Literature Reader Shakespeare and his sonnets

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 6

William Shakespeare

His life and his works

What do you know about
William Shakespeare?

Take a guess: William Shakespeare wrote at least ...

1. 5 plays
2. 12 plays
3. 26 plays
4. 37 plays

Take a guess: How many English words did Shakespeare invent?

1. 70
2. 700
3. 1700
4. 2700

Shakespeare's stories are still used today. Listen to this description of Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet' and let me know what it reminds you of below.

His life

• Born on 23rd April (?), 1564  - died on 23rd April, 1616
• Lived in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Father was a glove-maker
• Family was able to send William to school
  

His family life

• Married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. She was 26 at the time (past the age of marriage) and pregnant.
• Daughter Susanna (1583)
• Twins: Hamnet & Judith (1585)
• Hamnet passed away at age 11
  

The Lost Years

1584 - 1592

No idea what the guy was doing during those years!

His work

• 1592: moved to London

• 1594: joins the Lord Chamberlain's Men (as an actor and playwright)
• Shakespeare was successful in his own time
• He became considerably wealthy and he had a share in the Globe Theatre

His work

• Later on the theatre company was renamed The King's Men, under patronage of King James I.
• Shakespeare continued writing plays until 1613 after which he moved back to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died in 1616.
  

Curse on Shakespeare's grave

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,

To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones,

And cursed be he that moves my bones.

Shakespeare's sonnets

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Should I compare you to a summer's day?

You are lovelier and more mild.

Even in May rough winds shake the delicate flower buds,

And the duration of summer is always too short.

Sometimes the Sun, the eye of heaven, is too hot,

And his golden face is often dimmed;

And beauty falls away from beautiful people,

Stripped by Chance or Nature's changing course.

But your eternal summer will not fade,

Nor will you lose possession of the beauty you own,

Nor will death be able to boast that you wander in his shade,

When you live in eternal lines, set apart from time.

As long as men breathe or have eyes to see,

As long as this sonnet lives, it will give life to you.

4 sub-groups:

- 3 groups of 4 lines (quatrains)

- 1 group of 2 lines (couplet)

A sonnet consists of 14 lines

Rhyme scheme

A

B

A

B

C

D

C

D

E

F

E

F

G

G

2nd quatrain: 'but'

Iambic pentameter

So we now know that Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. How many sonnets do you think he wrote?

1. 55
2. 93
3. 154
4. 186

What do you think this sonnet is about?

Assignment 1:                                        OR

- Take a look at a couple of sonnets by Shakespeare (online).
- Pick your favourite.
- Copy the sonnet.
- Explain what it is about (in short and in your own words)
- and what you like about it.

Hand it in through Magister Opdrachten.

Assignment 2:

Can you write your own sonnet?

If you want some help, go to ONE of these links:

• http://shakespearestarwars.com/

• https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/sonnet/

• https://www.dummies.com/education/language-arts/poetry/writing-a-sonnet/

Hand it in through Magister Opdrachten.