Download William Shakespeare - Mr. Hickey's English 10

William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Life
Early Life
• William was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England on
April 23, 1564 (also his date of death 52 years later), the
3rd of 8 children of John and Mary.
• He was born into a middle class lifestyle provided by his
father who owned a leather shop. John Shakespeare was a
well-respected man in town who held a variety of
important positions, including Mayor in 1568.
William’s Education
• Shakespeare attended a local grammar school, a right
reserved for young boys of some social standing.
• The school day lasted from sunrise to sunset, without meal
breaks, 6 days a week.
• It was during his schooling that Shakespeare learned
Latin, encountering the writings of men like Cicero,
Caesar and Virgil.
• Church was also required for middle-class Elizabethans so
Shakespeare was also exposed to the Bible from an early
age.
• His training in both Latin and the Bible greatly
contributed to his later writings.
William and Anne
• At 18 William married Anne Hathaway in 1582.
• Together they had 3 children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet
and Judith.
• Tragically, Hamnet died of the Black Plague at age 11. (It
was after Hamnet’s death that William began writing his
most famous tragedies).
Shakespeare’s Later Years
• By 1610 William had accrued enough wealth to move back
to Stratford and purchase one of the largest houses in
town.
• Even after moving out of London he still frequented the
city and continued to write plays until 1613.
• During his lifetime his plays were never published, but in
1623 two members of his acting company gathered
together a collection of them known as the First Folio.
The Death of Shakespeare
• William died on his birthday in 1616.
• He was buried 2 days after his death at Holy Trinity
Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
• The engraving on the stone slab above his grave reads,
“Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Blest be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.”
Shakespeare’s
Career
Shakespeare Comes to London
• 1585-1592 are known as Shakespeare’s “Lost Years” since
there is little surviving information about his activities
during that time.
• The earliest reference to him in London is from 1592, but
it is widely accepted that he was in the city some time
before that since by 1592 he had multiple plays running.
• In 1592 Robert Greene referred to Shakespeare when he
said, “there is an upstart Crow, beautified with our
feathers.”
The Rise of the Bard
• In 1594 he was both acting and writing for the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men, an acting troupe in London which
later became known as the King’s Men when James I
succeeded Queen Elizabeth after her death in 1603.
• By 1595 Shakespeare was a senior member and
shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and began to
accrue some wealth and success as a result.
• When the Globe Theatre was built in 1599 he
became the joint owner, adding significantly to his wealth.
Elizabethan Theatre
• There were no theatres in England until 1576.
• Until this time the courtyards of inns (called inn-yards)
were generally used for productions.
• The inn-yards were successful, leading to the construction
of permanent structures for shows.
• The first theatres were similar to the design of the Roman
amphitheatres, like the Coliseum.
• Theatres in that day did not just show plays but were
used as bear pits and gambling houses, lending a bad
reputation to actors both actors and theatres.
Elizabethan Theatre
• Actors had poor reputations as many acting troupes
consisted of rogues and vagabonds.
• Acting troupes were considered such a threat that
regulations were imposed and licenses were granted to the
aristocracy for the maintenance of acting troupes.
• Plays were regulated and were subject to censorship.
• The content of plays was checked to ensure that they did
not contain political or religious elements which might
threaten the state.
• Elizabethan plays were often bawdy and the audiences
were often rowdy.
The Theatre
• Elizabethan playhouses were open to the public eye at
every turn, they were not hidden behind a curtained
main stage, like modern theatres.
• Scenery could not be changed in between scenes
because there was no curtain to drop.
• Since theatre goers could not be dazzled by
backgrounds, the costumes of Shakespeare’s plays were
famously extravagant and each playhouse had an
expansive and costly wardrobe.
Performances
• The performances were exciting. They had elaborate costumes
props, sound effects, and visual effects.
• In the theatres there were smoke effects, the firing of real canons,
fireworks and spectacular ‘flying’ entrances from the rigging in the
top of the theatre called the ‘heavens.’
• Music also accompanied many productions at the Globe Theater.
• Summer performances would be held in the open air theatres like
the Globe and winter performances would be produced in the
indoor playhouses.
• There was not time for many rehearsals. It was important to put
on new plays to generate revenue. Several different plays might
show at one theatre in one week.
• Lines were not memorized. The actors performed by “cue
scripting.”
The Globe Theatre
• Built in 1599 it was the most
elaborate and attractive theatre built
in London at the time.
• It was designed and constructed for
the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,
Shakespeare’s acting company.
• In 1613, during a performance of
Henry VIII, a misfired cannonball
set the roof on fire and the theatre
burned. It reopened within a year.
The Globe Theatre
• It was a hexagonal structure (6-sided) with
an inner court in the middle.
• It was 3 stories high and could hold 1,500
people.
• Underneath the floors of the outer and
inner stages was a large cellar called
“hell,” allowing for the dramatic
appearance of ghosts.
• It was one of four major theatres in
London’s Bankside district along with the
Swan, the Rose, and the Hope.
Shakespeare’s
England
The Elizabethan Age
• The age of Shakespeare was a great
time in English history known as the
Elizabethan Age.
• The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (15581603) saw England emerge as the
leading naval and commercial power
of the western world during England’s
“Golden Age.”
• At this time, London was the heart of
England, reflecting all the vibrant
qualities of the Elizabethan Age. This
atmosphere made London a leading
center of culture as well as commerce.
Power & Government
• The England of Elizabeth was very structured, and had a
rather complicated system of government.
• Three bodies would work together to rule the country, make
laws, raise money, and decide upon matters of religion and
national defense. They were the Monarch, the Privy Council,
and Parliament.
• Also of great influence in Tudor and Elizabethan times were
the nobility and gentry.
• Land was power in the early modern period. Those who
possessed it were wealthy, and masters of the tenants on the
land as well as those who worked for them.