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William Shakespeare
(Whoever That Was)1564-1616
Birth and Early Years
• Baptized: April 26, 1564• Born: probably a few days before baptism– Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon
• About 100 miles NW of London
• Education: – Probably attended grammar school and church at
Stratford-Upon-Avon• Elizabethan school: began at dawn, lasted most of the day, 6
days a week. He would have learned Latin, and the classics there. There is some indication Billy did not finish school.
• Elizabethan church: MANDATORY
What We Know For Sure
• Born c. 1564 • Baptized 1564• Married to Anne Hathaway Nov 28, 1582.• Children: Susanna (1583), twins Hamnet and Judith (1585)• Probably lived in or around Stratford until 1585.• Died c. 1616• There are some killer poems and plays attributed to him.
(1585-1613)• Joined and became part owner Lord Chamberlin’s men
(later called The Kings’ Men), a theater troupe. (c. 1585-1592)– Shakespeare acted and wrote plays for this group.
Elizabethan Society• The English Renaissance
– cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the early 16th century to the early 17th century.
– More about music and literature, as opposed to Italian Rennaissance, which had notable visual arts
– “The Age of Shakespeare,” or “The Elizabethan Era”
• Religion– There was an uneasy truce between Catholics and Protestants in 16th
century England. • Historically, the Catholic Church held about as much power as the king
• Elizabeth recognized the Church of England (protestant) and put herself in charge of it.
• The Arts– In particular, the puritans, a sect of Protestantism, were very much
against the theater, perceiving it as a den of vice and generally a distraction from the Lord.
– Fortunately for Billy Boy, Queen Elizabeth loved the theater, despite being Protestant! And so the show went on…
Elizabethan Theater• Comedy – Everyone gets married at the end.
» More like what we call “romantic comedy”
• Tragedy – Everyone dies at the end.» The main character either “falls to ruin” or is killed» Often the protagonist’s fate is a result of a flaw in their character, or a moral
weakness• This is known as a tragic flaw.
• History – Stories about Kings. Sometimes serialized (like a soap opera)
• 5 Act plays and the 5 elements of plot– I: Exposition IV: Falling Action– II: Rising Action V: Resolution and Denoument– III: Climax
The Globe Theater
The Globe Theater
•Basically a thrust stage, with audience on all three sides•Very little in the way of a set; great costumes though!
•Creating the world of the play relied on compelling and descriptive language
•Thousands of attendees, representing all levels of society•“Cheap Seats” in the pit
•Groundlings
• Cost of a play – about a penny– Blue collar workers
made about 5-6 pennies a day; rent was about 12 pennies (a shilling)
• Attendees typically not as well behaved as a modern audience
• Theater was considered to be somewhat unseemly; the Globe was built on the outskirts of town
More Pictures…
Romeo and Juliet
• Written and originally performed c. 1596– Makes it one of Billy’s
earlier works
• R and J is a Tragedy– “Two star-cross’d lovers
take their life”
• Setting– 15th Century Verona
• (A city in Italy)
– Before Italy was a unified country• City-States, ruled by
noblemen (Dukes)
– Two feuding families• Montagues (Romeo’s
family)• Capulets (Juliet’s family)
Why do they talk to funny?
• 1) Language changes – the meanings and associated meanings of words change over time.
• 2) Figurative Language – metaphors, puns, imagery, etc.
• 3) Blank Verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)• 4) Allusions – things that were hip in the 16th
century are now pretty obscure!
Note Time!
• Make a page in your notebook for “Shakespeare Vocabulary”
• Take notes over pages 986-987 in your textbook
Macbeth
• Written/performed c. 1605– At the height of Shakespeare’s and his company’s
popularity• “The Scottish Play”– Commissioned by then king of Scotland– Set in Scotland- 11th century (c. 1040AD)– Costume considerations
• Would have been originally performed in private halls, to wealthy crowds (so NOT in the Globe)
Macbeth would have been performed in a space like this…