ROMEO AND JULIET UNIT Biography of Shakespeare History: The Play: Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, actor, famous dramatist of queens and kings, inventor of words, master of drama, and the most famous writer of all time.

SHAKESPEARE BIOGRAPHY:  Wrote plays, poems, and sonnets  Father was a successful merchant  Mother was a local landed heiress  Earned a living as an actor  37 plays were published  1599 he and his partners built a theatre on the south bank of the Thames River

THE MAN: PERSONAL LIFE Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564 Shakespeare was from London England His father, John Shakespeare, worked as a glove maker. His mother came from a wealthy family. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway (26). His first daughter was born in 1583 her name was Susanna Shakespeare—just six months after Shakespeare was married to Hathaway… He had twins that were born in the year 1585 their names were Judith and Hamnet (fun fact— one of his famous plays is called HAMLET). Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died at 11. In the play, Hamlet, the main character dies a the end. Between Shakespeare moved to London to pursue a career as an actor and playwright (his wife and children stayed behind in Stratford) In his will, he left only “his second best bed” to Hathaway.

QUICK WRITE QUESTION: “In what ways could Shakespeare’s life experiences have influenced what he wrote about?”  Look back at your notes that tell of some of his experiences, then turn to a partner and discuss. There’s no right or wrong answer here, kids. Just speculation as of now. I should hear: “When _____________happened in Shakespeare’s life it could have influenced his writing because ______.”

THE MAN: PROFESSIONAL LIFE Shakespeare came of age during the Renaissance, a flourishing of arts and culture William Shakespeare worked at theater called Lord Chamberlains, later called “King’s Men” Shakespeare was an official playwright to the king of England and a favorite of Elizabeth I Famous plays that William Shakespeare wrote: Romeo & Juliet, A Mid summer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, 1 Henry IV, King Lear, King John, Much Ado About Nothing, and Winters Tale William Shakespeare had business partners and they opened a theater called the “Globe”

THE MAN: CONTROVERSY Many people thought Shakespeare did not write the plays: o He wasn’t clever enough to write o Too many for written to be accredited to him o The plays contain a deep knowledge of the classics yet Shakespeare never got a university education  However, there is more than enough evidence to prove that William Shakespeare really did exist, and that he really did write his plays, though many of his ideas came from other writers—this was not plagiarism…it’s just how things were done in Elizabethan times.

QUICK WRITE QUESTION: “How much should someone be allowed to copy another’s work before it’s considered plagiarism? How much is too much? Are there any original ideas or are all ideas just copies from somewhere?”  Turn to a partner and discuss. There’s no right or wrong answer here, kids. I should hear: “It should be considered plagiarism if you copy_____________ of someone’s work. I do/do not believe there are original ideas because__________.”

THE LOCATION: BRITAIN Theaters often closed due to the plague (he wrote many of his poems during these times) Thirty Years of War begins, last until England makes peace with France and Spain Life was hard and many people lived in poverty

THE PLAY  Revolves around two “star-cross’d” lovers— two people who’s love is doomed to fail because of fate, chance, circumstance  Famous because: Empowering/endearing love story Famous for it’s tragic ending  Fate, family and chance have it out for the lovers—makes for an exciting AND upsetting read