“Soul of the Age”

Выполнила ученица 10 классаКапитонова Наталья

МОУ СОШ №45 г. Твери с углубленным изучением

отдельных предметов естественнонаучной направленностии

Introduction. The age of Shakespeare.

The last half of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII 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».

Introduction. The age of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare alone is the whole epoch in world literature. As I am very interested in Shakespeare’s literary career I decided

• to know as much as possible about his biography;• to describe in detail the traditions connected with

this great writer;• to find information about the history of the Globe;• to hold a cultural quiz «Do you know Shakespeare?»

among the students in order to know how well they are informed in this question.

Chapter 1. The greatest English poet and dramatist.

Soul of the age!The applause, delight, the wonder of

our stage!Ben Jonson

1.1. Shakespeare’s Parents William Shakespeare, the greatest

English poet and dramatist, was born on or about April 23, 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in England. Stratford is a small country town in a farming district near the centre of England.

1.1. Shakespeare’s Parents Not much is known of Shakespeare’s father,

John Shakespeare. He was a man of some importance in Stratford.

The poet’s mother, Mary Arden, was one of the eight daughters of Robert Arden, a rich farmer in the village of Wilmcote, where the Arden farmstead may still be seen.

1.2. Shakespeare’s Birthplace

John Shakespeare and his wife lived in a well-built house of rough stone which was two storeys high with small windows cut in the roof. The house is still standing. It is now a museum.

1.2. Shakespeare’s Birthplace

William Shakespeare was born here in a small room. He was the eldest son and third child of marriage. In

general appearance the house remains much the same as it looked

at that time.

1.3. Shakespeare’s School Very little is known about the life of William,

especially about his early years. William was sent to school at the age of seven.

He studied there for six years and besides reading and writing he was taught Latin and Greek.

1.3. Shakespeare’s School In 1577 a change came over his father’s

fortunes. William was taken from school and for some time had to help his father in the trade.

He never went to school again. Just what he did between his fourteenth and

eighteenth year is not known.

1.4. Shakespeare’s Wife In 1582, when little more than eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of Richard Hathaway who belonged to a well-respected yeoman family. Anne was eight years

older than her husband and it is said that the marriage was not

a happy one.

1.5. Shakespeare in London William Shakespeare lived in Stratford until he was

about twenty-one, when he left for London in1586. Probably the first work he did there was at one of two theatres. Then he became an actor and soon began to write plays for the company of actors to

which he belonged. Very many of his plays were acted in a London theatre called The Globe.

1.5. Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare’s first printed works were two long poems. Shakespeare’s fame rapidly increased after 1594. In all he was an author of over thirty plays, two poems and 154 sonnets.

1.5. Shakespeare in London William Shakespeare died on April 23,

1616, at the age of 52 and was buried in a fine old Parish Church at Stratford. On his grave one can see the following

inscription:

1.5. Shakespeare in London

The monument with a bust by the London sculptor Gerard Johnson was

put up to him in this church a few years later.

1.7. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

The season of Shakespeare’s plays which is held annually at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre has become so established that it now carries the reputation of an English tradition. On April 23, Shakespeare’s birthday, in 1879, the first Memorial Theatre was opened with a Shakespeare Festival. From that time, Festivals were held for a few weeks every year.

1.7. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

The present Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened in 1932. The

Theatre is now one of the most comfortable and best equipped in the

world. It stands in an unusually beautiful setting on the banks of

Stratford’s Avon.

Chapter 2. The history of the Globe.

He was not of an age, but for all times!Ben Jonson

2.1. Burbage’s Theatre Playhouses first appeared in England in Queen

Elizabeth’s reign. One of the first builders of a playhouse in London was James Burbage, a carpenter, who had become an actor and joined the Earl of Leicester’s Men. A playhouse, which was called the Theatre, was erected by Burbage in 1576.

2.1. Burbage’s Theatre It was to the Theatre that William

Shakespeare came when he first appeared in London; and it is highly probably that The

Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet and some other plays by Shakespeare were performed

for the first time on this stage. The old building was pulled down and the timber and other materials were transported

across the Thames. The new theatre was called the Globe.

2.2. The Globe In the public theatres of that time the pit

was open to the sky, so that the performance depended entirely upon the weather. Flags were hoisted when a play was to be given, but if the weather suddenly changed for the worse, the flags were pulled down and the performance did not take place.

2.2. The GlobeThe Globe was opened to the public in 1599. Almost at

once the Globe Company rose to the position of leadership in the drama, for both William

Shakespeare and Richard Burbage were now at the height of their powers.

In the summer of 1613 the Globe caught fire during the performance of a play and was burnt to the ground.

The new Globe was said to be the most beautiful theatre that had ever been built in England.

2.2. The Globe At the present time the site of the Globe is covered by

a large brewery. Tourists are shown a bronze memorial tablet on one of the walls of the brewery. On the left of the tablet is a bust of the poet, on the right – a simple inscription: “Here stood the Globe Playhouse of Shakespeare”.

2.3. A cultural quiz «Do you know Shakespeare?»

The results of the quiz (24 students take part in it) show that

• 4 students answered 9 questions out of 10 correctly;• 5 students answered 8 questions out of 10 correctly;• 7 students answered 7 questions out of 10 correctly;• 5 students answered 6 questions out of 10 correctly;• 2 students answered 4 questions out of 10 correctly;• 1 student answered only 3 questions correctly.

It means that teenagers of my form are fond of the English literature and especially of William Shakespeare though some of them do not know much enough about his plays but they are eager to learn more after the quiz.

Conclusion An English author once wrote: «Some books are

to be tasted, others to be swallowed or digested». This quotation tells us how to read books of different kinds. If you are fond of crime stories (A. Christie, G. Simenon and the rest of the modern favourites) you will read them quickly, you’ll «swallow» them.

And then there are books that you’ll read slowly and carefully. You’ll want to weigh what the author says and consider his ideas and arguments. Shakespeare’s books are really to be digested.

Conclusion To sum it up I discovered new things about William

Shakespeare. And I • now knew much more about his biography;• described in detail the traditions connected with

this great writer;• found information about the history of the Globe;• held a cultural quiz «Do you know Shakespeare?»

among the students and knew how well they are informed in this question.

I dare say that now I know more about the greatest ever English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare.