William Shakespeare April 23 th, April 23 rd, 1616

The Family Came from Farmers Ambitious and Hardworking Respected Merchant Landholder Stratford Ruling Elite Mayor (1568) Removed from council due to financial decline and decline in reputation Died from Bubonic Plague Survives Bubonic Plague Came from wealthy farmers Capable, Strong-Minded and Quick-Witted Not Known Whether She Could Read or Write Youngest of 8 Daughters (Favorite) Brought Property to Marriage John Shakespeare Mary Arden Infant Daughter William Shakespeare Other Younger Siblings (Details Unknown)

The Beginning Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire Thriving market center Influenced setting for many of his plays

Childhood Survives Bubonic Plague after 2 sisters before him die By age 4, the threat of the plague ends Large Childhood home 2 buildings joined together with gardens and an orchard in the back Buildings devoted to family trade (glover) on the property Lived next door to other tradesmen (tailor, blacksmith, haberdasher, and shepherds) Mother teaches him local folk tales Feature fairies, goblins, ghosts, witches, and enchanted forests These aspects are commonly seen in many of his plays Father taught him about the glover trade Learned about rural life (culture and language dialects) Fascinated with birds Learned hunting and falconry (referenced in plays) Took part in some poaching

School Received Free Education at the King’s School Dad is an alderman = free Starts at age 6 or 7, ends at age 15 Learns Reading, Writing, and Basic Arithmetic Attended Church Daily (as part of school) Learned Latin 6 or 7am Until 5pm Breaks for Breakfast and Lunch 6 days a week Few Holidays Learned about classic authors that would later influence his work The Original King’s School Barnett Grammar School

Love and Marriage Marries Anne Hathaway (Age 26) who is already pregnant (Nov. 1582) William was 18 (still considered a minor) and needed his father’s permission to marry By age 21, William has 3 children with Anne (Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith) William pursues theater career in London to support family Leaves his family in Stratford with his parents and siblings To visit his family, it would take 2 days on horse or 4 walking Hamnet dies in 1596 Shakespeare buys “New Place” in Stratford This is where he dies in 1616 Later Knocked Down Nash’s Place (Husband of Shakespeare’s Granddaughter) Built Next to “New Place”

Death April 23, 1616 Receives Little Public Attention Did Not Interest Scholars for Many Years His will is the Only Surviving Document He Wrote No personal letters or diaries were saved Shakespeare the man is a bit of a mystery

Theater Career Pre-Fame Joins an Acting Company from London Starts as an actor, but the company quickly learns he is a great writer and director Moves Between Several Acting Companies

Shakespeare Organized Take Out your Literature Notebook and Draw a Vertical Line and a Horizontal Line to Create 4 Boxes on a Page. Title one box Tragedies Title one box Comedies Title one box History Plays Title one box Romance Plays Write Characteristics of Each Category of Play in each box as we discuss them Copy down at least 5 Shakespeare plays from each category as we discuss them

Types of Plays Tragedy Comedy History Plays Romance Plays

Tragedy Most Often Performed Some Considered Among the Greatest Masterpieces of All Time Dark Plots and Themes Murder Rivalry Death Conflicted and Flawed Heroes Experience Intense Suffering Often end in all Characters Dying

Tragedies Titus Andronicus ( ) Romeo and Juliet ( ) Julius Ceaser (1599) Hamlet (1600) Troilus and Cressida (1601) Othello (1603) King Lear ( ) Macbeth (1606) Antony and Cleopatra (1606) Timon of Athens ( ) Coriolanus (1608)

Comedy Witty Wordplay and Humorous Situations Often involve mistaken identities Most End in Characters Married “Happy Ending” 3 Main Stages 1. Confusion and Trouble 2. Social Reconciliation 3. Harmony

Comedies The Two Gentlemen of Verona ( ) The Comedy of Errors (1592) The Taming of the Shrew (1592) Love’s Labor’s Lost ( ) A Midsummer Night’s Dream ( ) The Merchant of Venice ( ) The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597 or 1600) As You Like It (1598) Much Ado About Nothing (1598) Twelfth Night ( ) All’s Well That Ends Well ( ) Measure for Measure (1604) Twelfth Night The Taming of the Shrew A Midsummer Night’s Dream

History Detailed Representation of Elizabethan History (For Elizabethan People) Insight Into Power Politics and Human Nature (Modern Audiences) Named After Kings Shows turbulent medieval and early Renaissance England Ambition of Nobles Downfall of Kings Bloody Chaos of War

History Plays Henry VI, Part 1 (1592) Henry VI, Part 2 (1591) Henry VI, Part 3 (1591) Richard III ( ) Richard II (1595) King John ( ) Henry IV, Part 1 (1596) Henry IV, Part 2 (1597) Henry V (1599) Henry VIII (1612)

Romances Written at the End of Career Filled with Improbable Incidents Focus on Family Relations/Reconciliation Especially between parents and children Problems Resolved By “The Healing Power of Art” In previous works, would have ended in death

Romance Plays Pericles ( ) Cymbeline ( ) The Winter’s Tale (1610) The Tempest (1610) The Two Noble Kinsmen ( )

Shakespeare Create! Create a timeline of Shakespeare’s life Should include birth and death (One Color) Should include at least 3 plays from each category (One Color for each Category) Should include at least 3 relevant historical events (One Color) Should include at least 3 interesting facts (One Color) Should include a Key That States What Each Color Represents