1. William Shakespeare The Bard of Avon AP Literature & Composition Wade Hampton High School March 10, 2011 Mrs. Atkins

2. Stratford–Upon–Avon Arrival at the train station in Stratford is rather nondescript. One has to walk about a half mile to City Centre. Once in the City Centre, there are many options for touring this home of William Shakespeare.

3. Five Houses Shakespeare was born in Stratford on April 23, 1564, to John and Mary (Arden) Shakespeare in the house that belonged to his parents. He probably began school at the local grammar school located a few blocks from the house.

4. Shakespeare’s Youth There were numerous Shakespeare children, only five of them lived to adulthood: Gilbert, Joan, Richard, Edmund and William. The years in which he grew up are “lost” years. No one knows for sure what he did.

5. Off To London At the age of 18, William found out he was going to be a father. Shakespeare, a minor at the time, married Anne Hathaway, who was twenty- six and already several months pregnant.

6. Wife and Children The Shakespeares' first child was Susanna, christened on May 26th, 1583, and twins, Hamnet and Judith, arrived in January, 1585. Shortly thereafter, William left Stratford for London. Not much information is known about the life of Anne and her children after this date, except for the tragic fact that Hamnet Shakespeare died of an unknown cause on August 11, 1596, at the age of eleven.

7. The Lost Years The lost years fall into two periods: 1578-82 and 1585- 92. No one knows for certain how Shakespeare first started his career in the theatre, but by the end of 1593, Shakespeare had caught the attention of the Earl of Southampton.

8. While in London… Shakespeare performed with the Chamberlain's Men before Elizabeth I on several occasions. As payment for their performance the actors each received 10 pounds. During his time with the Chamberlain's Men Shakespeare wrote many plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, King John, and Love's Labour's Lost.

9. The Globe Shakespeare worked with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men and performed in manor houses and at court. Later the company built The Globe where they performed regularly.

10. A Wealthy Man All in all, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, over 150 sonnets, and at least two full-length poems. He retired to Stratford after the Globe burned down in 1613 where he built New House. He died on April 23, 1616, and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

11. Beginning of English Drama Now, we’re going to segue into a review of English drama… Even before the Renaissance, scholars believed that plays existed in the form of church drama such as the Resurrection playlets.

12. Everyman From obscure beginnings, plays went out into the marketplace where they were performed in town squares. The English mixed comedy and serious plays Everyman was the most notable play in the period just before the Renaissance.

13. Kinds of Plays Miracle and mystery plays: taught the Bible Moralities: taught people how to live and die; Interludes: one act plays that were sometimes serious; sometimes comical.

14. The Theater Space Prior to the 1570’s plays were performed in improvised spaces in courtyards; In 1576 James Burbage built the first public theater.

15. The Globe: “This Wooden O” Most famous of the public theaters; Shakespeare’s company owned it. Three stories high; Inner courtyard open to sky; Look at graphic on p. 284 of your text

16. Up Close and Personal Stage jutted out into audience (groundlings); Trap doors; Balconies The Heavens The Tiring House

17. The Power of Words Renaissance audiences took for granted that the theater cannot show “reality.” Often instead of seeing a scene, they heard it described. “Renaissance theater was a drama of persons, not a drama of places.”

18. Other Highlights The scenery in Renaissance theaters was the bare minimum. Music, however, was an important part of the performance; Costumes were rich, elaborate, and expensive.

19. Varying the Venue Sometimes the performers would act a play at court; sometimes they would act in a manor house. They had a portable stage for such events. Blackfriar’s was a monastery where the players could perform year round and at night.