“Be great in act, as you have been in thought.”

“Be great in act, as you have been in thought.”

Year 7 have been exploring Shakespeare’s context and what life was like during the Elizabethan era in their English lessons. They’ve brought their learning together as part of a home learning project. Well done on some fantastic work Year 7!

To spread our Year 7 learners interest in Shakespeare, here’s some facts about the man himself:

1. We don’t know much about his early years. In fact, his date of birth remains a mystery to this day! But it’s believed he had a good upbringing, attended a good school and enjoyed playing outdoors a lot.
2. In 1585, William Shakespeare disappeared from historical records for roughly seven years! Historians often refer to this part of the writer’s life as “the lost years.”
3. The Globe is a large, open-air theatre, that accommodated people from all walks of life. If you were poor, you could only afford tickets for the ground floor where there were no seats and you were exposed to the cold, wind and rain that came in through the open top of the theatre. If you were rich, however, you could afford to sit in the higher level, which featured covered galleries with comfy seats – away from all the smelly poor people below!
4. Shakespeare’s plays were immediately big hits! He wrote plays in different genres:
   • Tragedies– including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet
   • Comedies – including Twelfth Night and the The Taming of the Shrew
   • Historic – including Henry IV, Henry V and Richard III
5. Plays at the Globe featured lots of special effects, with trap doors, actors lifted on wires, smoke, fire and even cannons! Additionally, at this point in time, there were no actresses. Female characters were performed by Men.
6.  Near the end of his life, Shakespeare lived peacefully in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. He died on 23 April 1616, aged 52, after falling ill. It’s believed he may have died on his birthday, but without an official birth record, it’s not fully known!
7.  Written on Shakespeare’s gravestone in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, is a curse, written by Shakespeare. It reads:
   • “Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear. To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.“