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William Shakespeare (1)
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564. His father
was a rich citizen whose business was making and selling
leather gloves. His mother was the daughter of an important
farmer. When he was nineteen, William married Anne. She
was a farmer's daughter and she was some years older than
himself. During that years he may have helped his father in
the family business or he may have been a country schoolmaster
for a time, we don't know exactly.
Shakespeare had three children: Susannah, the eldest, then
twins — a son, Hamnet, and another girl, Judith. In 1587
Shakespeare went to work in London, leaving Anne and the
children at home.
Some years later Shakespeare began to write plays. The
parents did not even guess that their son would be such an
important figure in English poetry and drama and that his
plays would still be acted four hundred years later in England
and all over the world. By 1592 Shakespeare was an important
member of well-known company. In 1599 the famous Globe
Theatre was built on the south bank of the river Thames. In
that theatre most of his plays were performed. It was a round
building with the stage in the center, open to the sky. If it was
raining, the actors got wet; if the weather was too bad, there
was no performance at all. By 1603 Shakespeare was the
leading poet and dramatist of his time. He continued to write
for the next ten years. In 1613 he finally stopped writing
and went to live in Stratford where he died in 1616. He is
buried in Stratford-on-Avon.
Questions:
1. What was William's father business?
2. His mother was a farmer's daughter, wasn't she?
3. How many children did Shakespeare have?
4. When did he start to write?
5. The Globe Theatre was built in 1599, wasn't it?
William Shakespeare (2)
Nowadays people seem to read newspapers mostly. Many
people are fond of reading detective stories or spy thrillers. I
myself prefer books about politics, history, travel-books and
biographies. It is my dream to become a student of the
department of foreign languages and to be able to read the
books by my favourite English and American writers in the
original.
As for the American writers, I like to read books by Mark
Twain and O'Henry.
I enjoy reading books by such English writers as Charles
Dickens, Robert Stevenson, Walter Scott. My favourite English
writer is William Shakespeare, one of the most outstanding
personalities in the world literature.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratf ord-upon-Avon not
far from London. His father, John Shakespeare, came to
Stratford from a village and opened a shop there. He never
became a rich man but at one time he was an important official
in the city. William Shakespeare lived in Stratford until he
was twenty-one. He got married and had three children. At
the age of 21 William left Stratford for London to join a
company of actors. He was a very good actor and an excellent
playwright. William Shakespeare lived and worked in London
for 25 years. By the end of the 16th century William
Shakespeare and his friends had enough money to build their
own theatre — the Globe.
In all Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 2 long poems, a sonnet
cycle of 155 small pieces.
William Shakespeare had a natural gift for comedy. In his
comedies "Two Gentlemen of Verona", "As you Like It", "The
Twelfth Night" William Shakespeare describes the adventures
of young men and women,their love,friendship,happiness.
Shakespeare's tragedies "King Lear", "Othello", "Romeo
and Juliet" depict noblemen who opposed evil in the world.
Since they were written there has never been a time when at
least some of Shakespeare's plays were not staged.
In England and other countries it is the highest honour
for an actor to be invited to play in a comedy or a tragedy by
Shakespeare. In the last 35 years all the plays by W.
Shakespeare have been filmed. Since 1879 Shakespeare's
Festival has been held every year at Stratf ord-upon-Avon.
Questions:
1. What are many people fond of nowadays?
2. Why do you want to become a student of the department
of foreign languages?
3. Where was William Shakespeare born?
4. How long did he live and work in London?
5. What did William Shakespeare have a natural gift for?
6. What do Shakespeare's tragedies depict?
7. What is the highest honour for an actor in England?
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