My ninth graders will begin their unit on Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Globe Theatre and all that jazz after Easter.

What do you think is bottom line information about Shakespeare any educated person should know?

I'll begin the list and please do add any survival information you'd want on the list:

English writer known primarily for his plays: histories, tragedies and comedies;

Wrote probably the most famous of all stories of young romance;

W. S. wrote during both Queen Elizabeth's and King James' reigns;

'Wherefore' means 'why';

Importance of First Folio was preserving Shakespeare's works that had been written primarily for dramatic production rather than for reading;

Anne Hathaway's cottage was very large and pretty--and she was eight years older than young William;

Groundlings liked coarse humor;

W. S.'s company, the King's Men, performed at the Globe Theatre;

The Globe closed for several years due to the plague;

Boys played female roles;

W. S. is also known as the Bard;

Stratford-on-Avon

4/23/1564--born rather late in birth order in a very large family;

4/23/1616--died very young, in my way of thinking, at only 52 [edit!!];

The sonnets--William evidently loved, too, a man;

What were tights made of, anyway?

What other information do you think should be included?