Shakespeare: Background to the the Bard (poet or writer)

1. Shakespeare:Background to the the Bard (poet or writer)

2. The Man • William Shakespeare was born in Strafford on Avon, England. Our best guess was that he was born on April 23rd,1564, but we cannot be sure. He died on that same date in 1616. • His father was a successful leatherworker/glove maker who later became a politician. He eventually became the mayor of his home town. Shakespeare

3. More on the Man • Shakespeare attended Strafford Grammar School, where he was the captain of the basketball team and was voted most likely to make a great play! • There are many unanswered questions about his early life. It is believed he had a modest education, yet he wrote from a broad base of knowledge and his vocabulary was larger than any other Elizabethan writer. • http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/timeline.htm Shakespeare

4. Money Makers This chart explains the breakdown of Shakespeare’s financial revenue sources. Shakespeare

5. The Man & the Marriage • In 1582, at the age of 18, he married Ann Hathaway who was 26. She was three months pregnant at the time. • They had three children, one of whom, Hamnet, died at the age of 11. • We do not know if their marriage was happy. In his will he left her his second best bed. It was possibly out of a romantic memory, but some say it was a slight to his wife. Shakespeare

6. The Man on the Move • Sometime between 1582 and 1589, Shakespeare moved to London to further his career as an actor and a playwright. • Little is known about his early years in London, but critics were generally unimpressed with is ability. Shakespeare

7. Moving on Up • Even with the tepid reviews, by 1585 Shakespeare was able to make a living as a playwright, and was soon a member of “The Lord Chamberlain's Men,” one of the more popular group of actors and playwrights in London Shakespeare

8. Theatre closed due to plague Making a Name • In 1589 he had his first play, Henry VI, performed. This was followed by Richard III. • His popularity was growing steadily until the plagues that ravaged Europe closed the theaters for most of 1593 and 1594. Shakespeare

9. Continued… • It was during this time that he started writing most of his poetry. His famous sonnets were written for Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, who was his patron. • This kept him employed while the theaters were closed. • The money he made from Wriothesley enabled him to buy shares in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a financial move that paid off significantly in the years to come. Shakespeare

10. Making the Money • Due to the success of his plays, sonnets and some wise investments in Strafford, in 1599 Shakespeare was able to become a part owner of the Globe theater, the most successful theater in all of London. Shakespeare

11. ABOUT THE GLOBE • Most famous theater • Built by Shakespeare and his company: Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1599 • Only lasted until 1613 when a canon fired during a performance of Henry VIII and the roof caught on fire. Well, the entire thing burned to the ground • There is a reconstruction of it today Shakespeare

12. MORE ON THE GLOBE • Theaters could hold several thousand people, most standing in the open pit • Most were eating or drinking during performance—hard to keep attention and hard to hear! • Plays were performed during the day because there was no artificial lighting • Women attended plays, but no women performed in the plays. These roles were played by young boys Shakespeare

13. WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE? • 8 sided structure with an open middle • Straw thatched roof • Stage had no scenery, no lights, no curtain, and very few props • 2 tiered- 1st tier= main action -2nd tier= balcony scene • Forced the audience to use their imagination • Used objects to make noise for thunder, rain, bombs, etc. Shakespeare

14. PICTURES OF GLOBE Shakespeare

15. MORE PICTURES Shakespeare

16. The Making of a Monarch • In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died, ending the Elizabethan Era. • Her cousin James VI from Scotland became King James I of England. • Because James translated into Latin is Jacob, this Era was called the Jacobean Period in both English history and in Shakespeare’s plays. In with the new! Out with the old, Shakespeare

17. King James became a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company and they renamed themselves “The King’s Men.” • Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to please his patron and keep the money coming. • We’ll see this as we read Macbeth. Shakespeare

18. Continued • Along with the usual bloodshed,murder, and beheadings, the play features witches, prophecy and magic. • These were topics that James found especially fascinating. He was responsible for the King James translation of Bible and wrote Demonology about identification of witches. Double, double Toil and Trouble Shakespeare

19. The End? • Shakespeare wrote no plays after 1613. • He died in 1616; buried at Parish in Stratford. Blest be the man that spares these stones And curst be he that moves my bones. Shakespeare

20. Controversy? No! • As with most great writers in history, a controversy surrounds his talents. • Due to Shakespeare’s humble background and little education, some scholars believe that he is not the man who wrote the hundred+ Sonnets and dozens of plays. Shakespeare