Shakespeare The life and times of the bard

A Quick Review What is going on? – Queen Elizabeth and King James – Bubonic Plague – Renaissance Literature & Theatre – Religiously Stable – Life Expectancy is 30 yrs. (1/2 of all kids die by 15) – People have become more urban and less rural – 1 in 8 live in London

William Shakespeare’s Family Grandfather: Richard Shakespeare – Owned land in Snitterfield – Near the Avon river – 95 miles north of London – Farmer – Relatively Poor – Catholic

William Shakespeare’s Parents John Shakespeare – Moved to Stratford – Jobs Glover/Leatherman Moneylender – Important Governmental Posts 1556: Ale Taster 1558 Constable 1561 Burgess then Chamberlain 1564 Alderman 1567 Mayor

John and Mary with a Baby Carriage John meets his distant relative Mary Arden They marry in 1557 They have 8 kids – 4 daughters – 4 sons Tries to get a Coat of Arms to prove legitimacy – Lots of money – Catholic past? – A year before his death he gets the coat of arms

Shakespeare Coat of Arms

William Shakespeare’s Family Tree Richard ShakespeareRobert Arden Mary ArdenJohn Shakespeare Joan Margaret William Joan Anne Gilbert Richard Edmund Joan #1 and Margaret died as babies. William and Edmund were both actors

Shakespeare’s Immediate Family William ShakespeareAnne Hathaway Susanna Hamnet and Judith

William Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Shakespeare’s Early Years Baptized April 26 th 1564 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon Not much is known about Shakespeare’s childhood He grew-up as the oldest child of John and Mary Shakespeare Attended King’s New School aka King Edward VI grammar school – Decent education for the time – Age 7-14

The King’s New School

What is next for Willie Shakespeare? The next record of William is his marriage to Anne Hathaway ODD!!! She was 26 and he was 18 Most marriages at this time men were 15 years (on average) older than the woman Anne had Susanna 6 months after marriage! Does the math add up???

The Beginning of a Career : The Lost years 1592: William joined a London based theatre company. First record is a critic making fun of Shakespeare’s writing and accusing him of reaching beyond his station Shakespeare wrote solely for The Lord Chamberlain’s Men 1599 The Globe was built

The Globe was a theatre in England

A view of The Globe stage

The Globe: looking down from the top

A diagram of the old Globe An old drawing of the old Globe

Let’s Talk About The Globe Home of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men The theatre company owned the theatre but not the land When the lease ran out there were disputes The men took the building apart and reassembled it across the river. It resided there until it burned down during a production of Henry VIII

They rebuilt the Globe before Shakespeare’s death. The Puritans leveled it to build tenements The Theatre foundation was discovered in 1989 A modern day Globe was built and opened by Elizabeth II. 394 years after the first Elizabeth reigned Let’s Talk About The Globe

Parts of The Globe The Pit or Yard The Galleries – The Lord’s Rooms – The Gentlemen’s Rooms The Heavens The Tiring House The Stage Scenery

The Pit/Yard The area around the stage There were no seats The audience stood Commoners also known as groundlings were here These were the penny seats Summer=Stinkards

This is the three leveled covered seat around the stage They had one entrance. The second level above the stage is known as the Lord’s room. It was above the stage wall and were the best seats. This area was for the upper class The rest of the second level was used for actors to act The Galleries

The Galleries Cont… The rest of the area on the second level were known as the Gentlemen’s rooms This was for the rich patrons that were not royal The bottom level had a poor view The top level often rained on Sitting in the gallery cost more but you got a seat and you had some cover.

The Globe’s Stage area Above the stage was a roof supported by columns This area was known as the heavens Actors would use this to hide from the audience This was symbolic of God(s) The Tiring House: backstage storage area

The stage itself was a frons scenae It jutted out into the audience The groundlings were all around the stage The scenery was very minimal There was some rigging No electricity so all plays were during the day The plays went on rain or shine The Globe’s Stage

Elizabethan Theatre The Theatre houses were often closed due to the plague outbreaks Men played Women’s parts Unics Had to please the Queen/King Very Interactive

Shakespeare’s Career Elizabeth I dies Her Cousin’s Son, James I becomes King. Shakespeare’s theatre troupe becomes known as The Kings Men He bought a large home in Stratford called “New Place” He becomes FAMOUS as a writer Still acts…including in peers plays Playwriting slowed down in 1606

Shakespeare’s Later Life His last play was The Tempest He died in Stratford on April 23 rd 1616 at the age of 52 He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets survived He created nearly 2,000 words in the English Language

How Shakespeare Wrote Iambic pentameter is the meter that Shakespeare wrote in Characters almost ALWAYS spoke in iambic pentameter The only exception is people of “low station”

Iambic Pentamter Break Down An iamb is a foot of poetry It is unstressed/stressed (iambus) Iambic pentamter is 5 of those feet together – ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM Example: – If mu- / -sic be / the food / of love, / play on

What Shakespeare the TRUE author Why is there a question? – Places – Nobility/Court – Education Who could of written them? – Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Rutland, the Earl of Southampton, the Earl of Essex, Sir Walter Raleigh and of course, Francis Bacon Why is the answer not conclusive? – Plays were published well after

“Shakespeare’s” Plays Commedies All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It Comedy of Errors Love's Labour's Lost Measure for Measure Merchant of Venice Merry Wives of Windsor Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado about Nothing Taming of the Shrew Tempest Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter's Tale

Tragedies Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus and Cressida “Shakespeare’s” Plays

Histories Cymbeline Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part II Henry V Henry VI, Part I Henry VI, Part II Henry VI, Part III Henry VIII King John Pericles Richard II Richard III “Shakespeare’s” Plays

Shakespeare’s legacy Shakespeare contributed over 2,000 words to the English Language!!!

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