CONTENT:
SHAKESPEARE'S BIOGRAPHY
LIST OF SHAKESPEARE'S PHRASES
MATCHING EXERCISE
BLANK FILLING EXERCISE
ARABIC EQUIVALENTS
WORD SEARCH PUZZLE
William Shakespeare is the most important figure and landmark in English literature who has made a significant contribution to the English literature and language. Shakespeare coined countless phrases which have become clichés and proverbial in everyday speech.
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SHAKESPEARE'S MINI BIOGRAPHY:
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England on April 23, 1564. He most likely attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford, where he learned Latin grammar and literature. In 1582, he married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. In 1583, William’s first child, Susanna was born. In 1585, he had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Between 1589 and 1590, William is believed to have written his first play, Henry VIII (part I). The next year, he completed the second part of the play.
By 1592, William had begun a career as a playwright in London. Two years later, he was an actor and part-owner of a playwright company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The company was successful and was adopted by King James I. It was then renamed The King’s Men. By this time, William was well-known throughout the London theater world. In 1594, historians believe he wrote The Taming of the Shrew, a famous comedy in which a character named Petruchio wins a bet for having the most “obedient” wife. The next year, in 1595, William wrote some of his most famous plays including A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Romeo and Juliet. A Midsummer’s Night Dream is a romantic comedy about four lovers and a group of amateur actors, and their interaction with fairies who live in a moonlit forest. Historians believe it was written for a royal wedding. Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous love story and tragedy of all time. In 1596, William wrote The Merchant of Venice, a famous comedy in which a Jewish merchant demands “a pound of flesh” when the lead character, Antonio, defaults on a loan.
After writing Julius Caesar in 1599, Shakespeare is thought to have written Hamlet, historically thought of as his greatest masterpiece. To this day Hamlet is probably his most quoted and reproduced tragedy. It is also Shakespeare’s longest play. The plot of the story involves Prince Hamlet, and his attempts to seek revenge on his Uncle Claudius for poisoning his father, King of Denmark, and ascending to the throne.
After Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote several other timeless classics such as Macbeth, Othello, and The Tempest. Many of his plays were performed by his production company at royal courts and at prestigious theaters. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52.
William Shakespeare coined new words and countless phrases. Famous quotes from his plays are easily recognizable like “To be or not to be,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “All's well that ends well”. But an incredible number of lines from his plays have become so ingrained into modern vernacular that we no longer recognize them as lines from plays at all.
Today, William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of English language. He is considered one of the few playwrights to have succeeded in writing both comedies and tragedies. He is credited for revolutionizing theater. Although his plays were not published until after his death, they have now been translated into every major world language, and have been performed continuously in community theaters, high school auditoriums, and major performing venues. Hundreds of “Shakespeare Festivals” exist across the world.
By 1592, William had begun a career as a playwright in London. Two years later, he was an actor and part-owner of a playwright company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The company was successful and was adopted by King James I. It was then renamed The King’s Men. By this time, William was well-known throughout the London theater world. In 1594, historians believe he wrote The Taming of the Shrew, a famous comedy in which a character named Petruchio wins a bet for having the most “obedient” wife. The next year, in 1595, William wrote some of his most famous plays including A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Romeo and Juliet. A Midsummer’s Night Dream is a romantic comedy about four lovers and a group of amateur actors, and their interaction with fairies who live in a moonlit forest. Historians believe it was written for a royal wedding. Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous love story and tragedy of all time. In 1596, William wrote The Merchant of Venice, a famous comedy in which a Jewish merchant demands “a pound of flesh” when the lead character, Antonio, defaults on a loan.
After writing Julius Caesar in 1599, Shakespeare is thought to have written Hamlet, historically thought of as his greatest masterpiece. To this day Hamlet is probably his most quoted and reproduced tragedy. It is also Shakespeare’s longest play. The plot of the story involves Prince Hamlet, and his attempts to seek revenge on his Uncle Claudius for poisoning his father, King of Denmark, and ascending to the throne.
After Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote several other timeless classics such as Macbeth, Othello, and The Tempest. Many of his plays were performed by his production company at royal courts and at prestigious theaters. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52.
William Shakespeare coined new words and countless phrases. Famous quotes from his plays are easily recognizable like “To be or not to be,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “All's well that ends well”. But an incredible number of lines from his plays have become so ingrained into modern vernacular that we no longer recognize them as lines from plays at all.
Today, William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of English language. He is considered one of the few playwrights to have succeeded in writing both comedies and tragedies. He is credited for revolutionizing theater. Although his plays were not published until after his death, they have now been translated into every major world language, and have been performed continuously in community theaters, high school auditoriums, and major performing venues. Hundreds of “Shakespeare Festivals” exist across the world.
63 Shakespeare Words and Phrases.
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A. Match the phrases with their meaning:
1. Much ado about nothing.
2. Good riddance . 3. To be, or not to be, that is the question. 4. In a pickle. 5. All's well that ends well. 6. Fair play. 7. In stitches. 8. All that glitters is not gold. 9. A fool's paradise. 10. All the world's a stage... 11. Break the ice. 12. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. 13. It’s Greek to me. 14. A laughing stock. 15. Vanish into thin air. |
a. An expression of pleasure on being rid of some annoyance
b. Is it better to live or to die? c. furor over something unimportant. d. problems do not matter so long as the outcome is good. e. Follow the rules, especially in competitions or sports. f. In a difficult position. g. Laughing loudly. h. Appearances can be misleading. i. Life is like a play j. Illusory happiness. k. You will lose both the money and/or the friend if you borrow or lend money. l. To attempt to become friends with someone by asking them polite questions. m. I don’t understand that. n. to disappear completely in a way that is mysterious o. Seems stupid or silly, especially by trying to be serious or important and not succeeding. |
KEY: 1. c, 2. a, 3. b, 4. f, 5. d, 6. e, 7. g, 8. h, 9. j, 10. i, 11. l, 12. k, 13. m, 14. o, 15. n.
B. Fill in the blanks with the following expressions: Good riddance - Much ado about nothing - Greek to me - Fool's paradise - All's well that ends well - Neither a borrower nor a lender be - Break the ice - all the world's a stage -Not all that glitters is gold - All the world's a stage - In stitches.
1. ______________________________ , and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.
2. Fred is confident that he'll get a big raise this year, but I think he's living in a ______________________________
3. Mr Bean's show sure was funny. It had the audience ______________________________
4. All this arguing is ______________________________
5. After losing several of my favorite books that my friends didn't return, I learned that it is best to ______________________________
6. Peter and his nasty dog have finally moved out ______________________________
7. A nice smile does a lot to ______________________________
8. I'm glad you finally got here, even though your car had a flat tire on the way ______________________________
9. John has gotten himself ______________________________ by swearing at the policeman.
10. Europe may look like an exciting place to live in, but ______________________________
11. I don’t understand any of what he said. It's all ______________________________
12. It is said that ______________________________ and we are merely players in it.
2. Fred is confident that he'll get a big raise this year, but I think he's living in a ______________________________
3. Mr Bean's show sure was funny. It had the audience ______________________________
4. All this arguing is ______________________________
5. After losing several of my favorite books that my friends didn't return, I learned that it is best to ______________________________
6. Peter and his nasty dog have finally moved out ______________________________
7. A nice smile does a lot to ______________________________
8. I'm glad you finally got here, even though your car had a flat tire on the way ______________________________
9. John has gotten himself ______________________________ by swearing at the policeman.
10. Europe may look like an exciting place to live in, but ______________________________
11. I don’t understand any of what he said. It's all ______________________________
12. It is said that ______________________________ and we are merely players in it.
KEY: 1. All the world's a stage, 2. fool's paradise, 3. in stitches, 4. much ado about nothing, 5. neither a borrower nor a lender be, 6. Good riddance to bad rubbish, 7. break the ice, 8. All's well that ends well, 9. into a pickle, 10. not all that glitters is gold, 11. Greek to me, 12. all the world's a stage.
C. Match Shakespeare phrases with their Arabic equivalents:
1. All that glitters is not gold:
2. All's well that ends well: 3. Bag and baggage: 4. Neither a borrower nor a lender be: 5. Breathed his last: 6. Fight fire with fire: 7. Good riddance: 8. It was Greek to me: 9. Laughing stock: 10. Much Ado About Nothing: 11. Naked truth: 12. Neither rhyme nor reason: 13. Thereby hangs a tale: 14. What’s done is done: |
a. مْشْيا بْلا رْجْعَة"
b. كل ماينتهي بخير فهو خير c. "لا راس لا ساس" d. لا أفهم شيئا بتاتا e. يلفظ أنفاسه الأخيرة f." ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبا g. لا تكن المُقتَرِض ولا المُقرِض h.أضحوكة "ضْحْكاَ" i.الكثير من اللغط حول لا شيء j. "اللّي فات ماتاللّي فات مات" k. بكل أمتعته وعفشه l."تْمّا عواجْت الفْقوسة" m. الحقيقة العارية n. يحارب النار بالنار |
KEY: 1. f, 2. b, 3. k, 4. g, 5. e, 6. n, 7. a, 8. d, 9. h, 10. i, 11. m, 12. c, 13.l, 14. j.
D. Find Shakespeare related words in the list in this word-search puzzle: You can go forward or down only.
E. Choose the correct answer:
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