William Shakespeare, short note for UP PGT English

                                 William Shakespeare ( 1564 - 1616 )

Life and Family

1. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon.
2. He was baptized on April 26, 1564, at Holy Trinity Church.
3. The date of his birth is often inferred from his baptism, as it was custom to baptize infants three days after birth.
4. His birthday, April 23, coincides with St. George’s Day, the patron saint of England.
5. His father was John Shakespeare, a successful glover and town official (alderman/mayor).
6. His mother was Mary Arden, who came from a wealthy land-owning family.
7. Shakespeare was the third child and the eldest surviving son of his parents.
8. He attended the King’s New School (Stratford Grammar School).
9. He never attended a university, unlike the "University Wits".
10. He married Anne Hathaway in November 1582.
11. At the time of marriage, Shakespeare was 18, and Anne was 26 (eight years his senior).
12. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583, six months after the wedding.
13. Twins Hamnet and Judith were born in 1585.
14. His only son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11 in 1596.
15. The "Lost Years" of Shakespeare's life refer to the period between 1585 and 1592.
16. A popular legend suggests he fled Stratford to avoid prosecution for poaching deer from the estate of Sir Thomas Lucy.
17. He moved to London around 1587-1588 to pursue a career in theater.
18. Shakespeare was known as "The Bard of Avon" or simply "The Bard".
19. The term "Bardolatry" (excessive idolization of Shakespeare) was coined by George Bernard Shaw.
20. He became a wealthy man and bought the New Place, the second-largest house in Stratford, in 1597.
21. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52.
22. He was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church.
23. His tombstone bears a curse against anyone who moves his bones.
24. He left his "second-best bed" to his wife in his will.
25. Modern researchers suggest Judith Shakespeare was an imaginary sister created by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own to discuss feminism.

Theatrical Career

26. Shakespeare was a member and shareholder of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
27. Upon the accession of King James I in 1603, the company was renamed The King’s Men.
28. He was a primary shareholder in the Globe Theatre, built in 1599.
29. The Globe was built using timber salvaged from an earlier theater called "The Theatre".
30. The Globe was a "public" (outdoor) theater, while Blackfriars was an "indoor" (private) theater.
31. The Globe burned down on June 29, 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII.
32. The fire was caused by a cannon shot that misfired and ignited the thatched roof.
33. The theater was rebuilt in 1614 with a tiled roof.
34. Shakespeare was also an actor; he played the Ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It.
35. He acted in Ben Jonson's play Every Man in His Humour as the character Old Knowell.
36. Shakespeare's first critical mention was a scathing attack by Robert Greene in Groatsworth of Wit (1592).
37. Greene called him an "Upstart Crow" beautified with the feathers of other writers.
38. Greene also referred to him as a "Johannes Factotum" (a Jack-of-all-trades).
39. The line "Tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide" is Greene’s parody of a line from Henry VI, Part 3.

The Poems and Sonnets

40. Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets in total.
41. Most of the sonnets were likely written during the plague years when theaters were closed.
42. The sonnets were published by Thomas Thorpe in 1609.
43. Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to a handsome young man, often called the "Fair Youth".
44. The "Fair Youth" is typically identified as Henry Wriothesley (Earl of Southampton) or William Herbert (Earl of Pembroke).
45. The dedication is famously addressed to "Mr. W.H.".
46. Sonnets 127-152 are addressed to the "Dark Lady".
47. Candidates for the Dark Lady include Mary Fitton or a woman named Lucy.
48. Sonnets 153 and 154 are known as the Cupid Sonnets (or Greek sonnets).
49. The Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and a final couplet.
50. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
51. Venus and Adonis (1593) is his first published narrative poem.
52. It was dedicated to the Earl of Southampton.
53. It is written in Sestet Stanza (six-line stanzas).
54. The Rape of Lucrece (1594) is a serious narrative poem dedicated to Southampton.
55. It is written in Rhyme Royal (seven-line stanzas).
56. The Phoenix and the Turtle is a psychological and allegorical poem about ideal love.
57. A Lover's Complaint is a narrative poem included in the 1609 sonnet edition.
58. Two "lost" or separately published sonnets appeared in William Jaggard's The Passionate Pilgrim (1599).

The Plays - General Facts

59. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in total (some count 39 including collaborations).
60. The First Folio was published in 1623 by his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell.
61. The First Folio contained 36 plays; Pericles was the only one omitted.
62. The Second Folio was published in 1632.
63. The Third Folio (1663) and Fourth Folio (1685) followed.
64. Shakespeare's works are roughly categorized into Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies.
65. He is credited with introducing approximately 1,700 to 3,000 new words to the English language.
66. Approximately 65% of his plays are written in Blank Verse.
67. About 25% of his work is in Prose, and 10% is in Rhyme.
68. Edward Dowden divided Shakespeare's career into four periods: 1. Workshop, 2. In the World, 3. Out of the Depths, 4. On the Heights.
69. The First Period (until 1594) was one of early experimentation.
70. The Second Period (1594–1600) featured great comedies like As You Like It and Twelfth Night.
71. The Third Period (1601–1608) was the era of great tragedies (the "Dark Period").
72. The Fourth Period (1608–1612) focused on Dramatic Romances like The Tempest.

The Great Tragedies (HOKM)

73. The four "Great Tragedies" are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.
74. Hamlet (1601) is Shakespeare's longest play.
75. It is set in Elsinore, Denmark.
76. The source of Hamlet is the story of Amleth by Saxo Grammaticus.
77. Othello (1604) is based on Cinthio's Hecatommithi.
78. Its theme centers on "the green-eyed monster" (jealousy).
79. King Lear (1605) is set in Ancient Britain.
80. It depicts the tragic consequences of a father's folly and filial ingratitude.
81. Macbeth (1606) is based on Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
82. It is set in Scotland.
83. It is often considered the shortest of the four great tragedies.
84. The opening line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" is spoken by the Three Witches.

Comedies and Romances

85. The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare's shortest play.
86. The Merchant of Venice features the famous "Casket Scene" and the trial of the Jewish usurer Shylock.
87. It is set in Venice and Belmont.
88. As You Like It features the famous "Seven Ages of Man" speech by Jacques.
89. It is set primarily in the Forest of Arden.
90. Twelfth Night (subtitle: What You Will) is famous for the disguise of Viola as Cesario.
91. The Tempest is widely regarded as Shakespeare’s Swan Song (his final independent play).
92. Prospero’s abjuration of magic in The Tempest is often seen as Shakespeare's own farewell to the stage.
93. The play has an original plot with no single direct source.
94. A Midsummer Night's Dream involves the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta and supernatural elements.
95. It is set in Athens and its nearby woods.
96. Much Ado About Nothing is a "merry war" of wits between Beatrice and Benedick.

Problem Plays and Roman Plays

97. F.S. Boas coined the term "Problem Plays" to describe Measure for Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Troilus and Cressida.
98. These plays are categorized by their complex moral dilemmas and lack of a traditional happy ending.
99. The Roman Plays are based on Plutarch’s Lives (translated by Sir Thomas North).
100. These include Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and Titus Andronicus.
101. Julius Caesar is famous for Mark Antony’s funeral oration: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears".

History Plays

102. Shakespeare wrote 10 English History plays.
103. They are primarily based on Holinshed’s Chronicles.
104. The character Sir John Falstaff appears in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
105. Richard II deals with the deposition of a king, a sensitive topic during Elizabeth I's reign.

Settings of Plays

106. Measure for Measure is set in Vienna.
107. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona and Mantua.
108. Twelfth Night is set in Illyria (modern-day Yugoslavia).
109. Much Ado About Nothing is set in Messina, Italy.
110. Troilus and Cressida is set in Troy.
111. Cymbeline is set in Ancient Britain and Rome.

Famous Fools and Clowns

112. Touchstone is the witty fool in As You Like It.
113. Feste is the clown in Twelfth Night.
114. The Fool in King Lear serves as a moral compass for the king.
115. Nick Bottom is the weaver-turned-actor in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
116. Dogberry is the bumbling constable in Much Ado About Nothing.
117. Launcelot Gobbo is the clown in The Merchant of Venice.
118. Puck (Robin Goodfellow) is the mischievous sprite in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
119. Ariel is the "airy spirit" in The Tempest.

Critical Comments and Quotes

120. Ben Jonson wrote: "He was not of an age, but for all time!".
121. Jonson also noted Shakespeare had "Small Latin and Less Greek".
122. Jonson referred to him as the "Sweet Swan of Avon".
123. John Milton called him "Dear son of memory, great heir of fame" in his poem On Shakespeare (1630).
124. John Dryden praised him as having "the largest and most comprehensive soul" of all modern and ancient poets.
125. S.T. Coleridge referred to him as "Our myriad-minded Shakespeare".
126. Matthew Arnold wrote the famous sonnet Shakespeare, beginning with "Others abide our question. Thou art free".
127. Samuel Johnson said Shakespeare is a "Poet of Nature" who holds a mirror up to manners and life.
128. Thomas Carlyle referred to him as a "Hero as Poet".
129. D.H. Lawrence noted that when he read Shakespeare, he struck against the "wonder" of the common people.
130. Voltaire famously called Shakespeare a "drunken savage" with some sparks of genius.

Authorship Question and Theories

131. The "Shakespeare Authorship Question" refers to the debate over whether Shakespeare of Stratford actually wrote the plays.
132. Anti-Stratfordians argue that a commoner with limited education could not have written such sophisticated works.
133. The Oxfordian Theory suggests Edward de Vere (17th Earl of Oxford) was the real author.
134. The Baconian Theory attributes the works to the philosopher Francis Bacon.
135. The Marlovian Theory posits that Christopher Marlowe faked his death and continued writing under Shakespeare's name.
136. There is also a theory that Queen Elizabeth I might have been the hidden author.

Miscellaneous Facts

137. William Davenant (a poet laureate) claimed to be the "bastard of Shakespeare".
138. Shakespeare used double/triple rhyming in plays like Macbeth ("Double, double toil and trouble").
139. He introduced phrases like "Wild goose chase," "Break the ice," and "In a pickle".
140. Mary Arden’s house in Wilmcote and Shakespeare's Birthplace in Stratford are major tourist sites today.
141. The Mermaid Tavern was a famous literary club where Shakespeare and Jonson allegedly engaged in "wit-combats".
142. Shakespearean Apocrypha consists of plays like Arden of Feversham, Edward III, and Sir Thomas More that are sometimes attributed to him.
143. Double Falsehood is a 1727 play claimed to be based on Shakespeare’s lost play Cardenio.
144. Shakespeare collaborated with John Fletcher on his final play, The Two Noble Kinsmen.
145. He left Stratford for London as a "school drop-out" but died the richest man in Stratford.
146. His works have been translated into every living language.
147. Bollywood adaptations include Maqbool (Macbeth), Omkara (Othello), and Haider (Hamlet), all directed by Vishal Bhardwaj.
148. The Grumio character in The Taming of the Shrew is an example of a slapstick comedy role.
149. Susanna, his eldest daughter, married Dr. John Hall.
150. Shakespeare's epitaph concludes with: "And curst be he that moves my bones".

Charles Dickens, short note for UP PGT English

                                           Charles Dickens for UP PGT English

             Personal Life and Background

1. Charles John Huffam Dickens was the full name of the author.
2. He was born on February 7, 1812.
3. His birthplace was Landport, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.
4. Dickens belonged to the Victorian Age (19th Century).
5. His father, John Dickens, was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office.
6. His mother’s name was Elizabeth Dickens.
7. He was the second of eight children in his family.
8. Dickens's family moved to London when he was only three years old.
9. In 1824, his father was imprisoned in Marshalsea Prison due to heavy debts.
10. At age 12, Charles was forced to work at Warren's Blacking Warehouse.
11. He earned six shillings a week labeling bottles of shoe blacking.
12. This period of poverty and child labor deeply influenced his literary themes.
13. He attended the Wellington House Academy after his father’s release from prison.
14. By nature, as a child, Dickens was considered introverted.
15. He started his career as a law clerk in 1827.
16. He later became a shorthand reporter in the law courts.
17. Dickens worked as a political journalist, reporting on Parliamentary debates for The Morning Chronicle.
18. He briefly aspired to be an actor and joined the Garrick Club in 1832.
19. He missed a major acting audition at Covent Garden because of a cold.
20. He married Catherine Hogarth on April 2, 1836.
21. Catherine was the daughter of his colleague, George Hogarth.
22. The couple had ten children together.
23. Dickens and Catherine separated in 1858 after 22 years of marriage.
24. He fell in love with Maria Beadnell in his youth, but the relationship failed.
25. Dickens visited the USA and Canada for the first time in 1842.
26. He made a second visit to the United States in 1867.
27. He died on June 9, 1870, at the age of 58.
28. The cause of his death was a stroke (heart attack).
29. He died at his home, Gads Hill Place, in Higham, Kent.
30. He was buried in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.
31. He is buried next to the grave of Rudyard Kipling.
32. His last words were reportedly: "On the ground".

Literary Career and Style

33. Dickens used the pseudonym "Boz" for his early writings.
34. The name "Boz" originated from a family nickname, "Moses".
35. He is known as a Social Reformer who used his novels to highlight societal ills.
36. His works were primarily published in serial form (monthly episodes).
37. He was a master of characterization, creating over 350 characters in his first novel alone.
38. Dickens was a prolific journalist and edited magazines like Bentley's Miscellany.
39. He founded and edited the journals Household Words and All the Year Round.
40. He was the first editor of the "Daily News" in 1846.
41. Critics often call him a "Literary Genius" of the Victorian era.
42. His writing style blends realism, comedy, and social criticism.
43. Themes often include child labor, education reform, and the legal system.
44. He is famous for his "Dickensian" descriptions of Victorian London.

Major Works: Early Novels

45. His first published story was "A Dinner at Poplar Walk" (1833).
46. Sketches by Boz (1836) was his first major published collection.
47. Full title: Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People.
48. The Pickwick Papers (1837) is considered his first novel.
49. Its full title is The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.
50. The novel follows the adventures of Samuel Pickwick and his club members.
51. Sam Weller, the valet, is one of the most famous characters in Pickwick Papers.
52. The novel's illustrations were famously done by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne).
53. Oliver Twist (1838) was subtitled The Parish Boy's Progress.
54. It was serialized in Bentley's Miscellany.
55. The story features the orphan Oliver Twist, born in a workhouse.
56. Fagin is the leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets in London.
57. The Artful Dodger (Jack Dawkins) is Fagin’s most skillful pickpocket.
58. Bill Sikes is the brutal criminal who murders his companion, Nancy.
59. Mr. Bumble is the hypocritical beadle of the workhouse.
60. Nicholas Nickleby (1839) focuses on the protagonist's struggle to support his family.
61. It satirizes the cruel "Yorkshire Schools".
62. Wackford Squeers is the tyrannical headmaster of Dotheboys Hall.
63. Smike is the tragic, abused boy befriended by Nicholas.
64. Ralph Nickleby is the villainous uncle and antagonist.

Historical and Social Novels

65. The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) features the tragic death of Little Nell.
66. The villain Daniel Quilp is a grotesque and malicious money-lender.
67. Barnaby Rudge (1841) was Dickens's first historical novel.
68. It is set during the Gordon Riots of 1780.
69. A Christmas Carol (1843) is a famous novella featuring Ebenezer Scrooge.
70. It introduced the concept of the "Ghost Story of Christmas".
71. Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) is a Picaresque novel.
72. It features the hypocritical architect Seth Pecksniff.
73. The novel deals with themes of greed and selfishness.
74. Dombey and Son (1848) tells the story of a shipping firm owner and his children.
75. Paul Dombey is the son whose death changes the course of the story.
76. Hard Times (1854) is a satire on the industrial society and Utilitarianism.
77. It is set in the fictional industrial town of Coketown.
78. Thomas Gradgrind is the character who values "Facts" above all else.

Masterpieces: David Copperfield to A Tale of Two Cities

79. David Copperfield (1850) is Dickens's most autobiographical novel.
80. Dickens called this work his "favourite child" among all his books.
81. It is narrated in the first person.
82. Wilkins Micawber is a character based on Dickens's father, John Dickens.
83. Uriah Heep is the sycophantic and villainous antagonist.
84. James Steerforth is David’s charismatic but treacherous friend.
85. David’s first wife is Dora Spenlow, and his second is Agnes Wickfield.
86. Mr. Creakle is the harsh headmaster of Salem House school.
87. Peggotty is the faithful nurse and servant to the Copperfield family.
88. Bleak House (1853) satirizes the Court of Chancery and legal delays.
89. The novel features the never-ending legal case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce.
90. It is partially narrated by the protagonist, Esther Summerson.
91. Little Dorrit (1857) focuses on the Marshalsea Debtors' Prison.
92. Amy Dorrit (Little Dorrit) is the protagonist born in the prison.
93. It criticizes the government's Circumlocution Office.
94. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is Dickens's second historical novel.
95. The "Two Cities" are London and Paris.
96. It is set before and during the French Revolution.
97. Sydney Carton is the lawyer who makes the ultimate sacrifice at the end.
98. Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay are the central romantic couple.
99. The novel begins with the famous line: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...".
100. Madame Defarge is the vengeful revolutionary who knits the names of the condemned.

Late Works and Characters

101. Great Expectations (1861) is another first-person narrative.
102. The protagonist is Pip (Philip Pirrip), an orphan.
103. Miss Havisham is the eccentric jilted bride living in Satis House.
104. Estella is the girl Pip loves, whom Miss Havisham trains to break men's hearts.
105. Abel Magwitch is the convict who becomes Pip's secret benefactor.
106. Joe Gargery is the kind-hearted blacksmith and Pip's brother-in-law.
107. Our Mutual Friend (1865) was his last completed novel.
108. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) is Dickens's unfinished novel.
109. It was intended to be a murder mystery.
110. Dickens died before completing the seventh installment of Edwin Drood.
111. John Jasper is the opium-addicted uncle and a primary character in Edwin Drood.

Famous Quotes and Critical Remarks

112. Dickens once stated about David Copperfield: "Of all my books, I like this the best".
113. Hugh Walker remarked that the pen which wrote David Copperfield was dipped in Dickens's own blood.
114. Queen Victoria praised The Old Curiosity Shop for being "lovely written".
115. Thomas Carlyle was a major influence on Dickens's social views.
116. George Bernard Shaw (G.B. Shaw) highly praised Great Expectations.
117. Dickens's works are often noted for their sentimentalism and pathos.
118. He was a champion of the oppressed and the poor.

Travelogues and Other Writings

119. American Notes for General Circulation (1842) is a travelogue of his first US trip.
120. Pictures from Italy (1846) is another travel work by Dickens.
121. A Child's History of England was written for children to learn history.
122. The Chimes (1844) is one of his "Christmas Books".
123. The Cricket on the Hearth (1845) is another popular Christmas novella.
124. The Haunted Man (1848) was his final Christmas book.
125. Dickens performed public readings of his works, which were immensely popular.

Key Supporting Characters for Exams

126. Barkis is the carrier in David Copperfield known for saying "Barkis is willin'".
127. Mr. Sowerberry is the undertaker in Oliver Twist.
128. Rose Maylie is Oliver’s kind benefactor and aunt.
129. Monks is Oliver's half-brother who seeks to ruin him.
130. Betsy Trotwood is David’s eccentric but kind great-aunt in David Copperfield.
131. Little Em'ly is a tragic character in David Copperfield seduced by Steerforth.
132. Jarndyce is the kind guardian of the wards in Bleak House.
133. Mr. Tulkinghorn is the scheming lawyer in Bleak House.
134. Stephen Blackpool is the tragic factory worker in Hard Times.
135. Josiah Bounderby is the boastful factory owner in Hard Times.
136. Charles Darnay is the French aristocrat who renounces his title in A Tale of Two Cities.
137. Dr. Manette is the physician imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years.
138. Biddy is the kind friend of Pip who eventually marries Joe Gargery.
139. Herbert Pocket is Pip's loyal friend in London.
140. Bentley Drummle is Pip’s rival and the cruel husband of Estella.

Miscellaneous Facts

1. Dickens’s first major biographer was his friend John Forster.
2. He was a major figure in the transition from Romanticism to Realism.
3. His father’s prison stay lasted about three months.
4. He had a strong interest in Scottish and 18th-century English literature.
5. Dickens advocated for International Copyright Law during his American tour.
6. He is known for creating grotesque yet memorable characters.
7. His works often highlight the hypocrisy of the upper class.
8. Dickens's childhood trauma of working in the blacking house was a secret for most of his life.
9. He died exactly five years after surviving a major train crash (the Staplehurst rail crash).
10. He remains one of the most widely read authors in the English language globally.