William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is considered to be the world´s greatest playwright. His plays have been performed for centuries and it seems that they will always attract audience and readers. First of all, let me introduce the historical and cultural background associated with Shakespeare´s life...

The second half of the 16th century and the turn of the 17th century is said to be the period of prosperity of England - Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and she was a great queen. Elizabeth I. and her successor James I. were great supporters of theatre. Many new theatres were opened and some performances were even free of charge for people who could not afford to pay the entrance fee.

Now, something about Shakespeare´s life: 
He was born on the 23rd April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon as the youngest son of a glove-maker John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden. He had also two siblings (a sister and a brother). Little is known about his childhood.The only thing we know is that he studied at grammar school in Stratford. He was interested in classical languages (Greek and Latin), he loved psychology, walks in the countryside and he was keen on old stories.

In 1582 the young William married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: daughters Susan and Judith and a son Hamnet (he died at the age of 11). Their marriage was a little unusual because William was only 18 while Ann was 8 years older.
In 1592 he left his family and moved to London.. He was bored with the life in Stratford and he wanted to became an actor. He joined several theatrical companies (he even performed in front of Her Majesty herself), later he started to write plays, later he bought ´The Globe´ theatre.

At the end of his life Shakespeare returned to Stratford and his family where he also died in 1616 (on the same day as he was born). He was celebrating his birthday, eating and drinking a lot and it might be the reason of his sudden death.

However, nowadays there are many doubts about Shakespeare. We are not sure whether he really wrote all the plays and sonnets. Sometimes Francis Bacon, a philosopher, is said to be the author of some plays, some people believe „Shakespeare“ is a name used by a group of writers, some people claim the sonnets were written by a woman….

As for Shakespeare´s works...he is the author of 154 sonnets, poems and approximately 37 plays. The most valued ones are tragedies: Romeo And Juliet,Hamlet, Othello, Mackbeth and King Lear.

 His comedies are popular as well:  The Comedy of Errors (Komedie plná omylů), Much Ado About Nothing(Mnoho povyku pro nic), The Twelfth Night (Večer tříkrálový), As You Like It (Jak se vám líbí, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sen noci svatojánksé) etc. In addition, Shakespeare wrote historical plays: Julius Caesar,Richard II, Richard III Henry IV, Hentry V, Henry VI and so on.

He wrote two fairy-tales as well – The Tempest (Bouře) and A Winter’s Tale (Zimní pohádka)

Finally, a few words about Czech translators of Shakespeare´s works:
The first play to be translated into Czech language was Mackbeth (by Václav Thám at the end of the 18th century). Some of the plays were also translated by Jan Kollár. Among the most famous - and the best - translators belong Josef Václav Sládek and E.A. Saudek. Martin Hilský is a contemporary translator, as well as a specialist in Shakespeare´s life and works.

 Source: www.helpforenglish.cz