by Prof. George Monaco

Created on: June 28, 2008

William Shakespeare was one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language. He wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and a bunch of other stuff. William Shakespeare was born in 1564, in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon. He got married at the age of eighteen, and moved to London sometime afterword. Other than that, historians don't know a lot about Shakespeare's early life.

But by 1594, he was one of the most popular playwrights - and actors- in the city! He was an actor as well as a writer.

Shakespeare's history plays told the story of kings and rulers from days gone by. Like Richard III, a story about an evil hunchback who plotted to steal the throne of England. And Henry V, a warrior-prince that led the English army to glory on the battlefield.

If you're not crazy for histories, you're in luck! Shakespeare wrote plenty of comedies too! They poke fun at human weaknesses especially love and usually end with a marriage or a celebration. In Midsummer Night's Dream, magical fairies play tricks on some people lost in the woods. And Twelfth Night derives humor out of cross dressing and mistaken identity.

Needless to say, Shakespeare became very popular. So in 1599, his acting company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, built a brand new theatre for them. It was called the Globe Theatre and quickly arose to become the most popular playhouse in London.

Wealthy people bought seats around the edge. Meanwhile, regular people (commoners) sat right below the stage, in an area called "the pit". Because their area was on the ground, the commoners became known as groundlings.

Shakespeare made sure to please them by filling his plays with slapstick humor and with plenty of puns. His intricate plot drew everyone into the drama on stage. All this is great, the histories and the comedies, but Shakespeare's tragedies are considered his best work.

They can be very dark, and always end in a death. And they usually contain flawed heroes that make costly mistakes.

Hamlet tells the story of a prince who can't bring himself to take revenge against his murderous stepfather. Othello is about a Moorish general that is bought down by his scheming, jealous lieutenant. Another one, Macbeth, is one of Shakespeare's bloodiest plays. It's about a Scottish nobleman who becomes king by murdering all of his rivals.

Most of Shakespeare's plays fit into these three categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies. But there is a fourth category: tragicomedies. These have both elements of both tragedies and comedies in them. Like The Tempest, about an island ruled by an angry sorcerer.

William Shakespeare died in 1616, at the age of 52. But his plays are still performed around the world. They've remained popular because they reflect truths about human nature that apply to every time and place.

That's why you'll often see versions of Shakespearian plays with unusual settings. Like a version of Macbeth set in the Army, or a Romeo and Juliet set up in a modern American High School.

That can only be pulled off by an amazingly talented playwright, one that would go down in history as William Shakespeare.

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