William Shakespeare (our greatest-ever playwright?)

William Shakespeare was a wealthy property developer (with left-wing political views). All his relatives died with no children, so he has no direct descents.

Despite stories of other people writing some of his plays, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust refutes this. Some believe that Edward de Vere (the Earl of Oxford) wrote them.

Like Bath, London and the Lake District, Stratford-upon-Avon is now suffering from ‘over-tourism’, due to being his birthplace and site of his home.

The town is now so commercial, that apparently China is soon to build its own version (just like Las Vegas builds its own versions of worldwide towers and bridges).

And political correctness has gone mad here. Following media criticism that to call Shakespeare ‘the greatest living writer’ is ‘white supremacy’, they should study the history. In 1833, black actor Ira Aldridge played Othello on the London stage, and since then it’s rare for a white actor to play him.

This mirrors some who criticised the author of the Paddington Bear books, because he came from ‘darkest Peru’. In fact, Michael Bond was inspired to write his tales of the polite kind bear, after his own family would shelter refugees in the war.

His notion for creating the books, was actually to foster compassion and acceptance for people from abroad. Paddington Bear was the original illegal immigrant! What would Nigel Farage say?

The Illustrated William Shakespeare offers 25 of his most beloved poems alongside stunning colour collage artwork, if you feel that you really should read Shakespeare, but want some easy bedtime reading!

20 Shakespeare Stories for Children

20 Shakespeare Stories for Children is a box set of the most popular plays, in a format that’s easy to understand. Ideal for introvert bookworms, this gives hours of reading:

1. Hamlet (the Prince of Denmark returns home after his father’s death to discover the evil plot of his Uncle Claudius, and seeks revenge but to his own downfall).
2. Romeo and Juliet (a love story in the city of Verona, revolving around the feud between two affluent families, who disapprove of them wanting to wed).
3. Macbeth (a power-hungry Scottish Lord and his Lady conspire to kill King Duncan. But on his death, Macbeth is consumed by guilt, panic and paranoia).
4. Timon of Athens (a rich man with a lavish life asks his friends for help when he runs out of money, but when they say no, he is filled with hatred and goes off to be a hermit).
5. The Winter’s Tale (a popular comedy set in Sicily, teaching readers the importance of the consequences of not trusting those you love).
6. The Tempest (set on a remote island, a magician controls the island to draw in his family who had unlawfully stolen his kingdom), so they can claim their ‘rightful position’.
7. The Two Gentlemen of Verona (a story of how friendship can overcome all odds, and how it is affected when they fall in love – but deal with problems to come out better on the other side).
8. The Taming of the Shrew (a robust comedy about the daughter of a wealthy merchant, but is so petulant that her father thinks she will never find a husband – until she meets someone as rich and arrogant as she is!) And together they realise the error of their ways.
9. Cymbeline King of Britain is a romantic play about Imogen who marries (against the wishes of her stepmother). So her husband is banished and she held as a prisoner in the palace.
10. Julius Caesar portrays events in Roman history, unfolding the story of his murder and the tragedy that strikes Rome after his death.
11. King Lear (the ageing king steps down and divides his kingdom between three daughters, asking each one how much they love him ..)
12. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (a popular comedy about Hermia and her best friend Helena, both in love with the same man, so Puck the fairy causes havoc with a love potion!
13. Anthony and Cleopatra again follows events from Roman history, set in ancient Rome and Egypt, the love story of a Roman general and the queen of Egypt.
14. All’s Well That Ends Well (a witty comedy about Helena, in love with Bertram (the son of her guardian) who does not share her feelings, until she wins him over with her intelligence!)
15. As You Like It (set in the enchanted forest of Arden, where Rosalind (the daughter of an exiled duke) and Orlando (the son of one of her father’s courtiers) become entangled in a game of love and mistaken identity).
16. Much Ado About Nothing (a story of love, trust and lies in this popular comedy, set in the quiet town of Messina in Sicily, featuring two pairs of lovers (Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero).
17. The Comedy of Errors (one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, this tells the story of two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, but fate brings them to the same city years later).
18. Othello (a Moorish general falls in love with Desdemona (the daughter of a powerful senator in Venice).
19. Twelfth Night (a comic love story, when aristocratic Viola is separated from her twin brother Sebastian in a shipwreck, to be swept onto the shores of the Kingdom of Illyria, where she falls in love).
20. Richard III (a popular historic play taking place during the final years of War of the Roses (Lancashire vs Yorkshire!) about a duke who will stop at nothing to get his brother’s throne).