If you are an aficionado of great literature, you should be a fan of William Shakespeare. As you probably know, Shakespeare is the all-time supremo. Serving or retired, living or dead, Shakespeare is arguably the world’s greatest writer. This man lived for just 52 years but in those five decades, he managed to write and publish a large body of literary works. Shakespeare was a poet, a dramatist, an essayist, an actor and a producer. As a literary man, he wore many hats and he wore them quite well. For this reason, if you are teaching William Shakespeare notes, you should start from Shakespeare’s biography and wove on to the corpus of the man’s literary works.
Shakespeare’s Biography
William Shakespeare was born in England on April 26, 1564. He was raised in the Warwickshire area and he went into the writing and acting business early in life. At age 18, he got married to Anne Hathaway. This meant he had a family to cater for and the obligations of life as married man as a man made him a serous-minded professional. According to official records, Shakespeare started his writing career when he was in his early twenties. He wrote histories, plays and poetry.
Shakespeare’s Tragedies
As a writer, Shakespeare was good in almost all the genres of literature. However, he made his name as a great dramatist and his tragedies represent some of his best works. Some of his greatest tragedies are “Macbeth” and “Julius Caesar”. These plays explore a range of human emotions and characters using the powerful medium of the tragedy.
Shakespeare’s Comedies
Apart from tragedies, Shakespeare also wrote and published great comedies. Some of his best comedies are “twelfth Night”, “The Comedy of Errors” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Shakespeare’s comedies are carefully constructed with the right blend of authentic humor, atmosphere and literary dexterity. This is why these plays have stood the test of time.
Shakespeare’s Poetry
In addition to drama, Shakespeare penned some of the best verses of his era. He was a master of the sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet is named after this writer. His sonnets contain some of the most memorable and most-quoted expressions in the English language.
Teaching Shakespeare Correctly
If you want to teach the works of William Shakespeare in a competent manner, you should concentrate on all the areas above. In addition, you should teach your students important literary principles like mood, tone, themes and leitmotifs as they apply to the works of William Shakespeare. Prepare your William Shakespeare notes properly and your students will benefit from your lessons.
