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Shakespeare was a playwright in the 16th century, he lived from 1554 to 1616. He was the son of a wealthy glovemaker and wooldealer, so he was rather well off. He received private education. Later he married Ann Hathaway in her mid-twenties and had three children with her: Snsanna, Hamnet and Judith. At the beginning of the nineties he went to London where he started a career as a poet. He soon became famous for his sonnets, later for his plays and for his work as an actor. Besides, he was shareholder of the Globe Theatre. He died in 1616 in Stratford upon Avon.
In 1599, the Globe Theatre burnt, many scripts were lost, and so he was very embittered
Christopher Marlow worked together with Shakespeare, they were kind of collegues. He was a very important author, he was killed in a brawl in a tavern because of his fierce temperament. He wrote for example Edward II, Tambalon the Great
Shakespeares plays are still performed and made into films, e. g. Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet (Mel Gibson), Othello or Much Ado About Nothing, his sonnets still read and taught, he is one of the most read author.
The Film steps in Shakespeare's life in his mid-twenties. he is suffering from a writer's block, but has already sold his next play. He needs inspiration, then he gets to know Viola. Her deepest wish is to become an actor, but actresses were not accepted at that time because they were regarded as prostitutes. Shakespeare falls in love with her. She gets the role of Romeo, Shakespeare's new play, she dressed up like a man. Shakespeare writes the play scene by scene during the rehearsals, so the plot and the name f the play changes constantly. He has to bring everyone into the play who gave money for it. The love-story between Shakespeare and Viola gets entwined with the production of the play because the stories have parallels. At the premier, the actor of Juliet is no longer to speak with a high-pitched voice, he is at the beginning of his puberty and so his voice changes. So Viola acts as a substitute for Julia, Shakespeare goes in for Romeo. The movie has an unhappy ending because Viola was married the same day and will go to Virginia, Shakespeare is also already married to Ann Hathaway.
Finally Shakespeare starts to write another play about Viola called "12th night": she is shipwrecked on her way to Virginia and stranded on a lonely island.
Plays are entertainment and fun for lower class simple folks, but has monologues for the sophisticated and educated people as well as fighting scenes for soldiers. They are performed on Sunday afternoons until sunset because the had to use the daylight - candles were to dangerous because of the wooden buildings
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