Who was William Shakespeare again?
 
Well known, "The Bard" was an English author of famous plays
about a lot of different things and he
lived during the Elizabethan era.
But why is Shakespeare considered such a great artist?
Born in England in 1564,
he started his career as an actor and
playwright as a member
of the actors group the "Lord Chamberlain's company",
which
has later become the "King`s Company".
They played in several theaters until
eventually they built the famous Globe Theatre
- their very first own stage.
As there were
only male members in the company,
every role had to be played by men.
But that wasn't the reason why
Shakespeare's plays, like Othello or Hamlet, were very popular.
To match the various tastes of a
diverse audience
Shakespeare created texts of high
complexity, containing relatively simple
plots
as well as subtle nuances.
Being the
key to his success, his stories also contained multiple interlocking plots,
twists and confusions, with containing
something for everyone in the audience.
with containing
something for everyone in the audience.
so it wasn't just for common people, who
enjoyed his works,
his company even played at the king's
court for the amusement of the aristocracy.
Beside the plays, Shakespeare also
wrote a multitude of sonnets and poems.
At first his work consisted almost
exclusively of the histories and comedies,
like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Henry VI".
Later tragedies like
"Hamlet" also became part of his portfolio.
In his work, Shakespeare used his own special language,
rich in metaphors and a vivid images.
He even created new words, which became formally established.
As a consequence many English words used today,
like "lonely" and "gossip", make their first appearance
in one of his plays or sonnets.
Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52.
But his plays are still
performed today and amaze audiences.
Shakespeare's stories have found their way in many of today's movies,
books and even music.
And fortunately, nowadays women can also play Juliet.
