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Who was William Shakespeare again?
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Well known, "The Bard" was an English author of famous plays
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about a lot of different things and he lived during the Elizabethan era.
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But why is Shakespeare considered such a great artist?
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Born in England in 1564,
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he started his career as an actor and playwright as a member
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of the actors group the "Lord Chamberlain's company",
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which has later become the "King`s Company".
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They played in several theaters until eventually they built the famous Globe Theatre
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- their very first own stage.
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As there were only male members in the company,
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every role had to be played by men.
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But that wasn't the reason why Shakespeare's plays, like Othello or Hamlet, were very popular.
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To match the various tastes of a diverse audience
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Shakespeare created texts of high complexity, containing relatively simple
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plots
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as well as subtle nuances.
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Being the key to his success, his stories also contained multiple interlocking plots,
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twists and confusions, with containing something for everyone in the audience.
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with containing something for everyone in the audience.
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so it wasn't just for common people, who enjoyed his works,
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his company even played at the king's court for the amusement of the aristocracy.
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Beside the plays, Shakespeare also wrote a multitude of sonnets and poems.
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At first his work consisted almost exclusively of the histories and comedies,
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like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Henry VI".
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Later tragedies like "Hamlet" also became part of his portfolio.
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In his work, Shakespeare used his own special language,
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rich in metaphors and a vivid images.
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He even created new words, which became formally established.
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As a consequence many English words used today,
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like "lonely" and "gossip", make their first appearance
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in one of his plays or sonnets.
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Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52.
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But his plays are still performed today and amaze audiences.
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Shakespeare's stories have found their way in many of today's movies,
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books and even music.
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And fortunately, nowadays women can also play Juliet.