Introduction to William Shakespeare

1. Introduction to William Shakespeare

2. Why Shakespeare? • For 4oo years, Shakespeare has been considered the greatest dramatist and poet in the English-speaking world. • He wrote 37 plays, more than 150 poems • His plays are produced thousands of times each year all over the world. • Guthrie Theater downtown does at least 1 a year • His plays are filled with action, intrigue, mystery, humor, and tragedy.

3. Why Shakespeare? Continued • Characters in his plays are complete in all varieties of human experience. They represent all the varieties of personality, motivation, and character. • Shakespeare was a master of our complex English language and used sophisticated puns and wordplays. • Shakespeare’s plays are timeless because of their universal themes and connections to the human experience.

4. Attending Shakespeare’s Theater-The Globe • Probably round, or nearly so, and the roof covered only the outside galleries • The stage jutted out into the audience, and people who paid to see the performance surrounded the actors on three sides. • No theater at night. • No scenery; very few props. • Costumes were obtained by the actors, not supplied. • No women or girls acted in the plays.

5. Attending Shakespeare’s Theater-Continued • Nearly half the theater attendees stood on the ground around the stage: they were called groundlings. They were a rowdy bunch, eating, talking, and yelling out anything they desired. • Higher prices for seats in the galleries. • The audience constantly walked around, so it was up to the playwright to keep the audience’s attention. • In 1613 the Globe Theater burned to the ground after being set on fire by a spark from a cannon during a performance of Henry VIII.

6. The Globe Theater The entire view The cross-section view

7. As You Like It Act II “All the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances; And one man in his time plays many roles.”