And the Role of Shakespeare

  Before Elizabeth I, theater companies traveled about the country performing for any audience who would watch them. They often performed in open courtyards while the audiences watched from the ground or the balconies above them. Original Theaters

  James Burbage (an actor) built London’s first theater. It was called “The Theater” and located just beyond London’s city walls in Shoreditch. First Playhouse

  There were no actresses (it was unseemly for women to act) so young boys often played the roles of females.  Actors were unpopular with officials, but very popular with regular citizens.  They were called upon often to perform at court (in front of royalty) despite their reputations. Actors

  When the city closed The Theater in 1597, the founder’s son dismantled it and hauled it across the river to be rebuilt.  The rebuilt theater was named The Globe. The Globe

  Admission was generally one penny  The seats behind the stage were considered to be among the best seats because those patrons could be seen by the rest of the audience.  The original Globe burned down in 1613 as a result of a “special effects” cannon fired during a performance.  It has been said that the most striking experience about the globe is that the audience is part of the performance. Facts about The Globe

  Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon  Father was a glove maker, businessman, and town politician.  Mother was the daughter of a landowner.  No evidence of his childhood exists, but it is assumed he attended school through the age of 16 (based upon his social status) Shakespeare

  Married Anne Hatheway in November  Children: Susanna (1583) and twins, Judith and Hamnet (1585).  Anne Hatheway was a puritan and disapproved of her husband’s writing and acting.  They spent most of their married life living apart. Shakespeare

  English Theaters were closed from  During this time, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.  Sonnets were the entertainment of choice for the Elizabethan Era.  He transformed the Petrachan Sonnet (which was Italian) into something that was easier to work with in the English language (Shakespearean Sonnet)This form is still studied today. Shakespearean Sonnets

  Shakespeare’s sonnets were especially popular because people believed he based them on his personal experiences.  Shakespeare’s sonnets fit loosely together and form a story.  Most are addressed to a handsome, talented, young man, urging him to marry and have children. The speaker also warns him about the destructive power of time, age, and moral weakness. Shakespearean Sonnet

  Midway through the sequence, Shakespeare’s sonnets begin to focus on a rival poet who has also addressed poems to the same young man.  Twenty-five sonnets near the end of the series are addressed to a dark lady who is romantically involved with the speaker and the young man.  Scholars debate the identities of the young man, the speaker, and the dark lady.  Some scholars believe that Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Donne (among others) could have been the rival poet. Shakespearean Sonnets

  Shakespeare wrote plays to be performed (not just read.)  His plays can be divided into two categories:  Comedies  Tragedies Shakespeare’s Works