Works of William Shakespeare in English. William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare (1), oral topic in English with translation

Hamlet's soliloquy is very famous: “To be, or not to be; that is the question..."

Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Stuart. James, who became James I of England and Scotland, was a lover of the theatre.

He wrote 38 plays and many poems.

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, made gloves and wool products.

William attended the local free high school, where he studied Latin. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married a local girl, Anna Gathaway.

It is not known exactly when Shakespeare came to London, but most likely it happened in the years 1584-1589. It is believed that Shakespeare's first play was Titus Andronicus (1589/1590).

Shakespeare wrote historical plays (Henry IV and Richard III), comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Comedy of Errors); Romeo and Juliet is an early tragedy by Shakespeare.

Between 1600 and 1608, Shakespeare wrote four great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear. This is the pinnacle of Shakespeare's work.

Hamlet is Shakespeare's most popular and best known play. This is a deeply psychological play. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a highly intelligent character.

Everyone knows Hamlet's monologue: “To be or not to be, that is the question...”.

Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 and the throne was taken by James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Stuart. James, who became James I of England and Scotland, was a famous theatergoer.

Shakespeare wrote the tragedy Macbeth, which takes place in Scotland. In 1606, Shakespeare was already quite a mature and famous playwright. He became rich.

In King Lear, good triumphs over evil. "King Lear" is Shakespeare's most famous tragedy.

The story of the old king of England and his three daughters was not invented by Shakespeare. Shakespeare did not invent the plots of his plays at all.

Between 1608 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote five plays: Pericles, Cymbelinus, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, and Henry VIII. In The Tempest, Shakespeare says goodbye to the theater and to his friends.

On June 29, 1613, the Globe Theater burned down in a fire. These were difficult times for Shakespeare and his colleagues. The Globe was the most famous theater in English history.

Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and many poems.

References:
1. 100 topics of English oral (Kaverina V., Boyko V., Zhidkikh N.) 2002
2. English for schoolchildren and those entering universities. Oral exam. Topics. Texts for reading. Exam questions. (Tsvetkova I.V., Klepalchenko I.A., Myltseva N.A.)
3. English, 120 Topics. English language, 120 conversation topics. (Sergeev S.P.)

Just to practice your reading skills, we offer you a story about Shakespeare in English. The text is very easy to read and understand quickly. It is taken from the collection. Maybe someone needs a translation - it is here for your convenience. Enjoy the interesting story!

William Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous English writer. Many have heard or read his plays. Some people know the words to his special 14-line sonnets. His work is now celebrated all over the world. There are actors who only act in his plays. For many people, Shakespeare is not just a person, he has become a legend, like the heroes of his plays.

Shakespeare wrote his plays and poems 400 years ago in the early 1600s. He was popular all his life. Few people remain popular for so many years. Bill Bryson is a writer. He wrote a book about the life of Shakespeare. In his book he says:

“There is still a lot that is unknown about William Shakespeare. We do not know, for example, exactly how many plays he wrote. We can’t even say in what order he wrote them.”

We don't know much about Shakespeare, but we do know some facts. He was born in 1564 in England in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. He married Anne Hathaway when he was 18. A few years later he left Stratford and moved to London. There he joined the theater troupe "Lord Chamberlain's Men". He started out as an actor. But he also wrote plays. Soon he and his friends became popular. They played mainly for Queen Elizabeth, who then ruled England. Shakespeare even wrote a play specifically for the next ruler, James the First. The play was called Macbeth.

Shakespeare died in 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon. At 52, he wrote some 38 plays and hundreds of poems. Shakespeare was popular during his lifetime. But after his death, the unexpected happened. People continued to perform Shakespeare's plays. In those days, most people did not read, but they remembered Shakespeare's wonderful language. Instead of forgetting Shakespeare, people decided that they hadn't seen enough Shakespeare. Shakespeare will never disappear. Today people all over the world enjoy his plays. Shakespeare fans visit his hometown. They even come to visit his grave.

People who want to read Shakespeare's plays must understand special English. Shakespeare's English is not like the English people speak today. He used words that are not used today. For example, the words “orgulous” (proud), “impeticos” (). Even many English people don't understand it. This is possible because he invented many words.

The English language is different now, but that's partly because of William Shakespeare. His writing influenced the English language. People still use his words and sayings. Hephzibah Anderson of BBC Culture says: “During his 52 years, Shakespeare expanded the English language in ways that are difficult to appreciate. Without him, our words would simply be different. He gave us the ability to express hope and depression, sadness and anger. Even if you have never read his work, you may be using his words. It's too hard to avoid.

Shakespeare is not only important to the English. Today his plays are performed in almost all languages. And it is also important in other cultures. Germany has a long history of presenting Shakespeare's plays. Heinrich Heine was a German writer. He lived in the early 1800s. He said: "The Germans understand Shakespeare better than the English."

Some cultures use Shakespeare's stories but do not use his words. They write them again, but for other places and times. Akira Kurosawa was a famous Japanese film director. He staged his own versions or adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. But instead of the history of England, he made them about the history of Japan. He also added elements of ancient Japanese Noh theater to his film. The result was a mixture. People could recognize Shakespeare. But they also saw that it was a Kurosawa film.

There may be more than one reason why Shakespeare remains popular around the world. Some say it is because of the beautiful language he used. Others say he is an important part of English history. Today his work is part of English traditions. But perhaps this is because Shakespeare understood people's lives. He wrote about situations that happen to all people at all times. He wrote about families, conflicts and love. More than 400 years have already passed since he was born. But when people watch his plays, it seems as if the world has not changed. There are always parts in his works that readers always understand. And he does not need translation in them.

Interesting facts about English with translation will help you learn a lot of new things and prepare for the lesson.

Interesting facts about Shakespeare in English

He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist.

He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”.

His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship.

His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

He is believed to have died on his birthday.

His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

He is widely considered the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent playwright.

He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

At age 18, he married a 26-year-old woman named Anne Hathaway.

All members of Shakespeare's family were illiterate.

His extant works, including his collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems, some of which are unknown.

His plays have been translated into all the major living languages ​​and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

All of Uranus' moons are named after Shakespearean characters.

It is believed that he died on his birthday.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his day, but his reputation did not rise to its current heights until the 19th century.

His plays remain very popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in various cultural and political contexts around the world.

The name of William Shakespeare is well known to all schoolchildren thanks to the plays “Romeo and Juliet”, “Othello” and “Hamlet”. However, not all students know about Shakespeare's sonnets.

A sonnet is not a simple verse, but a poetic work of a certain form, consisting of 14 lines. In Shakespeare's sonnets, the following rhyme scheme is adopted: abab cdcd efef gg, that is, three quatrains with cross rhymes and one couplet.

In total, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, and most of them were created in the years 1592-1599. The entire cycle of sonnets falls into separate thematic groups:

• Sonnets dedicated to a friend;
• Sonnets dedicated to a dark-skinned lover;
  The joy and beauty of love.

Let's look at Shakespeare's popular sonnets in English and their translation.

Sonnet 57 (Sonnet 57)

Watch a recitation of Sonnet 57 performed by BBC actors.

Sonnet 66 (Sonnet 66)

You can listen to William Shakespeare reciting Sonnet 66 below:

Sonnet 71 (Sonnet 71)

And here is the performance of sonnet 71:

Sonnet 90 (Sonnet 90)

Recitation of Sonnet 90 in English in the video below:

Sonnet 102 (Sonnet 102)

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Biography of William Shakespeare

Early years

Life in London

Later years

early years

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, was a successful artisan. William was the third child in the family. In total, his parents had eight children. William Shakespeare attended Stratford Grammar School.

In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a local landowner. At that time, Shakespeare was 18 years old, and Anne was 8 years older than him. In 1583, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susan. In 1585, the couple had twins - son Hamnet and daughter Judith. Unfortunately, Hamnet, the only son of William Shakespeare, died at the age of 11.

Life in London

Shakespeare later moved to London. He lived and worked in this city for many years. During this time, Shakespeare wrote most of his works and became a successful playwright. His troupe was one of the best in London.

In 1599, a theater was built on the south bank of the Thames. It was called "Globe". Shakespeare's troupe performed in this theater. Work in the theater made Shakespeare a wealthy man. He was not only a playwright, he also took part in theatrical performances.

Last years

A few years before his death, Shakespeare moved to Stratford. He died on April 23, 1616. Some research suggests that Shakespeare was ill towards the end of his life.

Shakespeare's works

Among his works are such masterpieces of world literature as “Romeo and Juliet”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Othello”, “King Lear”, “Hamlet” and many others. In addition, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.

The influence of William Shakespeare's work is enormous, from theater and literature to modern cinema, Western philosophy and the English language in general.