Welcome to Shakespeare’s world!

1. Welcome to Shakespeare’s world! A world of • History • Tragedy • Comedy

2. Historical Background Renaissance Elizabethan England 1558 - 1603

3. It all started with a guy named Henry. He changed the world, but his daughter ruled the world

4. Once upon a time…King Henry VII and his wife had to find a proper wife for their oldest son, Arthur (Henry VIII’s big brother). They chose a Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. (Remember Columbus? Same people).

5. Arthur marries Catherine, but... • He dies within 1 year and... • never has a child, so... • Catherine is proclaimed “pure” and given in marriage to Arthur’s younger brother--Henry VIII

6. Henry VIII • There are many pregnancies w/ Catherine of Aragon, but • only 1 child lives… Mary. • Henry growsbored & wants a male heir, but • Catholicism forbids divorce, so • Henry appeals to the Pope for an annulment. He claims that his marriage is invalid because Catherine was his brother’s widow.

7. * The Pope refuses, so Henry VIII... * renounces Catholicism & changes the country’s religion, founding the Church of England. Then he… * grants himself a divorce & marries Anne Boleyn. She’s French, so everybody hates her. * Makes himself head of church instead of Pope. He’s already head of state. * Once again, many pregnancies, one survives… Elizabeth!

8. To sum up, Henry VIII marries 6 times Catherine of Aragon: divorced (bears daughter-- Mary) Anne Boleyn: beheaded but first bears daughter-- Elizabeth Kathryn Howard: dies Anne of Cleves: divorced Jane Seymour: beheaded Catherine Parr: outlives him

9. Surviving children: Mary Elizabeth Edward Who will succeed Henry VIII?

10. Edward VI, rules from age 9- age 15, then dies; no heirs Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) * not as bad as she sounds * restores Catholicism * Marries Philip II of Spain; dies childless after a very unhappy life

11. begins as a troubled nation Elizabethan England • severe poverty • outbreaks of bubonic plague • most people can’t read

12. Elizabeth I 1558 - 1603 Can one woman really make a difference?

13. From chaos to order • An Elizabethan theme • Elizabeth ("Glorianna") • * reigns for 45 years-enormously popular • * ends religious violence • * defeats Spanish Armada (1558) • * encourages the arts; a renaissance!

14. Elizabethan Chain of Being God Angels Man Animals Plants Inanimate objects

15. Who's Who in Elizabethan England:

16. Additionally: • Elizabeth is very well educated. • Her interests include history, science, art, literature, philosophy • A shrewd political strategist, she never marries (The Virgin Queen), but uses her status as a single monarch to encourage alliances w/ other nations whose leaders hope to win her hand.

17. Life in Elizabethan England

18. What to do today... Morning agenda: 1. Public execution at dawn 2. Bear-baiting before lunch 3. Street carnival on the way to theatre

19. “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king: a king of England!” Elizabeth I

20. She, too, dies without an heir, but that’s another story! Now it’s time to...

21. ...meet our pal, Bill! William Shakespeare 23 April 1564 - 23 April 1616

22. William Shakespeare actor playwright director producer poet husband father

23. Assorted Facts: • Born in Stratford-upon-Avon • Marries Anne Hathaway - 1582 (he’s 18, she’s 26) • Has 3 children: Susannah, Hamnet, Judith

24. The Globe Theatre • Built in 1599 • Built outside London: Puritan influence (corrupts morals) • Modeled after courtyards of inns

25. Shakespeare’s Plays: • sssssssssssss • 37 total, in 3 categories: • Histories (England is hero) • Tragedies (lots of people die) • Comedies: • romantic misadventures • mistaken identities • clown/buffoon character • women outwitting men • ssssssssssssss

26. The Merchant of Venice Not ahistory exactly, nor a TRAGEDY precisely, but a Comedy… of sorts

27. Background • Edict of Expulsion Act: Edward I expelled all Jews from the kingdom of England in 1290. It is quite likely that Shakespeare had never met a Jewish person. This ban extended until 1656. • The countries in which Jews were permitted to live, including the republic of Venice, imposed many restrictions: • They lived outside the cities in ghettos. • They were required to wear distinguishing symbols on clothing when leaving ghetto area. • They were restricted to practicing only a handful of trades.

28. Trades Permitted • operating pawn shop • lending money (Now it might be called investment banking or venture capitalism.In our society, these people are among the most admired and powerful.) • operating printing press (Hebrew press) • trading in textiles • practicing medicine

29. How Does Shakespeare Fit? • William Shakespeare was born on or around April 23, 1564 and died April 23, 1616 • If Jews were not allowed into England until 1656, how could he write about them in this play?

30. Note: • Officially, there were no Jews in 16th century England because they had been banished. Some say fewer than 200 Jews lived in Elizabethan England, concealing their religious practices and often meeting in small secret communities to maintain their identity as Jews among themselves. • Jews were a popular target of hatred in this time, as is common for any outsider in a society. This hostility was taken for granted in Shakespeare’s time and perhaps particularly exacerbated by an infamous trial and public execution.

31. The Queen’s Physician Queen Elizabeth’s physician, Rodrigo Lopez, a Portuguese Jew who lived as a convert to Christianity but met secretly with other Jews, was accused and found guilty of attempting to poison the queen and was executed in 1594. The false accusation stemmed from a personal vendetta from the Earl of Essex, but that’s another story. Popular sentiment in England encouraged Jews to be vilified.

32. “If you prick us, do we not bleed?” • Many have used Act III, Scene 1, Line 63-64 as justification for a simplistic attempt to cast Shakespeare as being above the type of institutionalized prejudice that was widely accepted in his day: Jews and Christians are both human and therefore should be treated equally. • Honestly, Shakespeare was a man of his time. Shylock’s characterization reveals common prejudices. If we explore 3.63-72 in their context, it becomes clear that Shylock means to exact revenge in precisely the same way his Gentile enemies would, hardly the plea for reconciliation through common humanity that some would call it.

33. “If you prick us, do we not bleed?” • Careful reading of the text reveals such matter-of-fact persecution, such expected societal contempt for all Jews, as should make us exceedingly uncomfortable. Upon consideration, we probably won’t like Antonio or Bassanio as much as Shakespeare perhaps intended. • We can and should hold Shylock up to scrutiny, inferring whether his difficult personality preceded or resultedfrom the persecution he suffered. A strong and complex villain, but a villain nonetheless, Shylock’s characterization and treatment make this one of the most problematic of Shakespeare’s plays.

34. Justice or Mercy? • Which do you think is more important for society? Why? • Which do you think is more important for relationships? Why?

35. Exposition • The republic of Venice in the late 16th century • Chief concerns: Money, love, marriage, money, racial and religious superiority, and finally… MONEY!(includes all property)

36. Major Characters *Antonio*Shylock *Bassanio*Jessica *Portia *Lorenzo *Gratiano *Nerissa Minor Characters *Lancelet Gobbo *friends/companions * Gobbo *foreign suitors *Tubal *messengers

37. Antonio Connected to: Connection: Bassanio Gratiano Shylock Portia Lorenzo

38. Bassanio Connected to: Connection: Antonio Gratiano Shylock Portia Lorenzo

39. Shylock Connected to: Connection: Antonio Bassanio Jessica Lorenzo Tubal Portia

40. Portia Connected to: Connection: Nerissa Bassanio Shylock

41. Themes and Such • Think of possible themes you have encountered in literature/film concerning the following: • money • friendship, love, and marriage • boundaries: inclusion vs. exclusion (the condition of being an outsider) • family and cultural loyalty • identity • perspective