Readings from Shakespeare: History and Highlights – Livestream Program

This online/virtual experience will give a summary, context and background to a selection of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, with certain passages being recited out loud. Edward is an English actor and tour guide, and loves bringing passion and feeling to the subject of history, literature, art and culture. You are welcome to join this journey into the life and work of one of the most famous and influential writers in the English-speaking world.I’m looking forward to being your host through this fascinating topic!William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and “the Bard”. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. They also continue to be studied and reinterpreted.Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare’s private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best work produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.This program is presented by the non-profit community organization Washington, DC History & Culture.Your host is London-based tour guide Edward Calcutt.You can learn more about Edward via Facebook, Meetup and Eventbrite.Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/EdwardsToursMeetup:https://www.meetup.com/Fun-and-Fascinating-London-Walking-Tours/Eventbrite:https://edwardstours.eventbrite.co.ukEmail:calcuttet77@hotmail.com