1. William Shakespeare

2. A time associated with Queen Elizabeth’s reign from 1558-1603
“Golden Age” in England's history
Height of the English Renaissance – poetry, music, literature, and theatre flourished
William Shakespeare and many others broke free of past style of theatre and arts
A period of peace in England

3. Life expectancy: 35 years
Primary course of study: Latin
Plato’s chain of being:
Gods
Kings
Nobles
Craftsmen
Peasants
Women

4. Blood sports were popular (bear or bull baiting)
Fencing/jousting was also a common source of entertainment
Team sports became more popular - football, hurling, and soccer
Hunting was a great source of sport
Theatre was an important source of entertainment

5. Timeline 1558: Elizabeth I becomes queen at age 25
1564: Shakespeare is born (Stratford-upon-Avon)
1582: at age of 18, Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway (who was 26)
: has three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith
1587: Virginia Dare – first English-born child born in America
1594: Shakespeare is leading member of Lord Chamberlain’s Company

6. Timeline
1534: Henry VIII recognized as Supreme Head of Church of England:
Separated The Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church
Private life greatly influenced English political history
Wanted an heir
Died 1547

7. Timeline 1594: Taming of the Shrew
1600: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, R & J
1607: English settlement at Jamestown
1611: The Tempest
1616: Shakespeare dies; buried at Holy Trinity Church
1623: Shakespeare’s widow, and his last surviving descendent, Elizabeth Hall, dies
1623: The First Folio: originally titled “Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies”

8. Shakespeare’s epitaph

9. William Shakespeare April 23, 1564 – April 23, 1616
English poet and playwright – greatest writer of the English language
The “Bard of Avon”
Plays have been translated into every major language and performed more than any other playwright
Early plays were comedies and histories and later ones were tragedies
Penned 38 plays – all written in iambic pentameter
Penned 150 short poems—most of which were sonnets

10. Iambic pentameter
Rhyme scheme in which each line consists of ten syllables
The syllables are divided into five pairs called an “iam.”
An “iam” consists of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
baBOOM/baBOOM/baBOOM/baBOOM/baBOOM
“Shall I/comPARE/thee TO/a SUM/mer’s DAY?”

11. Who Really was Shakespeare?
ONE THEORY: Shakespeare was just a front to shield the identity of the real author(s) who for some reason did not want credit:
Scholars speculate that Shakespeare lacked the “education, aristocratic sensibility, and familiarity with the royal court” to be able to write such works of literature

12. Who Really was Shakespeare?
SECOND THEORY: EDWARD DE VERE:
17th Earl of Oxford
Elizabethan courtier, playwright, lyric poet, sportsman and patron of the arts – THE most popular alternative candidate proposed for the authorship of Shakespeare’s works

13. The Globe Theatre
Built in 1599 in London by Shakespeare’s playing company: Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Destroyed by fire on June 29, 1613 while performing Shakespeare’s Henry the Eighth
Rebuilt on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642 by the Puritans

14. The Globe Theatre
All performances, weather permitting, were performed during the day (no lighting)
Open air theatre resulted in poor acoustics, so performers had to shout and exaggerate gestures

15. The Globe Theatre
Performances were geared toward the uneducated masses – much focus on sexual innuendo, bodily functions, and slapstick (low comedy at its finest)

16. A Globe Theatre Performance

17. The Globe Theatre Layout
Three story, open-air amphitheatre that held up to 3,000 spectators
At base of stage was “the pit” — “groundlings” paid a penny and stood on straw to watch the performances

18. The Globe Theatre Layout
Vertically around the yard: three levels of stadium-style seats (more expensive seating)
These were ‘two-penny’ seats and were partially covered

19. The Globe Theatre Layout
Flag was flown on day of performance: different colors for different genres: comedy, tragedy, history
ALL characters played by MEN (often female roles were played by young boys)

20. Layout of The Globe

21. Common Shakespeare Expressions:
“It’s Greek to me.”
“Tongue-tied”
“A fool’s paradise”
“High time”
“Without rhyme or reason”
“To be, or not to be? That is the question”

22. All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts...
~ from Shakespeare’s As You Like It