Under the Greenwood Tree: Shakespeare for Young People

by William Shakespeare

An illustrated collection of poetic excerpts from the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare, following the "seven ages of man" pattern from childhood fantasy to old age.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Shakespeare

79 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Ss Ho · Rating 2 out of 5]

really boring it shows only phrases of stories, and none of them make sense, unless you have read the story. then you can guess where in the story that passage is.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent poem, but the truth of the matter is that you come to expect a lot more than this poem offers from William Shakespeare.

[Samantha Vanegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare’s original language, and beautifully illustrated! After watching their first play, my children (ages 5, 4, 3) decided that “Shakespeare is the best,” and this collection of excerpts only confirmed their opinion.

I love that longer passages are given, and (with the help of the illustrations and just a little commentary from me to set the scene) they were intrigued enough to enjoy it and beg for extra pages every time.

I discovered this book in the bibliography of Ken Ludwig’s excellent “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.” I recommend finding a copy soon, as this is OOP. This has been a favorite of ours for poetry tea time!

[Maral · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay.