2. Review: Shakespeare’s Background
Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to a middle-class family
Married Anne Hathaway in 1582
Became an actor & playwright in 1594 for Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Became partner in The Globe Theater in 1599
Died in 1616

3. Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time
REPERTORY SYSTEM
Theatre performed by a company of actors that presents and performs a number of different plays or other works during a season, usually alternating works

4. The Globe Theatre London playhouse built in 1598
Staged most of Shakespeare’s plays
Burned down in 1613; rebuilt 1614
Destroyed in 1644 by the Puritans

5. Built in 1997; modeled after original
New Globe Theatre
Built in 1997; modeled after original

6. Structure of the Globe Octagonal building Thatched roof
84 feet in diameter

7. Diagram of the Globe Flag announcing performance
Area behind: tiring house
Diagram of the Globe
Middle Gallery
Lords’ Rooms
Stage
The yard

8. Elizabethan vs. Modern Theatre
No curtain; nothing separates actors from audience—very intimate experience
Curtain acts as psychological barrier between audience and actors
No lighting on stage;
daylight is only source
of light
Lighting only on
stage—audience in
dark to further separate
the two

9. Elizabethan vs. Modern Theatre
Minimal scenery
& few props
Scenery & props
cue viewers
Quiet, reserved
audience
Loud, boisterous
audience
Male & female
actors
All male actors
5 acts
2-3 acts

10. Background to Hamlet Most likely written by Shakespeare in 1600
Play derived from the legendary story of Hamlet (Amleth) recounted in the Danish History from the 12th century, a Latin text by Saxo the Grammarian

11. Background to Hamlet
This version was later adapted into French by Francois de Belleforest in 1570
Shakespeare most likely knew this version or a later version (presumably by British author Thomas Kyd)

12. A play of questions
“There is matter in these sighs, these profound heaves: you must translate…”
--Claudius, Act 4, sc. 1
With so many people masking their true
identities, how do we know what is true and
what is false? What is real, and what is
imagined?

13. Hamlet: The Role of a Lifetime
Richard Burbage
John Barrymore
Edwin Booth

14. Hamlet: Lawrence Olivier

15. Hamlet, 1948 Directed by Lawrence Olivier

16. Hamlet: Mel Gibson

17. Hamlet, 1990 Directed by Franco Zeffirelli

18. Hamlet: Kenneth Branagh

19. Hamlet, 1996 Directed by Kenneth Branagh

20. Hamlet: Hawke

21. Hamlet, 2000 Directed by Michael Almereyda

22. The Many Editions of Hamlet

25. As you read, consider the following concepts…
The power of self-reflection
The question of revenge
The meaning of loyalty and duty
The importance of personal relationships
The expectations of gender
The link between thought and action

26. Your Book… Folger Library Edition Please put your name on the inside cover!