1. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
He was 52 years old at the
time of his death
He wrote 37 plays in his
lifetime as well as
sonnets (14-line poems)
and longer poems

2. Facts about theater in Shakespeare’s day
Performances were given
during the daytime hours in
open-air theaters
Theaters were divided into
2 main sections, one for
wealthy patrons and one
for not-so-wealthy patrons

3. 2 main sections of Shakespearean theater
Galleries
For wealthy people, had
benches
“The pit”
Dirt courtyard in front of
stage where people stood
For lower-class people
called “groundlings”

4. Miscellaneous facts
Performances contained no scenery and had to rely on dialogue to show the setting of the play
Most of Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the Globe Theater
-- built in 1599
-- fit 2000 people
-- Plays lasted 2 hours
Only men could perform onstage

5. Plays appealed to upper classes because:
audiences loved the poetry of the language as well as Shakespeare’s use of puns and clever wordplay

6. Plays appealed to lower classes because:
Audiences loved:
-- violence, bloodshed, gore
-- action, swordfighting
-- raunchy jokes

7. Other popular forms of entertainment in Shakespeare’s day:
Bearbaiting
Bullbaiting

8. Why we study Shakespeare today:
His plays are about the human condition
We can relate to his characters and their situations
Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest writer in the English language