Reading. A theatrical Life.

 

    He wrote 37 pays, 154 sonnets, and many other poems. He was born in Stratford - upon - Avon in 1564 and died there in 1616. Who is he? William Shakespeare, of course, Britain’s greatest writer, often called The Bard of Avon.

But did you also know that he has also been called ‘the most popular screenwriter in Hollywood’? In fact, British actor Ralph Fiennes, famous for playing Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, has said that if the playwright were working today, he’d be writing screen blockbusters. ‘ I can’t help thinking if he were alive and writing today, he’d be writing for the cinema. His stories and language are cinematic,’ Fiennes said.

We’ve all seen film versions of his plays, but did you know that Shakespeare himself has actually been the central character of many successful films? The award-winning Shakespeare in Love for example, tells the story of a fictional romance between the young Shakespeare and a wealthy young woman who wants to be an actress. Unfortunately, this was at a time when it was an offence for a woman to appear on a stage. Shakespeare in Love 2 might even be on the way soon by the way.

Then there was the 2011 film Anonymous, which angered many Shakespeare fans. The film suggests that Shakespeare didn’t write Hamlet, Macbeth and all the other plays. Rather the real author was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, who as an aristocrat was not allowed to be a common playwright. De Vere used Shakespeare as a frontman in order that his plays Shakespeare wasn’t really the author of his own work since the early 20th century. Most people don’t agree.

Indeed, Shakespeare’s popularity seems to grow and grow. For the World Shakespeare Festival, as part of the extravagant celebration for the London 2012 Olympics, all 37 plays were translated and performed in 37 different languages, including Henry VIII in Spanish and The Tempest in Bengali. Whether it’s on stage or on screen, people just can’t get enough Shakespeare.

EXERCISES

1. Match the words to the definitions:

Screenwriter playing playwright theory

someone who writes for the theatre someone who writes for the cinema an idea believed to be true interpreting a role

2. Scan the text and find:

• The name of a famous writer:

• The name of a famous actor:

• Four years:

• The names of two films:

• The names of four plays:

3. Choose the best answer:

• Ralph Fiennes thinks that Shaakespeare would be a good script writer because…

• He's Britain’s greatest writer.

• Hollywood loves his plays.

• His plays work well on the big screen.

• He has lots of fans.

• In the film Anonymous Edward de Vere cannot produce his own plays because…

• He didn’t write them.

• Shakespeare wouldn’t help him.

• of his social class.

• Shakespeare’s fans didn’t like them.

• The plot of Anonymous…

• Was an idea of Edward de Vere’s.

• Was invented specifically for the film.

• Is widely believed.

• Was based on a real story.

• Shakespeare’s work…

• Is popular in many different cultures. 

• Is popular in London.

• Was written in many different languages.

• Is not as popular today as 100 years ago.

4. Are the statements true or false? Quote words from the text to support your answers.

• Ralph Fiennes thinks Shakespeared would be a successful writer of film scripts.

• Shakespeare in Love was about a real relationship that Shakespeare had.

• It was possible for women to act on the stage in Skespeare’s day.

• All Shakespeare fans enjoyed Anonymous.

• Non-English speakers have the opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare’s plays on stage.

5. Find words that mean…

• A very successful film:

• Most important:

• Rich:

• The area where actors perform a play:

• Not aristocratic:

Soluciones