William Shakespeare An Introduction

Translate the following clichés. All that glitters is not gold Love is blind Tower of Strength Flesh and blood In my mind’s eye Fair play Mum’s the word Vanish into thin air Dead as a doornail A sorry sight A laughing stock Forever and a day Eaten out of house and home Not slept a wink Send you packing Wear your heart upon your sleeve

Yes! They all come from The Bard His language still affects how we speak! That’s why we study him!

Early Life Born in Stratford-Upon- Avon, England on April 23, 1564 Son of Mary and John Shakespeare John Shakespeare was a glove- maker and an alderman of the town, but lost his position and money due to illegal sheep trafficking. That’s his home on the right!

School Life He attended King’s New School, which was highly respected. There he put on Christian plays and memorized the works of the Greeks. He was introduced to acting when a traveling troupe came to perform.

A Player? At 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26. (Rumor is that she was pregnant) They moved into Anne’s home with her family and proceeded to procreate. They had 3 children that survived after infancy: Hamnet, Judith, and Susanna

The Lost Years: A Deadbeat? Will soon left Anne and the kids behind to live with her family—supposedly to make some cash. We think he was a teacher, but there is speculation that he traded in illegal wool.

A Move to the City We do know that he soon moved to London where he joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting troupe He also met James Burbage in London—an important friendship was struck!

The Globe Theatre James Burbage was the owner of a theatre where Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed. It was simply named “The Theatre” Unfortunately, he owed his landlord money and was threatened with foreclosure.

The Globe Instead of paying back rent, Burbage, his son, and a few cronies went late at night and moved “The Theatre” across the Thames River. It was renamed “The Globe”

The Globe This theatre can hold 3000 people---just not comfortably. Think of plays as the superbowl—they were one of the only forms of entertainment. The Globe was an open-air theatre that opened for people of all classes.

The Layout

Shakespeare’s Later Life Shakespeare wrote and acted throughout his life, never returning to his wife at Stratford-Upon-Avon. Four years after his retirement, he died of a fever on April 23, 1616. He is buried under the floor of the Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon

His Legacy On his tomb is a curse to anyone who dares to move his bones, which is perhaps why he has never been relocated to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London