble, Age is lame:
Youth is hot and bold,
Age is weak and cold,
Youth is wild, and Age is tame:-
Age, I do abhor thee;
Youth, I do adore thee;

Молодость и старость
Вместе жить не могут:
Молодым – веселье,
Старость бьет тревогу;
Молодым – заря,
Старым – ветра розги,
Молодым – наряды,
Старикам – обноски.
Молодость жива
Дышит стар едва
Молод – ловок, стар – так хром:
Молодость смела, 
Старость тяжела;
Юным – воля, старым – дом.
Старость отвращает,
Молодость прельщает.

"When Daffodils Begin To Peer..."

(From "The Winter's Tale")

When daffodils begin to peer, --

With hey! The doxy over the dale, --

Why, then comes in the sweet o’ the year;

For the red blood reigns in the winter’s pale.

The white sheet bleaching on the hedge, --

With hey! the sweet birds, O, how they sing! --

Doth set my pugging tooth on edge;

For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.

The lark, that tirra-lirra chants, --

With hey! with hey! the thrush and the jay, --

Are summer songs for me and for my aunts,

While we lie tumbling in the hay.

Questions:

1) Where and when was William Shakespeare born?

2) What is that place like?

3) What do we know about his parents?

4) What was the name of his wife? 

5) What did Shakespeare do in London? 

6) What places of interest can tourists see in Stratford? 

7) How many plays did he write? 

8) Can you name any of his comedies? 

9) Can you name any of his tragedies? 

10) How many children did he have?

The great poet and dramatist William Shakespeare is often called by people «Our National Bard», «The Immortal Poet of Nature' and the «Great Unknown».

Scientists consider that Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. Stratford-on-Avon is a small town in the centre of Great Britain. It is famous as the place where William Shakespeare was born.

Young Shakespeare studied at the Gfammar School where boys learned Latin, Greek, and other subjects. At that time there were no theatres in England. Groups of actors travelled from town to town and played in different places , usually out-of-doors. Sometimes actors came to Stratford. Young William went to see all their shows and liked them very much. He wanted to become an actor. Sometimes he wrote little plays himself and staged them with his friends.

Life in Startford-on-Avon was hard, and when Shakespeare was twenty-one he went to London. In London he joined a group of actors.

The famous Glode Theatre was the centre of London's theatrical life. William Shakespeare played on its stage and wrote plays for this theatre.

William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays for the Glode Theatre. Now I'll tell you what the theatre of the 16th century was like.

In the middle, there was a kind of house. There the actors dressed and kept the things which were used in the performance. In front of it there was a platform. This platform, together with the balcony over it, was the stage on of the house to the stage through two large doors.

In front of the stage was a large yard. Round the yard there were three balconies, one over the other. Both these balconies and the yard were for the people who came to see the performance. The yard and the greater part of the stage were open to the sky.

The actors were often very good. They could play, sing and-dance . Women’s parts were played by boys or young men. An actor often played two or three parts in one performance. Music was very important.

The performance began at three o'clock. From its beginning till it was over, people could see a flag over the theatre. The people of London loved their theatre. The people of London loved their theatre very much. Everybody went to the theatre in London -both young and old, rich and poor. Those who could not pay much for their tickets stood in the yard. If they were tired they could sit on the ground. Rich men and their wives sat in the balconies, and aristocrats were allowed to sit on the stage. People had no newspapers, no radio or television in those days. That is why the theatre played a great part in their lives.

The performance gave them great enjoyment, but they came to the theatre not only for pleasure, they came to hear the news, to learn something of the history of England or of some other country. They were taught the great science of life there.

At the same time, William Shakespeare was an actor, a poet and a writer of drama. He wrote 154 sonnets, 2 poems and 37 plays, where he showed his creative genius.

The first period (1590-1600) of his creative work consists of comedies and histories.

Is this period William Shakespeare wrote such histories as «King Henry IV»,»King Henry V», «Kind Richard II», «King Henry III»and others. Here the author showed historical events and dramatic characters.

«Romeo and Juliet» was is one of Shakespeare's best plays. It is a tragedy, but it the first period of his creative work. This play is full of love, youth and humanism.

«Romeo and Juliet» was often staged at the theatre and it was a great success.

All of Shakespeare's famous tragedies appeared between 1600and 1608. This was the second period of his literary work. In the plays of this period the dramatist reaches his full maturity. He presents great human problems. This period began with the tragedy «Hamlet», which was a great success.

The following plays belong to the second period: «King Lear», «Othello», «Macbeth» and others.

1. More than four centuries have passed, filled with great events, generations of men have come and gone, but his plays are still performed and will probably be performed for many years. People in different countries study them, and each generation makes new discoveries.
2. Заключительное слово учителя литературы
3. Пьесы Шекспира обладают беспримерным чудодейственным свойством. Добролюбов писал о Шекспире: «Многие из его пьес могут быть названы открытиями в области человеческого сердца; его литературная деятельность подвинула общее сознание людей на несколько ступеней, на которые до него никто на поднимался и которые только были издали указываемы некоторыми философами». И поэтому Шекспир имеет всемирное значение.

Конспект вечера

Звучит сюита для лютни: канцона, Франческо да Милано.

Teacher: Good afternoon everybody. Our party is dedicated to the greatest playwright in world literature William Shakespeare. I hope all of you will take an active part in it. Listen to some facts of W.Shakespeare's biography and the time when he lived and worked.

Pupil 1: The name of William Shakespeare is known all over the world. The last half of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries are known as the Golden Age of English literature. It was the time of the English Renaissance and sometimes it is called “The Age of Shakespeare” (Слайд: “Портрет У.Шекспира”).

Pupil 2: People often call Shakespeare “Our National Bard”, “The Immortal Poet of Nature” or “The Great Unknown”. We really know few facts of his life and many of them are doubtful, but some facts are well known and proved by documents.

Pupil 3: The first fact of Shakespeare’s biography is that he was born on Арril 23, 1564 in Stratford - upon - Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and a dealer in corn, meat, wool and leather, and other farm products. William’s mother Mary Arden, was the daughter of a rich farmer in the village of Wilcote (Слайд: “Дом, в котором родился и жил У. Шекспир”).

Pupil 4: In his childhood William went to the Stratford Grammar School, where besides reading and writing he was taught Latin and Greek. At that time there were no theatres in England. Groups of actors traveled from town to town and played in different places, usually out-of-doors. Sometimes actors came to Stratford. Young William went to see all their shows and liked them very much. He wanted to become an actor. Sometimes he wrote little plays himself and staged them his friends.

Pupil 5: We also know that being 18 years old William married Anne Hathaway, who was 9 years older than himself. They had a daughter Susanna. Their first child was born in 1583. And then twins- a son Hamnet and a daughter Judith followed in 1585. It is presumed that later that year Shakespeare left for London. He joined a group of actors there. Now Shakespeare was a young man of twenty-one.

Pupil 6: In 1594 Shakespeare became closely allied to the company of the Lord Chamberlain's Servants, which first occupied a playhouse called " The Theater " and then built the famous Globe Theatre and held their performances there. Shakespeare became the principal playwright to the company. He was also an actor, but obviously not a first- rate one because he usually acted only small parts. But Shakespeare’s experience as an actor helped him greatly in the writing of his plays, His knowledge of the stage, and his poetical genius made his plays the most remarkable ever written. (Слайд “Театр Глобус”).

Pupil 7: It is known that only in 1611, at the height of his fame, Shakespeare returned to Stratford. Four years ago (1597) he bought the largest house there, called “New Place”. On the 23rd of April 1616, he died exactly fifty-two years after the supposed day of his birth. He was buried in a fine old church in Stratford. A monument was erected to the memory of the great playwright in Westminster Abbey, (Слайд: “Церковь Святой Троицы”).

Teacher: You have motioned the main facts in Shakespeare s biography. Now, I’d like you to agree or disagree with some facts from William Shakespeare’s life. Be active, please! (работа на данном этапе проходит в режиме Т > Р1, Р2...).

1. Shakespeare was born in the 17th century. Is it true? (Nо, it isn't true. He was born in the 16th century, in 1564)

2. William got a good education in London. (If s not true. He got his education in the local grammar school in Stratford).

3. William married late; his wife was younger than him. (It’s false. He married when he was 18, his wife was 9 years older than himself).

4. William Shakespeare had three children: a daughter Susanna and twin sons. (He really had three children: a daughter Susanna and twins, but they were a daughter Judith and a son Hamlet).

5. His wife Anne Hathaway loved theatre very much. (It’s not true).

6. Shakespeare never acted on the stage. (It’s not true).

7. Shakespeare died in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey. (It’s false. He died in Stratford-on-Avon and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford).

8. Shakespeare wrote 47 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 poems. (He wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 poems).

Teacher: Thank you! You are brilliant actors! And now the last point I would like to pay your attention to. It is a Quiz. Let me see who knows Shakespeare and his plays best of all.

Quiz:

1. When was Shakespeare born and when did he die? (April 23, 1564 - April 23, 1616)
2. Who was Shakespeare ’s favorite actress? (He had no favorite actress; all roles were played by men.)
3. Where did the sonnet first appear? (In Italy, in the 14th century)
4. How was Shakespeare called by common people? (“The Swan of Avon”, “Sweet Swan of Avon”, “Great Unknown”)
5. Who were the most romantic and tragic lovers? (Romeo and Juliet)
6. Who was the most jealous person who even killed his wife? (Othello)
7. Who were the most famous Russian translators of Shakespeare’s works? (S. Marshak, B. Pasternak, A. Ostrovski, M Losinski)
8. When was the modern building of Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened? (1932) Where? (In Stratford - Upon - Avon)

Шекспировский мемориальный театр в Стратфорде - на - Эйвоне.

Pupil 16: Ежегодный театральный сезон Шекспировских произведений, которые ставят на сцене Шекспировского Мемориального театра, давно стал одной из английских традиций. В 1814 году, Чарльз Эдвард Флауэр, известный всем в городе Стратфорде человек, создал проект городского театрального здания. Для постройки театра было выделено 2 акра земли (1 акр = 6,4 га) на берегу реки. Конечно, было очень много критических выступлений со стороны местной и центральной прессы, но ничто не могло остановить Чарльза Эдварда Флауэра. И 23 апреля 1879 года в день рождения Шекспира на проходившем как раз в то время Шекспировском Фестивале был открыт первый Мемориальный театр. С тех пор фестивали стали проходить ежегодно по несколько недель.

Pupil 17: В 1926 году Стратфордский театр, как и два других известных театра, Drury Lain (Друэри Лэйн) и Covent Garden (Ковент Гарден), сгорели дотла. Но традиция проведения шекспировских сезонов не прекратилась. И в течение шести последующих лет он размещался в одном из местных кинотеатров, пока председатель совета (коллегии) губернаторов, а затем Сэр Арчибальд Флауэр (Sir Archibald Flower), не начали всемирно известную кампанию по сбору средств на его восстановление. В 1929 году, спустя три года после пожара в фундамент был заложен первый камень. Современный Шекспировский Мемориальный театр, который был открыт в 1932 году, не пытается имитировать своего готического предшественника. Смелый дизайн и розовый кирпич удачно гармонируют с окружающими зданиями.

Pupil 18: В своё время губернаторы потратили 100 000 фунтов стерлингов на смену декорации и проведение капитального ремонта. Для актёров было отведено большое количество гримёрных, оборудовали Green Room (Зелёную Комнату) - артистическую комнату отдыха актёров за кулисами. Для освещения сцены был установлен распределительный щит, а в зале поставили дополнительно 135 кресел. И в наши дни это один из самых комфортабельных и отлично экипированных театров в мире, полностью находящийся на самообеспечении, со своими собственными гардеробами мастерскими, библиотекой, картинной галереей и рестораном.

Teacher: The meeting of our club is over. Thank you for taking an active part in it. Good Bye!

Shakespeare (1564-1616): Who was he?

Though William Shakespeare is recognized as one of literature’s greatest influences, very little is actually known about him. What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone. Anecdotes and criticisms by his rivals also speak of the famous playwright and suggest that he was indeed a playwright, poet and an actor.

Date of Birth? (1564)

William was born in 1564. We know this from the earliest record we have of his life; his baptism which happened on Wednesday, April the 26th, 1564. We don’t actually know his birthday but from this record we assume he was born in 1564. Similarly by knowing the famous Bard's baptism date, we can guess that he was born three days earlier on St. George’s day, though we have no conclusive proof of this.

Brothers and Sisters.

William was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. The first two were daughters and William was himself followed by Gilbert who died in 1612 and Richard who died in 1613. Edmund (1580-1607), sixth in the line was baptized on May the third, 1580 and William's oldest living sister was Joan who outlived her famous playwright brother. Of William’s seven siblings, only Judith and four of his brothers survived to adulthood.

William's Father.

From baptism records, we know William's father was a John Shakespeare, said to be a town official of Stratford and a local businessman who dabbled in tanning, leatherwork and whittawering which is working with white leather to make items like purses and gloves. John also dealt in grain and sometimes was described as a glover by trade.

John was also a prominent man in Stratford. By 1560, he was one of fourteen burgesses which formed the town council. Interestingly, William himself is often described as a keen businessman so we can assume he got his business acumen from his father. In the Bard's case, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree at all...

William's mother: Mary Arden.

William's mother was Mary Arden who married John Shakespeare in 1557. The youngest daughter in her family, she inherited much of her father’s landowning and farming estate when he died.

Early Days on Henley Street...

Since we know Stratford's famous Bard lived with his father, John Shakespeare, we can presume that he grew up in Henley Street, some one hundred miles northwest of London.

The Bard's Education.

Very little is known about literature’s most famous playwright. We know that the King’s New Grammar School taught boys basic reading and writing. We assume William attended this school since it existed to educate the sons of Stratford but we have no definite proof. Likewise a lack of evidence suggests that William, whose works are studied universally at Universities, never attended one himself!

William marries an older woman. (1582)

A bond certificate dated November the 28th, 1582, reveals that an eighteen year old William married the twenty-six and pregnant Anne Hathaway. Barely seven months later, they had his first daughter, Susanna. Anne never left Stratford, living there her entire life.

The Bard's children. (1583 & 1592)

Baptism records show that William’s first child, Susanna was baptized in Stratford sometime in May, 1583. Baptism records again reveal that twins Hamnet and Judith were born in February 1592. Hamnet, William's only son died in 1596, just eleven years old. Hamnet and Judith were named after William’s close friends, Judith and Hamnet Sadler. William's family was unusually small in a time when families had many children to ensure parents were cared for in later years despite the very high mortality rates of children and also their life expectancy in the 1500s.

The Bard as a poet.

Evidence that the great Bard was also a poet comes from his entering his first poem Venus and Adonis in the Stationers’ Registrar on the 18th of April, 1593. The playwright registered his second poem The Rape of Lucrece by name on the 9th of May, 1594.

The Bard suffers breech of copyright. (1609)

In 1609, the Bard's sonnets were published without the Bard’s permission. It is considered unlikely that William wanted many of his deeply personal poems to be revealed to the outside world. It was not however the first time; in 1599, in a collection entitled "The Passionate Pilgrim" , two of his poems had been printed without William’s permission.

The Bard's lost years?

Looking for work in London, just four days ride way from Stratford, William is believed to have left his family back home for some twenty years whilst he pursued his craft. He only returned back to his family in 1609, having visited only during the forty day period of Lent when theatres though open well into the start of Lent would later close in accordance with the traditional banning of all forms of diversionary entertainment around this important Easter event.

William applies for a Coat of Arms. (1596)

Records with the College of Heralds, reveal William applied for a coat of arms. Despite a lack of proof, he was granted his request. Later in 1599 he applied for his mother’s coat of arms to be added to his own.

William buys major residential property. (1597)

At age 15, William purchased the New Place. This was one of the most prominent and desired properties in all of Stratford being the second largest house in town. Given his father's known financial hardship from 1576, William must either have used his own money to buy this expensive property or his father had placed money in his son’s name. It is possible William might have bought this prominent property with money from his plays. It is estimated that roughly fifteen of his 37 plays would have been written and performed by 1597!

Will flats in London. (Circa 1601-1604)

Court records of a dispute between William's landlord Christopher Mountjoy and his son-in-law Stephen Belott confirm that William was living in London around 1601. The playwright's name is recorded in the court records when he gave testimony in 1612 concerning Mountjoy and Belott’s dispute. Interestingly, in 1601, he bought roughly 107 acres of arable land with twenty acres of pasturage for 20 pounds in Old Stratford.

The Bard strikes it rich.

William made his greatest financial gain in 1605 when he purchased leases of real estate near Stratford. This investment of some four hundred and forty pounds doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds income each year. Some academics speculate that this investment gave the Bard the time he needed to write plays uninterrupted and we know that he was indeed thought of as a businessman in the Stratford area...

A friend passes away.

Yet another record confirming the Bard's existence was John Comb’s will which bequeathed to the Bard the princely sum of just five pounds.

The Bard's will and death.

Records reveal that the great Bard revised his will on March the 25th, 1616. Less than a month later, he died on April the 23rd, 1616. Literature's famous Bard is buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. He infamously left his second-best bed to his wife Anne Hathaway and little else, giving most of his estate to his eldest daughter Susanna who has married a prominent and distinguished physician named John Hall in June 1607. This was not as callous as it seems; the Bard's best bed was for guests; his second-best bed was his marriage bed... His will also named actors Richard Burbage, Henry Condell and John Hemminges, providing proof to academics today that William was involved in theatre. The Bard's direct line of descendants ended some 54 years later until Susanna’s daughter Elizabeth died in 1670.

The Bard's last words...

Shakespeare (1564-1616): Who was he?

Though William Shakespeare is recognized as one of literature’s greatest influences, very little is actually known about him. What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone. Anecdotes and criticisms by his rivals also speak of the famous playwright and suggest that he was indeed a playwright, poet and an actor.

Date of Birth? (1564)

William was born in 1564. We know this from the earliest record we have of his life; his baptism which happened on Wednesday, April the 26th, 1564. We don’t actually know his birthday but from this record we assume he was born in 1564. Similarly by knowing the famous Bard's baptism date, we can guess that he was born three days earlier on St. George’s day, though we have no conclusive proof of this.

Brothers and Sisters.

William was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. The first two were daughters and William was himself followed by Gilbert who died in 1612 and Richard who died in 1613. Edmund (1580-1607), sixth in the line was baptized on May the third, 1580 and William's oldest living sister was Joan who outlived her famous playwright brother. Of William’s seven siblings, only Judith and four of his brothers survived to adulthood.

William's Father.

From baptism records, we know William's father was a John Shakespeare, said to be a town official of Stratford and a local businessman who dabbled in tanning, leatherwork and whittawering which is working with white leather to make items like purses and gloves. John also dealt in grain and sometimes was described as a glover by trade.

John was also a prominent man in Stratford. By 1560, he was one of fourteen burgesses which formed the town council. Interestingly, William himself is often described as a keen businessman so we can assume he got his business acumen from his father. In the Bard's case, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree at all...

William's mother: Mary Arden.

William's mother was Mary Arden who married John Shakespeare in 1557. The youngest daughter in her family, she inherited much of her father’s landowning and farming estate when he died.

Early Days on Henley Street...

Since we know Stratford's famous Bard lived with his father, John Shakespeare, we can presume that he grew up in Henley Street, some one hundred miles northwest of London.

The Bard's Education.

Very little is known about literature’s most famous playwright. We know that the King’s New Grammar School taught boys basic reading and writing. We assume William attended this school since it existed to educate the sons of Stratford but we have no definite proof. Likewise a lack of evidence suggests that William, whose works are studied universally at Universities, never attended one himself!

William marries an older woman. (1582)

A bond certificate dated November the 28th, 1582, reveals that an eighteen year old William married the twenty-six and pregnant Anne Hathaway. Barely seven months later, they had his first daughter, Susanna. Anne never left Stratford, living there her entire life.

The Bard's children. (1583 & 1592)

Baptism records show that William’s first child, Susanna was baptized in Stratford sometime in May, 1583. Baptism records again reveal that twins Hamnet and Judith were born in February 1592. Hamnet, William's only son died in 1596, just eleven years old. Hamnet and Judith were named after William’s close friends, Judith and Hamnet Sadler. William's family was unusually small in a time when families had many children to ensure parents were cared for in later years despite the very high mortality rates of children and also their life expectancy in the 1500s.

The Bard as a poet.

Evidence that the great Bard was also a poet comes from his entering his first poem Venus and Adonis in the Stationers’ Registrar on the 18th of April, 1593. The playwright registered his second poem The Rape of Lucrece by name on the 9th of May, 1594.

The Bard suffers breech of copyright. (1609)

In 1609, the Bard's sonnets were published without the Bard’s permission. It is considered unlikely that William wanted many of his deeply personal poems to be revealed to the outside world. It was not however the first time; in 1599, in a collection entitled "The Passionate Pilgrim" , two of his poems had been printed without William’s permission.

The Bard's lost years?

Looking for work in London, just four days ride way from Stratford, William is believed to have left his family back home for some twenty years whilst he pursued his craft. He only returned back to his family in 1609, having visited only during the forty day period of Lent when theatres though open well into the start of Lent would later close in accordance with the traditional banning of all forms of diversionary entertainment around this important Easter event.

William applies for a Coat of Arms. (1596)

Records with the College of Heralds, reveal William applied for a coat of arms. Despite a lack of proof, he was granted his request. Later in 1599 he applied for his mother’s coat of arms to be added to his own.

William buys major residential property. (1597)

At age 15, William purchased the New Place. This was one of the most prominent and desired properties in all of Stratford being the second largest house in town. Given his father's known financial hardship from 1576, William must either have used his own money to buy this expensive property or his father had placed money in his son’s name. It is possible William might have bought this prominent property with money from his plays. It is estimated that roughly fifteen of his 37 plays would have been written and performed by 1597!

Will flats in London. (Circa 1601-1604)

Court records of a dispute between William's landlord Christopher Mountjoy and his son-in-law Stephen Belott confirm that William was living in London around 1601. The playwright's name is recorded in the court records when he gave testimony in 1612 concerning Mountjoy and Belott’s dispute. Interestingly, in 1601, he bought roughly 107 acres of arable land with twenty acres of pasturage for 20 pounds in Old Stratford.

The Bard strikes it rich.

William made his greatest financial gain in 1605 when he purchased leases of real estate near Stratford. This investment of some four hundred and forty pounds doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds income each year. Some academics speculate that this investment gave the Bard the time he needed to write plays uninterrupted and we know that he was indeed thought of as a businessman in the Stratford area...

A friend passes away.

Yet another record confirming the Bard's existence was John Comb’s will which bequeathed to the Bard the princely sum of just five pounds.

The Bard's will and death.

Records reveal that the great Bard revised his will on March the 25th, 1616. Less than a month later, he died on April the 23rd, 1616. Literature's famous Bard is buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. He infamously left his second-best bed to his wife Anne Hathaway and little else, giving most of his estate to his eldest daughter Susanna who has married a prominent and distinguished physician named John Hall in June 1607. This was not as callous as it seems; the Bard's best bed was for guests; his second-best bed was his marriage bed... His will also named actors Richard Burbage, Henry Condell and John Hemminges, providing proof to academics today that William was involved in theatre. The Bard's direct line of descendants ended some 54 years later until Susanna’s daughter Elizabeth died in 1670