William Shakespeare 1564-1616

1. William Shakespeare1564-1616

2. Early years • Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England – located a bit below Birmingham • Son of prominent town official – John Shakespeare • 3rd child of 8 children • Probably began his education at the age of six or seven at the Stratford grammar school although there is no official record of this.

3. The Lost YearsThe period between 1585 and 1592 • Little is know about Shakespeare from the time he left grammar school to when he re-emerged as a professional actor – some ideas include: • Schoolmaster • Lawyer • Glover • Literary Scholar

4. Marriage and Family – the one known piece of history during the “lost years” • Married at age 18 to an orphan named Anne Hathaway (she was 26) who was pregnant with his child • 1st child was daughter, Susanna-born in 1583 • Twins, Hamnet and Judith born in 1585 • Hamnet dies at age 11

5. William ShakespeareLater Years • Moved to London around 1591 and became an actor • Worked with the Lord Chamberlin’s company of players, later known as the King’s Men

6. William ShakespeareWorks of Literature • Along with acting, he also wrote some of the most renowned and studied literature written in the English language • Poems-famous for his sonnets • Plays-Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories

7. The Plays • Comedies: Early plays were mainly comedy • Comedy is social--leading to a happy resolution (usually a marriage or marriages).  • tragedy/dramatic themes in the early 1600’s • Tragedy is individual, concentrating on the suffering of a single, remarkable hero--leading to individual torment, waste and death • Romances • 1608 marks a change in tone from tragedy to romance, light, magic, and reconciliation • Histories • Plays about English kings and few regarding Roman history as well.

8. William ShakespeareComedies • All’s Well that Ends Well • As You Like It • Comedy of Errors • Measure for Measure • Midsummer Night’s Dream • Taming of the Shrew • Much Ado About Nothing • Twelfth Night • Merchant of Venice

9. William ShakespeareTragedies • Julius Caesar • Hamlet • Macbeth • Othello • Romeo and Juliet • King Lear

10. William ShakespeareHistories • King Henry V • King John • Richard II • Richard III

11. Works of Literature • In total he wrote 37 very successful plays • His vocabulary was HUGE-somewhere between 17,000 and 34,000 words! • The estimated vocabulary of an educated person today is around 15,000 words

12. William ShakespeareWorks of Literature He had an amazing influence on our English language

13. William ShakespeareHave you heard these phrases? • I couldn’t sleep a wink. • He was dead as a doornail. • She’s a tower of strength. • They hoodwinked us. • We’d better lie low for awhile. • I am constant as the Northern Star. • It’s all Greek to me.

14. More words that first appeared in his plays • Accommodation lonely • Assassination gloomy • Dexterously fretful • Dislocate suspicious • Obscene hurry • Reliance • Premeditate

15. William ShakespeareLater Years • Returned to Stratford around 1610 where he lived as a country gentleman • Wealthy-Owned one of the largest homes in town • Died in Stratford in 1616 at the age of 52. His death was a mystery. It is rumored that he drank too much and contracted a fever or that he died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

16. Elizabethan Age • Shakespeare lived and wrote during what is known as the English Renaissance, which lasted from about 1485 through the 1660s • Period is also known as Elizabethan Age, named after Queen Elizabeth who ruled England from 1558-1603

17. Queen Elizabeth

18. Queen Elizabeth I – ( 1558-1603 ) • Ruled England for 45 years. • Nicknamed “the Virgin Queen” and produced no heir to the throne • Restored Protestantism and formalized the Church of England • During her reign, the economy was weakened by inflation, food shortages, and high rent. • Outbreak of the black plague, food riots, Catholic conspiracies, threats of invasion, etc. • During the Elizabethan Period, hundreds of people were convicted as witches and executed

19. Elizabethan Age • During the Queen’s reign, society celebrated poets • Elizabethans would be surprised to learn that their age would become best known for its theater, as most considered drama a less distinguished form of lit. than poetry

20. Elizabethan Age • England was flourishing and London was becoming one of largest cities in Europe; however life was not easy for everyone • Catholics experienced religious persecution • Women were subject to many restrictions • Most English people endured crowded living conditions and an unsatisfactory diet

21. The Plague • Rich and poor alike were defenseless against bubonic plague • In 1564, the year Shakespeare was born, nearly one-third of his hometown died of the plague

22. Elizabethan AgeFashion

23. Elizabethan AgeFashion

24. Globe Theater • Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed at Burbage’s theater until 1599, when they built their own playhouse, the Globe • Shakespeare referred to the Globe as “this wooden O,” a term that led scholars to believe it was a circular building

25. Globe Theater • Today, audiences of this “wooden O” can sit in the gallery or stand as informally as a groundling…

26. Globe Theater • The original theater was destroyed by a fire in 1613 • It was rebuilt in 1614, closed in 1642, and demolished in 1644 • A modern reconstruction of the original Globe, named “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre” opened in 1997

27. Globe Theater

28. Globe Theater Located just outside of London

29. A white flag indicated that there was a play on that day.

30. . Plays were performed during the day.

31. The groundlings stood by the stage.

32. The wealthy sat in the upper decks.

33. Young men dressed up to play the female roles.

34. Audience • Attending Shakespeare’s theater was quite different from attending theater today, which is thought of as very quiet and austere • In Elizabethan England it was a noisy, popular gathering place for people of all ages and from all walks of life

35. The Cost of a Show • 1 shilling to stand • 2 shillings to sit in the balcony • 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income • Broadway Today: • $85 Orchestra • $60 Balcony • 10% of a teacher’s weekly salary

36. Audience • Drinking and eating were permitted in the pit, which often became very noisy • If a spectator did not like a particular character or scene, he or she would feel free to hiss or boo of throw anything he or she might have on hand

37. The Play • It is possible that Shakespeare had this in mind when he included the phrase “with patient ears attend” in the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet • The rowdy atmosphere of the pit also accounted for the exaggerated acting that was common at the time

38. The Play • To compensate for lines that the audience could not hear, the actors used exaggerated gestures and facial expressions, unlike the natural method of acting that is used today • Nature of the crowd contributed to haste with which the lines were spoken • Today, Shakespeare play takes almost 3 hours. Then, a play would have taken two hours or less! (“the two hours’ traffic of our stage”)

39. The Conspiracy… • There is so little known about the real William Shakespeare. It is hardly surprising therefore that plenty of theories about our most famous bard and his work have arisen. It was, after all, Mark Twain who said: “So far as anybody actually knows and can prove, Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon never wrote a play in his life.”