William Shakespeare – in a nutshell

[0:01]So, 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 playright as a member of the actor's group, the Lord Chamberlain's Company, which would later become the King's Company. They played in several theaters until they eventually built the famous Globe Theater, 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, containing something for everyone in the audience. So it wasn't just the common people who enjoyed his works, his company even played at the King's court for the amusement of the aristocracy. Besides the plays, Shakespeare also wrote a multitude of sonnets and poems. At first, his work consisted almost exclusively of 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 vivid images. He even created new words which became firmly 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 into many of today's movies, books, and even music. And fortunately, nowadays, women can also play Juliet.