Now that we have done a unit on Shakespeare, take this quiz to see how much you really know about him. There is so much information out there about Shakespeare; do you think you're an expert?

Click this link, and write your answers on a separate sheet. Then check to see what the correct answers are.
http://www.absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/quiz/quiz.htm

Shakespeare died in 1616 of illness, leaving behind some of the most famous plays and sonnets in literary history. What is your favorite Shakespeare play? What is your favorite sonnet? Why has Shakespeare's work lasted hundreds of years after his death? Post your comments and we will have an online discussion centered around these key questions.

Right before his death, Shakespeare wrote his three last plays. Henry VIII and Two Noble Kinsmen were written in 1613, and the last, entitled Cardinio, was never finished.

1608 is the year many scholars look at as a turning point in Shakespeare's work. It is the year when many see the "tone [changing] from the dark mood of the tragedies to one of light, magic, music, reconciliation, and romance" (http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/).

Some plays from this time include:
The Tempest
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Winter's Tale

Why do you think the mood in Shakespeare's plays changed so drastically? You can look at some of the biography links on this page to get a more detailed hint about what was going on in Shakespeare's life during the writing of each of his plays.

In 1603, Elizabeth I died, leaving James I to be king. Shakespeare wrote under the patronage of James, and created many of his famous plays during this time (ie The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Measure for Measure, etc.)

What did it mean to write under patronage? Does a patron affect what or how an author writes? Post about the 'politics' of patronage; do you think Shakespeare's work was at all affected by James?

Shakespeare began publishing poetry in the 1590s, but little is known about his 'lost years' (the period of time he spent in London until his return to Stratford in 1609). What was the famous writer doing during this period? Little is known; do you have any guesses?

In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who very shortly after gave birth to their daughter Susanna. Twins Hamnet and Judith were born a few years later, but Hamnet died young, leaving Shakespeare without a male heir.

Shakespeare went to an English grammar school, but probably never attended a university. We know little about Shakespeare's early life, but he probably was taught reading and writing in his grammar school.

William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564 to Mary Arden and John Shakespeare. His parents owned a good deal of real estate, and his father was a man of business and importance in Stratford.