Annabel Pope

Annabel Pope
 
 A fictionalised biography of the Great Bard based on the few documents which have reached us and on his works: the first years of his life, the marriage to Anne Hathaway, his move to London, his productive friendship with an Italian (possible supplier of several novellas), his first steps on the stage (as an actor and then as a playwright), his troubles and successes; but also his strong love for a Dark Lady, the mysterious muse who inspired some of his works.
 Each chapter is introduced by the world and English historical situation of the time. Stimulating in-depth analyses are about Shakespeare’s places (Stratford, London), his works (plays and sonnets), his heritage, the mystery surrounding the Dark Lady but also himself. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Biografia romanzata del Grande Bardo basata sui pochi documenti pervenutici e sulle sue opere. I primi anni della sua vita, il matrimonio con Anne Hathaway, il trasferimento a Londra, l’amicizia feconda con un italiano (probabile fornitore di diverse novelle), i primi passi teatrali come attore e poi come autore, le grandi difficoltà e i grandi successi; ma anche il grande amore verso una Dark Lady, la misteriosa musa ispiratrice di diverse sue opere. Il tutto inserito nel contesto storico del periodo elisabettiano.

William Shakespeare

Chapter 1 - Early days

Extension: Stratford-Upon-Avon

Chapter 2 - Times change

Extension: The attraction of London

Chapter 3 - Success arrives

Extension: Shakespeare and his plays

Chapter 4 - Hide your life

Extension: The rise of the theatre and its dramatists

Chapter 5 - Life begins again

Extension: Shakespeare’s “Dark Lady”

Chapter 6 - The final curtain

Extension: Did Shakespeare really exist?

Summing-up activities

Glossary

exist as a man, a writer and an actor. There are publishers  registers in which his plays are recorded, and Ben Jonson wrote a dedication to him in the First Folio, and called him the  sweet swan of Avon . There is a written record of The Comedy of Errors performed in 1594 at Gray s Inn, the law students school where students and patrons watched many plays. In the same year, there is a document which says £20 was paid to Mr Shakespeare, Burbage and Kempe, all members of  The Chamberlain s Men ; and a list of actors in 1598 in a performance of Jonson s play, Every Man in his Humour, includes William Shakespeare. There are even records which show that he evaded paying tax in the 1590 s; the authorities did not know that he had moved from Bishopsgate to Bankside and were looking for him because he had to pay them 5 shillings tax! The most fascinating discovery was his signature as a witness in the Mountjoy case, his ex-landlords, in the courts in 1612. So the question can be asked but it is difficult not to believe in Shakespeare the man. Manuscripts were not that important in Elizabethan times because plays were written to be performed and no play was or is ever produced in the same way. How often do you see a film and you remember its name and maybe the actors, but not the director? In any case, Shakespeare could not have left his work to his family because it belonged to the theatre company and the publishers. The theatres kept all the plays, so it is in fact a real possibility that they were destroyed in the fire with the Globe Theatre. He remains an enigma because nothing is known about his personal emotions and the mystery has deepened as language, ideas and society have changed. 116 

SUMMING-UP ACTIVITIES WORKING ON THE TEXT 1 Put Shakespeare s life story into chronological order. c c 1 c c c c c c c c c c c c c c 2 He has to leave school. Giacomo calls him to London. He is born in April 1564. He meets James and Richard Burbage. Queen Elizabeth dies. The Globe Theatre burns down. He marries Anne Hathaway. The Chamberlain s Men become the King s Men. He dies in April 1616. He is a witness at court in 1612. Anne has their first child. He writes Venus and Adonis. He starts school. Henry VI is performed with success. His mother and brother die. The sonnets are published in 1609. Match the places with Shakespeare s life and times. 1. Deptford c 2. Bankside c 3. St Paul s Cathedral c 4. Bishopsgate c 5. Silver Street, Cripplegate c a. Shakespeare lodged here with the Mountjoys. b. The Globe theatre was here. c. The Theatre was here. d. The King s Men opened their second theatre. Shakespeare bought an old house here. e. The only way to cross the Thames without a boat. 117 

Biografia romanzata di Shakespeare:dai primi anni al matrimonio, il trasferimento a Londra, il successo teatrale e l'amore per la misteriosa Dark Lady

The Swan On The Avon Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The Swan On The Avon

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