ROMEO AND JULIET UNIT

Biography of Shakespeare History: 1550-1650The Play: Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, actor, famous dramatist of queens and kings, inventor of words, master of drama, and the most famous writer of all time.

SHAKESPEARE BIOGRAPHY:

Wrote plays, poems, and sonnets

Father was a successful merchant

Mother was a local landed heiress

Earned a living as an actor

37 plays were published

1599 he and his partners built a theatre on the south bank of the Thames River

THE MAN: PERSONAL LIFE •Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564

•Shakespeare was from London England

•His father, John Shakespeare, worked as a glove maker. His mother came from a wealthy family.

•At 18, he married Anne Hathaway (26).

•His first daughter was born in 1583 her name was Susanna Shakespeare—just six months after Shakespeare was married to Hathaway…

•He had twins that were born in the year 1585 their names were Judith and Hamnet (fun fact—one of his famous plays is called HAMLET). Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died at 11. In the play, Hamlet, the main character dies a the end.

•Between 1585-1592 Shakespeare moved to London to pursue a career as an actor and playwright (his wife and children stayed behind in Stratford)

•In his will, he left only “his second best bed” to Hathaway.

QUICK WRITE QUESTION:

“In what ways could Shakespeare’s life experiences have influenced what he wrote about?”

Look back at your notes that tell of some of his experiences, then turn to a partner and discuss.

There’s no right or wrong answer here, kids. Just speculation as of now.

I should hear:

“When _____________happened in Shakespeare’s life it could have influenced his writing because ______.”

THE MAN: PROFESSIONAL LIFE

•Shakespeare came of age during the Renaissance, a flourishing of arts and culture

•William Shakespeare worked at theater called Lord Chamberlains, later called “King’s Men”

•Shakespeare was an official playwright to the king of England and a favorite of Elizabeth I

•Famous plays that William Shakespeare wrote: Romeo & Juliet, A Mid summer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, 1 Henry IV, King Lear, King John, Much Ado About Nothing, and Winters Tale

•William Shakespeare had business partners and they opened a theater called the “Globe”

THE MAN: CONTROVERSYMany people thought Shakespeare did not write the plays:

oHe wasn’t clever enough to writeoToo many for written to be accredited to himoThe plays contain a deep knowledge of the classics yet Shakespeare never got a university education

However, there is more than enough evidence to prove that William Shakespeare really did exist, and that he really did write his plays, though many of his ideas came from other writers—this was not plagiarism…it’s just how things were done in Elizabethan times.

QUICK WRITE QUESTION:

“How much should someone be allowed to copy another’s work before it’s considered plagiarism? How much is too much? Are there any original ideas or are all ideas just copies from somewhere?”

Turn to a partner and discuss.

There’s no right or wrong answer here, kids.

I should hear:

“It should be considered plagiarism if you copy_____________ of someone’s work. I do/do not believe there are original ideas because__________.”

THE LOCATION: BRITAIN 1550-1650•Theaters often closed due to the plague (he wrote many of his poems during these times)•1618- Thirty Years of War begins, last until 1648•1630- England makes peace with France and Spain•Life was hard and many people lived in poverty

THE PLAYRevolves around two “star-cross’d” lovers—two people who’s love is doomed to fail because of fate, chance, circumstance

Famous because: • Empowering/endearing love story• Famous for it’s tragic ending

Fate, family and chance have it out for the lovers—makes for an exciting AND upsetting read