Shakespeare’s Life History and Works  

Friends, in this lesson, we are going to learn about the most important facts of Shakespeare’s life and works.

Shakespeare

 

Q.1: What was Shakespeare’s life span?

Ans: 23rd April 1564 to  23rd April 1616.

Q2. When was Shakespeare baptized?

Ans. Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564 in Trinity Church.

Q.3: Where was Shakespeare born?

Ans: Shakespeare was born at Stratford-upon-Avon town ….in Stratford-on-Avon district in the county of Warwickshire in England….at Avon River

Q.4: Who was Shakespeare’s father?

Ans: William Shakespeare’s father was John Shakespeare….He was a businessman of grains, meat, leather etc. …..some say he was also indulged in butcher profession.

Q.5: Who was Shakespeare’s mother?

Ans: Merry Arden……. daughter of Robert Arden

Q.6 What languages did Shakespeare learn?

Ans: English, Greek and Latin at Stratford Grammar School……He also studied bible

Q.7:Who was Shakespeare’s wife?

Ans: Anne Hathaway … At the age of 18 years, Shakespeare married to Anny Hathaway in 1582… while Anne Hathaway was 26 years old….yes, Anne Hathaway was 8 years older than Shakespeare.

Q.8: What are the names of Shakespeare’s children?

Ans: There were three children of Shakespeare.

Son- Hamnet …..Daughter-Susanna and Judith

It is said that after 6 months of marriage, she gave birth to a baby girl who was named Susanna

In 1585, Anny Hathaway gave two twin children……Hamnet and Judith

Q.9: When was Hamnet, the son of Shakespeare died?

Ans. Hamnet died on 11 august 1596 at the age of 11 years.

Q.10: When did Shakespeare leave Stratford for London?

Ans: Shakespeare left Stratford upon Avon and went to London at the age of 22.

It is said that Shakespeare stole a dear from the farm of Sir Thomas Louis

Q.11:  When did Shakespeare return to Stratford upon Avon?

Ans. Shakespeare returned to his Town Stratford upon Avon in 1611.

Q.12: What is the name of the theatre Shakespeare joined?

Ans: Lord Chamberlain’s Men theatre company and then it was developed as a Globe theatre in London

Q.13: What is the name of the Drama in which Shakespeare worked?

Ans: Every Man in His Humor by Ban Jonson

Q.14: How many plays did Shakespeare write?

Ans: 37

Here are Shakespeare’s plays under three categories.

COMEDIES

All’s Well That Ends Well

As You Like It

Comedy of Errors

Love’s Labour’s Lost

Measure for Measure

Merchant of Venice

Merry Wives of Windsor

Midsummer Night’s Dream

Much Ado about Nothing

Taming of the Shrew

Tempest

Twelfth Night

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Winter’s Tale

 

HISTORIES

Henry IV, Part I

Henry IV, Part II

Henry V

Henry VI, Part I

Henry VI, Part II

Henry VI, Part III

Henry VIII

King John

Pericles

Richard II

Richard III

 

TRAGEDIES

Antony and Cleopatra

Coriolanus

Cymbeline

Hamlet

Julius Caesar

King Lear

Macbeth

Othello

Romeo and Juliet

Timon of Athens

Titus Andronicus

Troilus and Cressida

 

Q.15: How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Ans: 154 Sonnets which were published in 1609

Q.16: How many long poems did Shakespeare write?

Ans: 4 long narrative poems.

  1. Venus and Adonis……..is dedicated to Earl of Southampton
  2. The Rape of Lucrece
  3. A Lover’s Complaint
  4. The Phoenix and the Turtle

 

Q.17: Name the first play written by Shakespeare.

Ans: Henry Fourth

Q.18 What are the four greatest tragedies written by Shakespeare?

Ans:

  1. Hamlet-(1599-1601)
  2. Othello-(1603)
  3. King Lear( 1605-1606)
  4. Macbeth(1606)

Q.19: What is meaning by Hamlet’s question…. “To be or not to be”

Ans: It’s meaning is …To live or to die.

Q.20. Who wrote Shakespearean Tragedy and Shakespearean Comedy?

ANS.  AC Bradley.

Q.21. Who was the other famous dramatist in the age of Shakespeare?

Ans. Ban Jonson

22.Which play of Shakespeare is called “Tragedy of reflection”?

Ans. Hamlet

23.Which play of Shakespeare is called the “Tragedy of overlapping ambition”?

Ans. Macbeth

24.Which play of Shakespeare was artistic failure according to TS Eliot?

Ans. Hamlet…….. as per TS Eliot’s theory-Objective Correlative, Hamlet is considered to be the artistic failure.

Q.25: Who is called the Bard of Avon?

Ans: Shakespeare

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