Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on 23rd April 1564 and died on 23rd April 1616, on the same day as Cervantes, the famous Spanish writer. Shakespeare, also known as "the National Poet" or "the Bard of Avon", was born in the middle of the 16th century when England was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I. Apart from writing, Shakespeare also acted in a company called The Chamberlain’s Men after The Lord Chamberlain who was responsible for the king’s entertainments. The company rapidly became popular and after Elizabeth’s death in 1603, it became The King’s Men when James I ascended the throne and their plays were presented at the Globe theatre. Like most writers of the same period, Shapespeare did not write on his own and some of his plays were written in collaboration with playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher or George Peele.

Doc. William Shakespeare

- to be or not to be
- theatre
- the Bard of Avon
- the National Poet

ludicrous allegories: des allégories risibles
embodied moral virtues: des vertus morales incarnées
to advocate: préconiser
a pious life: une vie pieuse
his tombstone: sa pierre tombale
to peddle: colporter