Who was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare grew up in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.
His family were rich so he went to a good school and grew up to be a playwright.
He wrote different types of plays – histories, tragedies and comedies.
Watch: William Shakespeare
Watch this video to learn more about William Shakespeare, including where he came from and how he became famous.
Today we watch stories through TV, computers or on phones. But 450 years ago, people could only watch stories acted in front of them on the streets or in theatres.
People loved watching plays. They were as popular then as TV shows are now and some of the actors became just as famous.
One of these actors was William Shakespeare.
He's still famous today. Not for acting but because he was, and still is, one of the best known writers in the English language.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He went to school there and learned Latin and Greek. He got married at 18 and had children.
Shakespeare moved to London, and became a rather famous actor there.
He also wrote plays which everyone, rich and poor, even royalty, paid to watch.
Soon Shakespeare was rich enough to help build a new theatre, called ‘The Globe’.
Shakespeare wrote many different types of plays. Sad tragedies like Romeo and Juliet, funny comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream and important histories about kings like Henry V.
They were fun, scary, exciting and serious!
He also wrote poetry and invented new words like 'eyeball' and 'bedroom'. He truly changed the way we speak English!
William Shakespeare lived over 450 years ago, but his name, plays and poetry are still known all over the world today.
Students learn about him at school and at university. People come from many countries to see where he lived and his plays are just as popular now as when they were first performed all those years ago!
Summary of Romeo and Juliet
One of Shakespeare's most famous plays is a tragedy called Romeo and Juliet.
Two powerful families, the Montagues and the Capulets, lived in Verona Italy have been feuding for so long that they can’t why they started fighting in the first place!
Two teenage of the families, Romeo (Montague) and Juliet (Capulet), fall in love at a party, but have to keep it a secret because of their feuding families. They even get married without telling them!
In a street fight Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) kills Mercutio (Romeo’s close friend). In revenge Romeo kills Tybalt and he is banished from Verona.
Aided by Friar Laurence, Juliet plans to re Romeo and a scheme is hatched to convince everyone that she has died.
She sends a letter to Romeo to tell him of the plan, but her message never reaches him. Romeo finds Juliet and she appears lifeless. Thinking she really is dead, Romeo kills himself. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo lying beside her and takes her own life.
Finally, the two families are reunited, due to the tragic events.
Watch: Romeo and Juliet
An animated version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Activity 1
Can you order the key events in Shakespeare’s life?
Activity 2
Think about the ending of the Romeo and Juliet - could it have finished differently?
At the ending of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet fakes her death and lies in a tomb waiting for Romeo so they can run away together.
Romeo doesn't receive the message, so thinks Juliet has actually died.
He goes to Verona and sees Juliet in her tomb, thinking she is dead. He drinks poison and she wakes up to discover Romeo is dead. Juliet kills herself with his dagger.
The Capulet and Montague families vow never to argue again.
Write an alternative ending for the story from the point where Romeo is banished from Verona.
Activity 3
Watch this video for a more detailed look at the play. Listen carefully to the task at the end of the video!
Actors performing Romeo and Juliet.
Can you create a news report for the Newsround website about Romeo and Juliet?
You will need to give the background behind Romeo and Juliet's story. Talk about the feuding families, and don't forget an eye-catching, snappy headline.
, it's like writing a newspaper article but will be read online.
Refresh your memory about newspapers with this Features of a neswpaper guide from Bitesize.
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers. game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission!
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