William Shakespeare

12th Grade AP EnglishCharacter Sketch

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His Birth and Background

• He was born on April 23, 1564, was baptized April 26, 1564, and died April 23, 1616.

• His family was not nobility, but his father was an alderman.

• The Shakespeares were not peasants, but he had no title.

• Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1526 when he was eighteen and she was twenty-six.

• Together they had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.

• No record exists of any university attendance.

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Did Shakespeare exist?

• Many believe that Shakespeare never existed– The reason for this being that he never went to

university.– Shakespeare was a genius with words, and

possessed a highly learned and sophisticated wit that entranced everyone from King James to the common man.

• Some believe that William Shakespeare was a pen name for another author.– Christopher Marlowe– Queen Elizabeth I

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Marlowe vs. Shakespeare

• Marlowe’s plays are highly sophisticated and verbose so that only the very educated can understand.

• Shakespeare, although eloquent, employed only 5,000 English words, and was comprehended and appreciated by even the common man.

• Shakespeare is famous for the pun (a play on words).

• Shakespeare also inserts comic relief in tense scenes.

• The wit, humor, and tone are completely different between the two men.

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The Globe• Located just across from the London Bridge• Shakespeare was actually a part owner of the

company, the “King’s Men.”• Flags marked the outsides of all the playhouses in

those days– These flags indicated the genre of the play– Tragedy, Comedy, etc.

• James I is said to have attended Macbeth at the Globe.

• All of the playhouses were temporarily closed during the plague (1593, 1603, and 1608)

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Shakespeare’s Publications

• The only time Shakespeare would have published his plays would be because he no longer required them for his own productions.

• His friends and fellow actors published some of his plays posthumously, the First Folio, and gave him credit. This was the first official publication of his plays.– Why would his friends give him credit? He was

already dead and technically had no claims. How could this be if he did not “exist” to begin with

– Discussion

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The Playwright’s PortfolioOxfordian Chronology of Shakespeare's Works (

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Shakespeare's_plays_%E2%80%93_Oxfordian)

*Dates in parentheses indicate the date of first publication only.*• (1562), "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet", proposed by Ogburn to be a

childhood work of Oxford, under the pseudonym Arthur Brooke. • (1567), Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in collaboration with Oxford's uncle and tutor,

Arthur Golding.[4] • 1574, Famous Victories of Henry Fifth, early version of Henry IV, Part 1 & 2, and Henry V

. • 1577, revised 1594 (1623) The Comedy of Errors earlier version called A Historie of

Error.[5] – If this is the same as the play entitled "The Night of Errors," it was also performed on

28 December 1594. • 1577, revised 1593 (1594) Titus Andronicus . • 1577, (1609) Pericles Prince of Tyre. Completed in 1607 by another hand, probably

George Wilkins. • 1578, editor and collaborator (1609) Euphues: The Anatomy of Wyt. (According to

Ogburn, by the late 1570s, Oxford is regarded as the unofficial head of the Euphuist faction of poets.)

• 1578, (1623) Cymbeline; earlier version called "An History of the Cruelties of A StepMother"

• 1579, revised in 1602 (1623) All's Well That Ends Well; earlier version called “An History of the Second Helene"

• 1579, (1623) The Taming of the Shrew; earlier version called “A Morall of the Marriage of Mynde and Measure”

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The Playwright’s Portfolio cont’d• 1579, revised in 1590 (1623) Love's Labour's Lost, earlier version called "A Maske

of Amazons and a Maske of Knights” • 1579, (1623) Merchant of Venice; earlier version called “The Jew” • 1580, revised 1592 (1844) Sir Thomas More

– Reputedly written by Anthony Munday, it is theorized to have been transcribed by Munday on behalf of Oxford, his employer. At this time Munday served as Oxford's "writing secretary".

• 1581, revised 1594 (1597) Romeo and Juliet • 1581, revised 1592 (1602) Richard III • 1581, revised 1590 (1595) Henry VI, Part III • 1583, revised in 1599 (1600) Much Ado About Nothing • 1584, revised 1590 (published 1598) Henry VI, Part I

– Stationers' Register on 25 February 1598. • 1585, revised 1598 (published 1600) Henry IV, Part 2 • 1586, revised in 1599 (1600) Henry V • 1588, revised in 1599 (1623) As You Like It[6]

– Stationers' Register in August 1600 • 1589, revised in 1599 (1623) Julius Caesar

– Mentioned by Thomas Platter in 1599. • 1589, revised in 1601 (1603) Hamlet[7]

– Stationers' Register in July 1602 describes it as “lately acted.”

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The Playwright’s Portfolio cont’d• 1589 (published 1600) Henry VI, Part II

– Parodied by Robert Greene in 1592. – In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.

• 1590, revised in 1596 (1622) King John – In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.

• 1591, revised 1604 (1622) Othello – Performed November 1604. – Stationers' Register in November 1607.

• 1592, revised in 1602 (1623) Twelfth Night • 1593 (1623) Taming of the Shrew • 1593, (1623) Henry VIII (probably revised in 1612 by John Fletcher)[8] • 1594 (1623) The Two Gentlemen of Verona

– In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays. • 1594 (1598) Love's Labour's Lost

– In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays. • 1594, revised in 1603 (1623) Macbeth; revised again in 1615 by Thomas Middleton

.[9] • 1594, revised 1603 (1608) King Lear, earlier version called "The True Chronicle

History of King Leir" • 1594, (1623) "The Winter's Tale; earlier version called "A Winter’s Night Pastime". • 1595 (1597) Richard II

– In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.

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The Playwright’s Portfolio cont’d• 1595 (1600) A Midsummer Night's Dream

– In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays. • 1596 (1600) The Merchant of Venice

– Recorded at Stationers' Register on 22 July 1598. In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.

• 1597 Henry IV, Part I – In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.

• 1594-1597 (1603?) Love's Labour's Won – In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays. In Christopher Hunt's August 1603

booklist. A lost play. • 1598 (1602) Merry Wives of Windsor, • 1601 (1609) Troilus and Cressida (Stationers' Register in February 1603.)• 1602 (1623) Measure for Measure • 1603 (1623) Coriolanus • 1603 (1623) Antony and Cleopatra (Stationers' Register in May 1608. )

• 1603, (1623) Timon of Athens, completed in 1607 by another hand, possibly Thomas Middleton. (Stationers' Register in May 1608. )

• 1603 (1623) The Tempest [10] • Unknown start date (1728) Cardenio (possibly completed in 1612 by John Fletcher)

– Was performed in 1613. Published only in an adaptation by Lewis Theobald entitled Double Falshood; essentially a lost play.

• Unknown start date (1634) The Two Noble Kinsmen (possibly completed by John Fletcher).

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Sonnets• Shakespeare created his own form

– Ababcdcdefefgg• “gg” is a couplet

– This is called a quatrain– His sonnets consisted of three quatrains and a

couplet, as opposed to the Italian (Petrarchian) sonnet, which is composed of an octave and a sestet

• His style was typical anti-Petrarchian

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Sonnets cont’d• Shakespeare wrote and published his

sonnets during the plague for money when the playhouses were closed due to the plague.

• Believed to have written sonnets about/to four people– Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets were written to

an unknown young man– The poet himself– The rival poet– The dark lady (Sonnet 130)

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Interesting Facts about Macbeth

• Macbeth was an actual person. The play Macbeth was based on a true story, but embellished by Shakespeare.

• Banquo (the murdered friend) was the one who really overthrew the throne.

• In Scotland, kingship did not necessarily pass from father to son-the king named his heir.– This happens to be Malcolm in the story, who

actually was the son of Duncan.

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Macbeth*Our first play of the year that we will delve

into will be Macbeth.***This is one of my personal favorites **

• Setting– Turbulent and war-riddled Scotland– The predictions of three witches bring the most

loyal and noble soldier to conspiracy, murder, and his eventual demise through vaulting ambition.

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Character List• DUNCAN, King of Scotland • MACBETH, Thane of Glamis & Cawdor • LADY MACBETH, his wife • BANQUO, Thane of Lochaber, a general in the King's army • MACDUFF, Thane of Fife, A Nobleman of Scotland • MALCOLM, Elder son of Duncan • DONALBAIN, Younger son of Duncan• LENNOX, Nobleman of Scotland• ROSS, Nobleman of Scotland• SIWARD, Earl of Northumberland, general of the English forces• YOUNG SIWARD, His son• SEYTON, Attendant to Macbeth• HECATE, Queen of the Witches• The Three Witches • The Porter The doorman (The main comic relief in the play)• LADY MACDUFF• FLEANCE, Banquo's son• MENTEITH Nobleman of Scotland • ANGUS Nobleman of Scotland • CAITHNESS Nobleman of Scotland • Three Murderers (They do all of Macbeth's dirty work after he has become king and is deeply

stricken with guilt from killing but still feels the need to murder)• Armed Head (Symbolizes Macduff because he will kill with knowledge known by none else) • Bloody Child (Symbolizes Macduff when he was born) • Crowned Child, with a tree in his hand (The succeeding king will have carried trees from forest

to forest before killing Macbeth)

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Freytag’s Pyramid• “Fair is foul and foul is fair”• Exposition

– Witches first scene sets the stage for the entire play– Witches’ predictions

• Thane of Glamis• Thane of Cawdor• King

• Rising Action– Conflicts

• Lady Macbeth• Duncan and Banquo (both were eliminated)• Macbeth himself (as shown in his soliloquy)

– Conspiracy with Lady Macbeth and decision to murder Duncan• Climax

– Occurs directly after the murder of Duncan and the guards in Act II• Falling Action

– Murder of Banquo and flight of Fleance– Apparitions

• The armed head• Bloody child• Crowned child holding a tree in his hand

– Death of Lady Macbeth• Dénouement: Fulfillment of the witch’s prophecies and death of Macbeth