His life, his theater, and his works William Shakespeare His life, his theater, and his works

England in the 15th Century England was ruled by Elizabeth I, the second daughter of Henry VIII Elizabeth’s father created the Anglican Church of England Elizabeth was a Protestant who was at war with the Pope and Catholic countries like Spain

England in the 15th Century Elizabeth was a very educated ruler and enjoyed the arts- paintings, music, and theater During the time of Elizabeth, England was going through the Renaissance, “Rebirth of the arts”

Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1563 in the town of Stratford on the Avon River His ancestors were farmers His father was a glove maker His mother’s name was Mary Arden His mother influenced his writing

Shakespeare’s Life At a young age, Shakespeare married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, but he was not a good husband Shakespeare left Stratford and his wife and went to London to make money as an actor and write plays At first, Shakespeare did not write his own plays; he reworked older plays In his lifetime, Shakespeare would write 37 plays and 150 sonnets (poems)

Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare wrote many of his plays for his star actor, Richard Burbage Shakespeare and his company of actors were financed by a wealthy man named Lord Chamberlain and later, King James I Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the Globe Theater

Shakespeare’s Life Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous play After becoming famous, Shakespeare retired to his home in Stratford called “New Place” Shakespeare died on his birthday in the year 1613

Shakespeare’s Theater The Globe Theater had 20 sides and was called the “wooden O” The first Globe burned down during a performance of Henry VIII in 1613. It was rebuilt the next year. The second Globe was torn down in 1664 A reconstruction of the Globe was completed in 1998. Plays are still performed today.

Globe

Shakespeare’s Theater Rich spectators paid two pennies to sit in the galleries on wooden benches under the roof. For an extra penny, you could rent a cushion to sit on. Common people (groundlings) paid a penny to stand in the open yard or “pit” to watch the play Most important people could sit on the stage near the actors so they could be seen by everyone for six pennies Women were not allowed on the stage

Shakespeare’s Theater A play was divided into five acts Each act was divided into three or more scenes Plays were three or more hours long Plays were performed in the afternoon and had to end before dark Only men could be actors Women’s parts were performed by young boys

Shakespeare’s Theater Townspeople knew of an upcoming play by the sounding of the king’s trumpet and the raising of a flag at the theater During plays, gods and angels were lowered to the stage from the “heavens” During plays, a trap door in the floor showed the way to Hell A boys chorus told the story and entertained the audience while actors were getting ready

Shakespeare’s Theater There was no scenery in Shakespeare’s plays Actors wore platform shoes, masks, and elaborate costumes Masks were worn to amplify voices, show emotions, and change characters Lighting was done with daylight and candles

Shakespeare’s Plays Shakespeare wrote three kinds of plays: Comedies: Taming of the Shrew, A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth History: Richard III, Henry V, Henry VIII

Shakespeare’s Plays Shakespeare’s plays are difficult because: Some words no longer exist in today’s language Plays were written as poetry Plays were meant to be seen; not heard Little scenery was used Parts of stories were left out of the play because the audience of the day knew the “history” behind the stories