1. Shakespeare
An Introduction

2. Who is Shakespeare? little of Shakespeare’s life is documented
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 to John and Mary Shakespeare
an English poet, playwright, and actor (Chamberlain’s Men)
His works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets (poems), two long narrative poems, and a few other verses
Examples: Macbeth (tragedy), Hamlet (tragedy), The Taming of the Shrew (comedy)

3. Who is Shakespeare?
His early plays consisted of comedies and histories. Afterwards, he wrote mainly tragedies. Although Romeo & Juliet is a tragedy, there are many comedic parts in the play (comic relief)
Fun Fact: William Shakespeare was not the first person to introduce Romeo & Juliet; Arthur Brooks first brought the story of Romeus & Juliet to an audience
Since it was written in the 15th-16th century, the language in which Shakespeare writes is often difficult to understand so you have to PAY ATTENTION

4. William Shakespeare
Born: Died:1616

5. The Lost Years
: After grammar school, Shakespeare went “off the grid” until he married his wife Anne Hathaway
: Soon after his twins were born, Shakespeare disappears from all the known surviving records
Since little was documented about him during these two time spans, they are known as the lost year
Many speculations have been made as to his whereabouts: time to help his family, acting experience, etc.

6. London Center of trade and government
Richest of rich and poorest of the poor lived in London
Sewage waste was dumped out windows forming filthy streams in the street
Near the London Bridge, poles were adorned with
rotting heads of dead traitors

7. “Black Death” The bubonic plague (black death) swept through
London from June April 1594
It claimed 200,000 lives
The family members would be sealed in their
house so they could not spread the disease
Theaters were shut down--many people fled
for the countryside.

8. London’s Entertainment
Three types of entertainment:
bear baiting, cockfighting,
the theatre (The Globe Theatre)
James Burbage built the first one
(the Theatre) in London in 1576.
The layout was a circular arena with
an open roof
Stage sat in the center surrounded by 3 galleries.

9. Theaters Because of the Theatre’s popularity,
the Curtain, the Rose, and the Swan
were all theaters that were built.
Theater success was largely due to
Queen Elizabeth and her love of theater
All roles were performed by men

10. Theater Life
Best tickets cost sixpence (6 pennies) and were furthest from the stage
Groundlings cost a penny and were closest to the stage--these seats were meant for the poor

11. Queen Elizabeth ( )
know as the Elizabethan Era--it is famous for its drama
Many consider her one of England’s greatest rulers
Inherited the throne at 25 in 1558 and ruled for 44 years
She was 2 when her mother was beheaded for treason

12. The Bard a bard is a professional poet
William Shakespeare is called the Bard and the Bard of Avon because he is considered the greatest poet who ever lived.
In 1610, after 20 years away, Shakespeare returned to Stratford.
William Shakespeare died April 23rd, 1616 at the age of 52.

13. Popularity Shakespeare’s characters make his plays so effective.
Some are mostly evil, with a kernel of good or regret in them.
Others are mostly good, with a personality flaw (tragic flaw) that leads them to ruin their own lives and the lives
of those they love.

14. Language
He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original.
Examples:
dead as a doornail
wild-goose chase
heart of gold

15. Romeo & Juliet Genre: tragic drama (play)
Tragedy is a type of drama based
on human suffering
- Tragedies have a main character who have a fatal flaw (weakness) that causes their downfall in the end
Dramas or plays are written to be performed on a center stage
Overview:
Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet. Their families are feuding and they are not allowed to see each other; however, they secretly meet and swear their love is greater than any feud.
We will see what ultimately makes this love story a tragedy.