Art · Cinema, photography & architecture + iconic works

Why is Shakespeare still staged everywhere?

An actor's playwright, a stage with no scenery, and lines that never die.

1564-16163 min read5 partsQuiz of 8 questions

Read in the app Available in 30 languages

Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote for the London stage, not for the classroom. His plays mix kings, clowns, lovers, and murderers.

Four centuries later, he is still performed everywhere.

The rest is in the Sophia app.The remaining parts, the open-book quiz and the full glossary. Free to start; Premium unlocks everything.

Open-book quiz8 questions whose answers are in the text.

Glossary10 terms explained in a tap.

30 languagesThe same course, from French to Japanese.

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Glossary

1599 · concept: A theater built on the south bank of the Thames, outside the limits of the City of London (which banned performances). Octagonal and open to the sky, it hosted 3,000 spectators standing (the "groundlings") or seated in the covered galleries.
First Folio · reference: The first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623 by his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. Without it, half of his work would be lost.
Globe Theatre · concept: A theater built on the south bank of the Thames, outside the limits of the City of London (which banned performances). Octagonal and open to the sky, it hosted 3,000 spectators standing (the "groundlings") or seated in the covered galleries.
Globe Theatre (1599) · concept: A theater built on the south bank of the Thames, outside the limits of the City of London (which banned performances). Octagonal and open to the sky, it hosted 3,000 spectators standing (the "groundlings") or seated in the covered galleries.

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A Sophia courseWritten by the Sophia editorial team, reviewed before publication, translated into 30 languages.See Sophia's authors

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