A look at the Bard and his times Shakespeare A look at the Bard and his times

Henry VIII Henry VIII was king of England. Married 6 times. Killed two of his wives. Created his own church Church of England

Six Wives of Henry VIII Catherine of Aragon (#) # Divorced Mary’s mother Anne Boleyn (*) * Executed Elizabeth’s mother Jane Seymour (+) + Died in childbirth Edward VI’s mother Anne of Cleeves (#) Catherine Howard (*) Catherine Parr

After Henry VIII Henry dies, Edward VI becomes king Edward VI sickly and dies, which makes Mary the first queen of England (not received well) Mary brings back Catholicism Elizabeth (her half-sister) imprisoned Mary dies (gets her own nursery rhyme) Elizabeth becomes queen It is during this time Shakespeare is born

London London is the center of the world during Elizabeth

East Side (Think St. Paul) Rich Churches Older population

West Side (Think Minneapolis) Predominantly poor Had all the “fun stuff” Theatres Brothels Gambling parlors Young

And now, some trivia So who owned the gambling parlors and brothels?

The Church The church owned the brothels and the gambling parlors and made people pay for sinning. Outside of a “place of sin” was a black box with a cross. If money was placed in the box, it meant your sin was absolved Using modern monetary terms: if you won $100, you gave $10 to the box to absolve your sin. This is how the churches made so much money.

The Three Classes The Poor (50%) The Middle (35%) The Rich (15%)

The Poor Lived a very difficult life. Average age was 30. Married at 11-12, first child at 12-13 Death came from starvation, sickness, childbirth, and fighting Could be servants Ate what could be found (often the reason why the Plague came back)

The Middle Class Worked in a trade (blacksmith, glovemaker, etc.) Lived in better housing than the poor Could easily become poor, but had a harder time becoming rich Average age was about 40

The Rich Nobles and clergy Lived in better housing away from the sickness and the filth of the poor Wore a great deal of clothing Had chamber pots which were emptied into the streets (contributing cause of the Plague’s return) Given best seats at theatres, churches, and sporting events Average age was about 55

The Bard Born on 4/23/1564. Died on 4/23/1616 (He was 52) Father was a glovemaker (making Shakespeare middle class) William decided to become an actor At 18, he married Anne Hathaway (She’s 26). They had 3 kids Susannah (has Elizabeth, who dies) Hamnet (dies at 11) Judith (has Shakespeare, Thomas, and Richard…all die young)

Shakespeare’s Work 38 plays 154 Sonnets Many, many poems Not a single one of his works is considered a failure.

The Shakespeare Conspiracy The Oxford Group believes that Shakespeare was actually a group of people including: Sir Francis Bacon Christopher Marlowe Edward De Vere Elizabeth I

The Globe Theater After becoming Queen Elizabeth’s personal playwright, Shakespeare is given the money to build his own theatre. The Globe is his design. It’s a circle…like a globe. Open at top for light Three levels (by socio-economic level) The theatre burns down in 1613, but is rebuilt

The Globe: The Poor The Poor sat on the ground, hence their name: Groundlings To get in, the poor paid 10% of whatever they normally made. If they did not have enough money, they could work during the show. (Cleaning) One ticket allowed all day entrance (this meant several shows) Could be sitting with between 400 to 1,000 people on any given day. The Poor could buy several items…

The Globe: Poor continued So what could the Poor purchase? 1. Garlic For your mouth (breath) 2. Oranges If you hate the actors 3. The people selling the items If you get bored

The Globe: The Middle Class The Middle Class got seats above the people. Often reserved They could purchase the same items as the poor You could dump the chamberpots on the poor if you wished The Middle Class had to pay more to get in.

The Globe: The Rich Had the highest seats in the theatre. You could see everything The actors played to you (this is why actors are supposed to act “up” Had privacy (curtains) for their bathrooms and servants to clean for them Could buy the same thing as the Poor and Middle Class, but could also buy mint leaves to chew like gum Elizabeth’s box was dead center

The Globe: The Rich Continued The Rich decided if they liked the play based on the hierarchy: if the Queen liked it, so did you…even if you didn’t You paid the most to get in, but you didn’t have to deal with the issues the Poor and Middle Class (the smell, etc) There was a fainting station for ladies who were overcome

Romeo and Juliet It’s a real love story: It’s based on a Greek tale of a woman from Athens and man from Sparta who killed each other to be together Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet also lived in Verona in the 1300’s (Roughly 1303). Shakespeare is said to have discovered this love in Arthur Brookes 1592 poem “The Tragical Historeye of Romeus and Juliet”.