William Shakespeare:

1. William Shakespeare: Life During the Elizabethan Age

2. Who Was Shakespeare? • William Shakespeare was a playwright and poet who lived in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s (around 400 years ago)

3. The Great Mystery • One of the greatest mysteries of English drama is that so little is known for sure about one of its most famous playwrights-Shakespeare • S’s biographical info was not recorded for about 100 years after his death-by then, fact was mingled with legend

4. How Popular Is Shakespeare? • His plays are performed all over the world in hundreds of languages, and he is known as one of the greatest writers of all time

5. Why Is Shakespeare So Popular? • The reason his work is so popular is that he wrote about human nature and how people behave. • That is why, although his words can be hard to understand, his ideas are as relevant now as they were four centuries ago.

6. Shakespeare’s Works • At least 2 of Shakespeare’s plays have been lost, but 38 survive • They are divided into comedies, tragedies, and histories • Shakespeare also wrote poems, including a series of sonnets (a type of short poem)

7. Shakespeare’s Works • Comedies: plays that begin with trouble and end with peace, solutions provided by last act • Tragedies: plays that begin calmly, but end in death • Histories: based on historical facts, but added to; comic relief also added

8. Shakespeare in Stratford • Shakespeare came from Stratford-upon-Avon, a quiet market town. • Although he made his name in London, he often went back home to see his wife and children. • Later, he bought a big house in Stratford and retired there himself.

9. The Family • Shakespeare’s father was a glover (maker of gloves and leather goods), also became mayor of the town • John was married to Mary Arden, a wealthy landowner’s daughter • They had 8 children, but 3 died young (flu, measles, scarlet fever)

10. William Shakespeare with his parents, John and Mary.

11. Shakespeare’s Schooldays • Shakespeare went to grammar school-studied mostly Latin-left at 15 and didn’t go to college • One schoolmaster taught 12 boys • Boys usually only went to school if their family could afford it (girls were taught at home and often didn’t learn to read and write)

12. Shakespeare’s Schooling • Acquired insight into nature of man by reading classics, Bible • Studied humankind, trying to gain a better understanding of how people think, feel, and suffer

13. Young William would have attended the King Edward's Grammar School in Stratford. • After leaving school at around 15 it is likely that Shakespeare went to learn his father's trade in his father's shop.

14. A Hasty Marriage • Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582, when he was 18 • She was 8 years older than him • By the time he was 20, he had a daughter and twins to provide for

16. Shakespeare’s New Life • Because he had a family to provide for, Shakespeare had to quickly find work

17. Fate brought William into contact with a traveling theatre company, and he joined it as an actor.

18. This picture shows the Earl of Southampton, a very rich young gentleman, to whom Shakespeare dedicated two of his earliest works, and who was an early patron of Shakespeare.

19. Little is known of Shakespeare's early years in London. He must have pursued his writing after his day's work, in the taverns where he was lodging. By 1592, when he was aged 27, Shakespeare had established himself as both an actor and writer.

20. Shakespeare’s Personality • Friends described him as gentle • Took minor roles in his plays • Did not promote himself apart from fellow actors

21. London Life-Capital City • The traveling company of actors took Shakespeare to London in 1586. • His first impressions would have been of teeming crowds, the squalor of poverty, and the extravagance of the wealthy

22. City of London • Bordered by the River Thames in the south and a 2 mile wall to the north • Beyond these boundaries were London’s suburbs, areas outside the strict control of City authorities

23. Elizabethan Age“Golden Age of English Literature” • The time period during which Shakespeare lived and wrote his plays • The time period during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) • This was an age of great nationalistic expansion, commercial growth, and religious controversy • outburst of lyric poetry • development of English drama

24. Elizabethan Beliefs • Life in Elizabethan England could be cruel and hard (time during which S. lived and wrote) • The poor often went hungry, disease was widespread, medical remedies often felt more like tortures, and many women died in childbirth • Through their beliefs, people found ways of making sense of the universe

25. Religion • Almost everyone believed in God and expected to go to hell or heaven after death • Hamlet-In his play, Hamlet won’t kill his stepfather, Claudius, while Claudius is praying, because he doesn’t want him to go to heaven

26. Social Classes in England at the Time of Shakespeare • Distinct social roles and functions (each class was distinctly based on education, dress, occupation, and income) • The bulk of playgoing audiences included: • large urban artisan class (mostly in London) • class of merchants and manufacturers • increasingly literate class of scholars and clergy

27. The Chain of Being • A concept the Elizabethans inherited from the Middle Ages • An attempt to give order to the vastness of creation • The idea was that God created everything in a strict hierarchy, or chain, that stretched from God himself down to the lowest things in existence

28. Chain of Being continued... • Monarchs • Nobles, churchmen • Gentlemen • Commoners • Women inferior to men, with the exception of Elizabeth I (her position as monarch outweighed the fact that she was a woman)

29. Chain of Being continued… • Accepting one’s place in the chain was a duty that would be rewarded by God in heaven. Disrupting the chain was thought to lead to chaos, but of course many people still did challenge their position in society.

30. Myths and Magic • Fairies, magic, witches, spells, and prophecies all part of life • Diseases and disasters often blamed on witches (women accused of working for the devil) • Astrology-the belief that the position of the stars can foretell and influence life on Earth-was respected and popular

31. St. Paul’s Cathedral • For many Londoners, it was more of a meeting place than place of worship • Deals were struck, goods were bought and sold, and thieves, prostitutes, and beggars operated within its walls

33. Plague • Over 100,000 people died of plague • Crowded conditions and poor sanitation made London an ideal breeding ground for plague, a fatal disease carried by fleas on rats

35. Entertainment in London • inns, taverns • cockfighting, public beatings, executions • theater

36. Elizabethan Theatre • In Shakespeare’s lifetime, theatre became hugely popular • At first it was not considered to be a respectable pastime, and most theaters were in rougher parts of town • Until the mid 16th century, most plays were performed outside London

37. Theatre Companies • In London, plays were put on by theatre companies (groups of professional actors) • By law, a company had to have a patron, a rich friend who would support it financially • Companies were named after their patrons

38. Traveling Theatre Companies • Traveling companies of actors would perform at market fairs, or at great country houses. Each company was under the patronage of some wealthy nobleman.

39. The Theatre • 1586-Shakespeare became the stage manager of The Theatre in London (only theater in town) • also joined the acting company • earliest works produced in 1591-92 (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

40. Shakespeare’s Theatre Company • Shakespeare spent much of his career with a company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men • Its patron was Lord Chamberlain • In 1603, James I became King-he wanted to become a patron so he started supporting the Chamberlain’s Men. From then on, they were known as the King’s Men.

41. The Audience • Theatre in Elizabethan England was an entertainment for everyone • Cheapest tickets cost one penny, which most ordinary people could afford (workers earned about 12 pence a week) • Most expensive tickets were 6 pence and bought by rich merchants and nobles

42. London Playhouse Audience • Majority of audience educated and well off • The social range of the audience did include other types of people: Queens/Earls>rogues/unemployed • Some wives attended-but their playgoing created a worry that they either were harlots (prostitutes) or would be assaulted if not. Most men expected only harlots to be regular playgoers. • Women were seen as respectable if accompanied by a man to a theatre.

43. The Audience continued... • Foreign traders and tourists often made a visit to the theater as part of their visit to London • With so many people crowded together, the theaters were also popular with thieves and pickpockets

44. Stage Craft • Special effects and scenery did not play a big part in theatre • Musicians provided sound effects with drums and trumpets, and actors wore extravagant showy costumes

45. Shakespeare’s Players • Shakespeare is thought to have joined the theatre as an actor, or “player”, and become a writer in later life • probably started gradually writing more and acting less • it was normal for actors to help write plays, or change them a lot during rehearsals

46. The Globe Theater • 1599-Shakespeare joined other actors and built the Globe Theatre • he was a shareholder in the Globe and a part-owner of a company of actors called Lord Chamberlain’s Company, later known as The King’s Men

47. The Globe Theater • From 1599 onwards, Shakespeare’s plays were usually performed at the Globe, a huge, open-air circular theater in Southwark London • could hold 3,000 people • 2 performances a day • Shakespeare owned a share in the Globe and made a lot of money from it