William Shakespeare was born on April of 1564 and many believe on the 23rd, but that may be wrong. He died on April 23, 1616. Some refer to him as the ‘Great Bard,’ he wrote for the people and royalty alike. There are some who believe that someone else actually wrote Shakespeare’s work and he was just the face.
I grew up with Shakespeare around. I first was introduced to him by my parents. They had some friends and every once in a blue moon they would get together and read a play. Everyone would pick a character from the hat. I actually got to participate when I was in my teens. They were doing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and I got the role of Puck. The best part was my dad got the part of Nick Bottom. This, of course, was great fun.
In high school I had a teacher teach us Twelfth Night, which has ever since been my favorite of his plays. I love the fun of Viola falling for the duke while the woman he loves falls for her. It all works out in the end but from beginning to end you are fully entertained. I also enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing especially the 1993 Kenneth Branagh’s movie with Emma Thompson and a very young Kate Beckinsale.
As time has gone on I have collected many books about Shakespeare and his plays. Such as Shakespeare and his world, Essential Shakespeare Handbook, Filthy Shakespeare and even The Shakespeare Notebooks (from Doctor Who). I have a game called Playing Shakespeare, and a deck of cards based on his plays. During my honeymoon, my husband took me to the current Globe Theater. We got to take a tour as it was winter and no plays where running. My favorite part was getting near the stage and seeing the painting on the ceiling, it was beautiful.
William Shakespeare is one of my all-time favorite authors. His plays are timeless and many have been rewritten to be set in our modern era. I still love to read his plays whenever I get a chance and am looking forward to introducing my kids to him someday.
(All pictures are from https://pixabay.com)