Getting to know the Bard

A Google search on William Shakespeare will yield over 144 million results!  WOW!  Amazing!

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Photo Credit: Bertram Ng via Compfight cc

Here are some links to websites to check out.  Spend at least 10 minutes investigating Shakespeare on-line, then leave a comment about something new you have learned.  Make sure you indicate what website you researched.

Watch this video on the Biography channel.

Play some games at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Visit the Shakespeare Birthplace Museum.

Read a news story in The Nation that is  hot off the press.

 

 

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80 thoughts on “Getting to know the Bard

  1. Hi Mrs. Donofrio!
    The new fact I learned that William Shakespeare had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edward. I also learned that Bard was also buried in the same church that ha was baptized in. He must have been really attached to that church his whole life.
    -Zeth

  2. I knew William Shakespeare’s nickname was the Barb but now I find out he has two more nicknames. One is The Barb of-Avon and the other is The Swan of-Avon. I found this info at the biography channel highlighted in blue above.
    This is Matt check out my, my names on the left 🙂 .

  3. I learned that Shakespeare might have been a teacher for three years. Can you imaginge how amazing would it have been to be taught by Shakespeare? I wonder what he taught his students about writing and literature. What would you want Shakespeare to teach you?

    • I would definitely want Shakespeare to teach me! Because of his comical characters, I bet he was a lot of fun in addition to being so brilliant. You can’t beat a combination like that in a teacher.
      Are there other famous people whom you think would make good teachers?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  4. Hi Mrs.Donofrio,
    I used the link of Shakespeare’s birthplace museum and I learned that New Place was the second biggest house in Stratford at the time of the late 1590’s. -Sydney

  5. I learned that there is a possibility that Shakespeare was a teacher of three years of his lost years! And he was a friend with his patron, Henry Wriothesley. Also, he was rumored that he wrote two dedication poems and both were dedicated to Henry. The site I used was Nation.com

  6. I did not no Nash lived in shakespears house (New Place). The website I researched from was shakespears birthplace.

  7. I learned that the New Place was the second biggest house in Stratford at the time when William was alive. And that next to the New Place is where Williams granddaughters husband family lived. I got this information from Shakespeare Birthplace Museum.

    ~Mercedes

  8. William Shakespeare – Video mini biography

    . Shakespeare moved to London in the late 1580s . By the late 1590s we know he is writing , and acting .

    . In 1500 he built the globe theatre , the biggest theatre.

    . Shakespeare’s phrases are so common , people don’t know if phrases come from the bible or Shakespeare.

    . Shakespeare was not only a play- right , but he was also a poem writer . Partly because economic necessities .

    . Shakespeare was one of the first professional writers

    . In the 18th century people questioned Shakespeare writing his plays because of his poor education .

    . Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

    Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

  9. Hi Mrs.Donofiro
    I learned only two new things about Shakespeare one is the school he went to was King’s New School and I also found out something cool every April 23 in Stratford-upon-Avon they celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday and they dress up in clothes from his time.

  10. I didn’t know there was a fourth type of play called a tragic comic. I know that it is not a main play, or more involved with all his writings, but I think that is cool how he combines some of his plays. Tragic and comedies are my favorite from him so the two combined are great. Info from Biography channel.

    I didn’t know he invented 3000+ words to the English language, I thought it would only be around 100. I am probably using his words every day without knowing it. Info from Biography channel.

  11. I visited the Shakespeare Birthplace Museum. I never knew that Shakespeare’s original house was such a big deal! I learned that people put excerpts of his plays on in his house. The sight seems very interesting.
    ~Sadie

  12. Hi Mrs. Donofrio!

    I learned a lot from these links but the most interesting thing I learned was that Shakespeare’s writing is the second most quoted, after the Bible. I also think that if he actually was a teacher, he would’ve been an amazing teacher. I hope to learn a lot more about Shakespeare in high school.
    -Christian

  13. Hi Mrs. Donofrio,

    I visited the http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323 web site. I learned a 2 interesting facts about William Shakespeare, one interesting thing that I learned is that a google search comes out withe over 140,000 results, and I also learned that he created over 3,000 word and most of them are still used today. I remember learning some of the things in 6th and 7th grade.

    Sincerely,
    William Kelly

  14. I learned a lot of interesting things, but the most interesting thing I learned is that “Hamlet” takes four whole hours to do, even though it is the shortest one of his plays. Another thing I learned is that when he died, he left his property to his only daughter Susanna. The website i learned this from is http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com

  15. Mrs. Donofrio,
    Most of what I learned was been review for me. However, I did learn some new things. One fact I learned in the video was that Shakespeare attendended Kings New School in Stratford and he was also a buisness man who had delt with real estate. Also, when you search his name you get 140 million results. That’s amazing! I had fun playing the games, but some of the questions were tricky. I didn’t exactly know where certain plays took place. I have lots of trouble telling which quote and which character is from what play. When I was on the Shakespeare Birplace website, I learned thay they have had visitors to the house for over 250 years! I learned a few new things doing this and had fun! See you tomorrow!

    -Erin

  16. Hey Kids!

    Today, while researching more about William Shakespeare, I visited http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit-the-houses/anne-hathaway-039-s-cottage.html and read more about William’s wife, Anne Hathaway and her house. It really is in a clear picture! I think that it is really neat that they have music and butterfly trails dedicated to the Bard himself. It would really be neat to visit! The house really does look enchanted like a princess cottage, to me.
    The birthplace of William Shakespeare looks a lot more aged than the cottage of Anne Hathaway. I can’t believe people have been visiting it for over 250 years. That is a long time. The greenery and the vines in the garden look so beautiful. If I ever travel there I would love to see it

    Thanks for furthering our education more on Shakespeare, Mrs. Donofrio.
    ~ Makenzie HK

  17. I did not know who Thomas Nash was until I read the article about Nash’s House and New Place. Thomas Nash is William’s first granddaughter’s husband. I also didn’t know that they were right next to each other.

    I found this on the birth place website.

  18. Hi, I learned a lot about Shakespeare on http://www.folger.edu/index.cfm but here are a couple of things I really was surprised about. I didn’t know that Shakespeare’s name was originally spelled in 80 different ways like ”Shaxpear”, and ”Shaxberd”. I also learned that Shakespeare is the most translated author ever! That’s impressive for an author that some people think might not have even written all the things that he is credited for.

  19. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! When I read the news story in The Nation, I learned that Shakespeare wrote only two dedications in his whole life and they were both to Henry Wriothesley ( his patron, the Earl of Southampton, and the owner of Titchfield Abbey). His friendship with Wriothesley is said to tie up with the theory that Shakespeare worked as a schoolmaster for three years in Titchfield, Hampshire. Hopefully in high school we’ll continue to read more of Shakespeare’s plays.

  20. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! I learned that Shakespeare invented over 2000 words, like swagger, amazement, addiction, hint, gossip, lower, and alligator. I also learned the name of Shakespeare’s 31st sonnet, “Thy blossom is endeared with all hearts.” I used http://www.shakespeare-online.com

  21. Hello Mrs. Donofrio,
    For the blogging activity I chose William Shakespeare’s Biography Channel at the link, http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare.
    One thing I learned about Shakespeare was that he was nicknamed the “Swan of Avon” after the Swan Theater. I also learned after he died he left most of his possessions to his oldest daughter, Susanna and only a third of his estate to his wife, Anne. Another thing I learned was that Shakespeare wasn’t just a writer and an actor, he was also an entrepreneur to earn extra money for the Globe. I also learned that New House was the second largest house in Stratford. I hope I will learn more about Shakespeare right now at Epiphany and in High School.

    Thank you for being a great teacher,
    Michael

    • Dear Michael,
      I think it is really neat that Shakespeare has a rhyming sobriquet- The Swan of Avon. If you say it just right, it even sounds swanlike.

      Thank you for being a great student,
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  22. Howdy Mrs. Donofiro!

    I didn’t know that Shkaespeare was a farmer. For such a well educated man, and to grow up in a slow-starting community, that’s amazing! I absolutely love learning about Shakespeare in your class, and I can’t wait to read another play!

    -Josh.

  23. I find it interesting that they think that Shakespeare was a school teach and well the building was from the same time period from the testing they did on the beams of the building and also they want to make a Shakespeare trail with all his characters there and information about him I find that interesting and I do think that he could have been a school teach maybe that’s where he learned how to rhyme so god but of course not as good as Mrs. D

    • My dearest student Drew
      You know it is true
      That Shakespeare did rhyme
      The best in his time
      But if he lived now
      I’d show him how
      To rap just like me
      Your teacher Mrs. D.

  24. I learned that studiers of Shakespeare believed that he spent three years as a grammar school teacher before he moved to London. I also learned that Shakespeare wrote just two dedications in his life and they were both dedicated to his friend Henery Wriothesley. I learned this information athttp://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/entertainment/09-Apr-2013/was-shakespeare-a-teacher. I also learned that the house Shakespeare’s house has been on display for over 250 years and that Anne Hathaway’s cottage is know as a very peaceful place. I learned that at http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/home.html. I thought the game was very fun although I didn’t do very well!

  25. Hi Mrs.D,
    I already knew a lot about Shakespeare but, I even learned more from these websites. The website I spent the most time looking at was http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit-the-houses/shakespeare-039-s-birthplace.html. I learned that Shakespeare’s Birthplace has been welcoming visitors for over 250 years. I also learned that many famous people visited his home including Charles Dickens, John Keats, Walter Scott and Thomas Hardy. Thank you for helping us learn even more about Shakespeare!

    ~Alexandra

    • You are welcome, Alexandra! I learned from you today, too! I did not know that all those famous authors visited Shakespeare’s home, but while reading it, I was not surprised. Of course those English writers would want to visit the house of the Bard! I think it’s neat that while he was a boy, no one ever thought people would pay to visit his house 450 years in the future. Imagine if people paid to visit your house in the year 2563? What will the world be like by then? It’s hard to fathom.
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  26. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! For my reasearch on Shakespear I I used this website: http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=588
    I actually discovered some cool stuff!
    1. Shakespeare’s family had a coat of arms with a spear in the middle and a falcon on the top.
    2. When his father passed away he inherited the family coat of arms and was then allowed to call himself a gentleman.
    3. Shakespeare is known as the most translatted author. He’s been translated to about 80 languages.
    4. In Shakespeare’s day one penny was worth about $1.66
    5. Kids finished school faster and were in their mid teens because their education was more advanced.
    I can’t wait to learn more about Shakespeare in high school! I really enjoy it. What’s your favorite Shakespeare play Mrs. Donofrio?

  27. I learned that William Skakesphere only dedicated two of his plays to people and both plays were dedicated to the same person which was ” Wriothesly” one of his good. If you had the chance to dedicate a play to someone who would you dedicate it too?

  28. Hi Mrs. Donofrio. Sorry that my comment is late, but I did find some pretty interesting things about Shakespeare. First off Macbeth and Much Ado about Nothing was translated into Klinglon, the language of Star Trek! If you think that’s odd Uranasus’ satelites are named after Shakspeasrian characters! Also one a Shakespeare’s lost play’s was named Cardenio. And as my last fact, there are over 80 variations of Shakespeare’s name and or signature. Some think he wrote it like, ” Willm Shaksp” or “William Shakespe”. There are also a lot more if you check out this sight called, http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com.

  29. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! Today I learned that Shakespeare created +2000 words. I also learned that a lot of them, we use every day. What word would you invent, and what would it mean?

  30. I didn’t know that William Shakespeare (the bard) might’ve been a teacher for three years. I think if he was my teacher he would be a good one becuase of the way he wrote his play. How do you think he would’ve been if he was a teacher?

  31. Hello Mrs. Donofrio,
    I really love all of Shakesphere’s plays my favorite play of his is Romeo and Juliet. I like this because it’s about a boy and a girl who love each other, but both end up dying together. I leaned two things about Shakesphere that I have never know before. I lerned that when you google Shksphere over 1,400,000 seach results come up! WOW That is a lot. Another hing I have learned is that Shakeshere Iss that he died on the same day he was born. What are the odds?Mrs. Donofrio do you think shakespheres wil faade out later in the future , and everyone will forget about him?
    -Cayman

  32. Hi there Mrs Donofrio I visited the Folger Shakespeare Library and I have found out that Shakespeare applied to the College of Heralds for a coat of arms for his father and The Shakespeare family coat of arms has a stripe thought the middle with a spear facing downwards on the stripe and has a falcon on top. His name was also known to be spelled over 80 different way .

  33. Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
    I used the news story nation website. I learned that during the lost years William Shakespeare was a teacher for three years at grammar school. Bye.

    • Hi Kelsey,
      I like to teach Macbeth because there is so much going on with the language and with the psyches of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Plus, there’s a lot of action.
      Do you have a favorite sonnet?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

    • Hi Anthony,
      I didn’t know that they still use Shakespeare’s mother’s farm and kitchen today, but I’m not terribly surprised. I’m sure as a museum, they want to show everyone how the house operated during Shakespeare’s lifetime. I love visiting historic homes and I always drag my family with me to tour old houses. Around here we’ve been to the Ford and Edison Estates, the Ringling Museum, Spanish Point, Manatee Village, and the Gamble Plantation (as your know). In my hometown of Quincy, I used to go the birthplaces of John and John Quincy Adams and to the Abigail Adams House as well. It’s fun to imagine living in someone else’s shoes. Do you like to visit historic homes?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  34. Hi Mrs. D!
    I went on Shakespeare Birthplace Museum. Did you know Shakespeare was right handed? I was really surprised! There is one last thing there is a Shakespeare app! Maybe you can get it on your iPad.

    • Thanks, Brooke! I will check out that app for my iPad. Learning new apps is on my list of important jobs this summer! I bet you kids can help me a lot with that. Do you have any other favorite apps?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  35. Hello Mrs. Donofrio,
    I had known a bit about Shakespeare before I came to Epiphany. I never knew that I would know so much about him now. From reading the article() I learned that Shakespeare wrote two dedications. I also learned more about how people believe that Shakespeare was a school teacher. I bet he would be a really good teacher!
    ~Christina

  36. I visited the Folger Shakespeare Library. I learned what Shakespeare’s gravestone said. It said
    “GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE,
    TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE:
    BLESTE BE Ye MAN YT (that) SPARES THES STONES, AND CURST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES.”
    What do you think this means? -Rainer

    • That’s a good question, Raina. I wonder if people dug up graves during Shakespeare’s time. It sounds like he was afraid people might dig him up. It’s a little weird to have that on Shakespeare’s grave, don’t you think? I know it rhymes, but it still doesn’t sound very Shakepearian. Maybe he didn’t make it up. It’s kind of strange, don’t you think? Are there any theories about who wrote it and why?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  37. Hi Mrs. Donofrio.
    I have read the news story and was suprise to, learn that shakespeare was a school master. On top of all the writing he wrote I thought it was very inpresive to have a job. He was the school master at the grammer school know as Titirfield Abbey. But is now known as today as the Place House.
    Wrote by your student,
    Jesse

  38. I learned that in 1590’s Skakespeare was writing and acting. Another thing I learned was that he acted in his play. What did you learn about Skakespeare and what do you know already?

    • Hi Donovan,
      Well, what I already knew about Shakespeare is everything I told you in class. To know what I have learned, just read all the comments here! I frequently left a comment thanking a student for teaching me something new. That’s one of the reasons I like teaching. I get to learn new things every day!
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  39. Hello Mrs. Donofrio,
    I watched the video from the biography channel.
    I learned a few things about Shakespeare that I didn’t know about. I didn’t know that in 1597 he had already written 15 of his 37 plays! He had built the largest open air amphitheatre in London at that time. I also didn’t know that the plague was around when he was, so they had to shut down the theatre and he wrote his sonnets during those times.

  40. Hey Mrs. Donofrio,
    I was on the biography channel and found a few interesting facts. One thing was that if you type in Shakespeare,1,400,000 different websites will come up. Wow that’s a lot! Another thing is that he is the second most quoted person,aside from the bible. Something else that I found that was very interesting, was the inscription on his monument: Good frend for Jesus sake forbeare, to digg the dust enclosed heare. Bleste be ye man yt that spares these stones, and crust be he yt moves my bones. It’s spelled funny but, it was something new that I learned. Also in 1597 he wrote 15 of his 37 plays including Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors, and the Merry Wives of Windsor.

  41. I learned that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was only seventeen! I learned that from this website, https:// nosweatshakespeare.com/ . Do you know if they wore the same clothes for a least a whole week???

    • Hi Carson,
      I will have to visit the website you used. I’ve started to hear about it from other kids, but I haven’t been on it yet myself. It looks like it has interesting information. I’m fairly certain Shakespeare was 18 when he married Anne Hathaway, not 17, though. I don’t know anything about how long they wore their clothes for before washing them, but a week certainly sounds reasonable. Without washing machines, laundry was a very time consuming job. I’d want to put it off as long as possible if I were a mother in the 17th century!
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  42. I looked at the birthplace of William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare lived there for five years after he was married to Anne Hathoway. If you visit his home you watch plays by Shakespeare all year round. Would you want to visit Shakespeare’s home?

    • Dear Jayen.
      I would LOVE to visit Shakespeare’s home. I was fortunate to have visited Stratford-on-Avon when I graduated from college. I did go to Anne Hathaway’s house, but for some reason, I don’t remember seeing Shakespeare’s birthplace. I will have to go back someday. Would you like to visit Shakespeare’s house?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  43. Hiiiiiiiiii its me Johnny,
    I learned that for over 250 years you could go visit his birthplace in Stratford-on-avon.Thanks for the website i looked in the birthplace one. BYEEE!!!!

  44. Hi Mrs.Donofrio, I got this info on biography.com. This is what I learned about William Shakespeare. I learned that by 1597 he authored 15 of the 37 plays. Another thig that I learned is that Shakespeare DIDN’T go to a university, and was a good business man. Did you ever wonder any of this fact?

  45. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! When I visited the Biography Channel, I learned these facts:
    *Shakespeare’s works are the second most quoted after the bible.
    *Shakespeare has added over 3000 words to the English Language.
    *Lord Chamberlain’s Men changed their name to the King’s Men after King James 1 took power.
    On Folger Shakespeare Museum I learned that this is inscribed on stone at Shakespeare’s monument:
    GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE,
    TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE:
    BLESTE BE Ye MAN Yt SPARES THES STONES,
    AND CURST BE HE Yt MOVES MY BONES.
    On Shakespeare’s Birthplace Museum I learned this:
    *Shakespeare’s Birthplace has been on display for over 250 years.
    *Charles Dickens, John Keats, Walter Scott, and Thomas Hardy have all visited his birthplace.

  46. Hey Mrs. Donofrio!
    Sorry this is late!!! One new fact that I learned about the 4 humors that Shakespeare made. In Shakespeare’s time people believed that the body had 4 humors, in a similar way to the universe have 4 elements (air, fire, water, and earth). The 4 humors were: blood, choler, phlegm and melancholy. I never knew that! Here’s the website: http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/faqs.html
    ~ Louis

  47. Hi Mrs.Donofrio,
    Some new things that I learned about William Shakespeare is that his words are quoted the 2nd most in the English language, behind the Bible. I also learned that Shakespeare created over 3,000 words in the English language. Those are really interesting facts. I got my information from the Biography Channel video.
    ~Chase

  48. Hi Mrs.Donofrio!
    My facts about Shakespeare are from the Folger Library. I went to the section labeled fun facts. I saw that Shakespeare was born and died on the same day. (Not a great way to spend a birthday) I knew this, but I also saw the age gap between him and Anne Hathaway. I also watched the video, but an actor talking about Macbeth played. That video was very neat anyways.
    -Michaela

  49. Dear Ms. Donofrio,

    I learned that Shakespeare invented over two thousand words! Some of them we use every day. He invented phrases such as knock knock jokes, and “eating me out of house and home”. So many words have been invented, I don’t know what is left to say. What words would you invent, and what would they mean?

      • I wonder if Shakespeare were alive today, what he would think of today’s new writing tools, like computers and printers. I wonder what profession he would take.

          • I think that they would say:
            Juliet: Romeo, u there?
            Romeo: Yeah
            Juliet: why r u a Montegue., etc, etc

            Will texting become as popular as Shakespeare in the near future?

          • Interesting that you ask this, John, as I have a great summary of the play in texting language. It’s really fun to read, and I planned on sharing with the class tomorrow! You must have ESP. What made you think of this?
            ~Mrs. Donofrio

          • Oh, I see you found the texting version on-line. It’s fun, isn’t it! Nice to see you researching Romeo and Juliet in your free time!
            ~Mrs. Donofrio

    • Yes, John. These are things we learned in class. Did you learn anything new about Shakespeare in your research using the websites listed?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  50. I used folger-shakespeare libary. I learned that” the first folio was puplished in 1623, seven years after his death”. did you read any thing new when you read them?

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