1. Life and Times of William Shakespeare
Language Arts 9

2. Background of the Bard Born April, 1564 in Stratford on Avon
Parents John & Mary Shakespeare
Educated at Stratford Grammar School
Learned business as an apprentice for his father
Married Anne Hathaway November 28, 1582
She was 8 years his senior and 3 months pregnant when they married

3. William and Anne had three children
Susanna, 1583
Twins Hanmet & Judith
1585 The Lost Years, : There is no record of Shakespeare’s activities between these years.

4. The Great Playwright
Shakespeare relocates to London sometime after the birth of the twins.
It is not known why he left his family or his subsequent relationship with his wife and children
theaters closed due to the Black Plague
Shakespeare used this time to write sonnets which were published in 1609
Became good friends with Southampton aristocracy
Bought a share of the company Lord Chamberlain’s Men
This investment led to his most productive years

5. The Great Globe Built in 1599
The most magnificent theater in London
Shakespeare was 1/5 owner
He earned 10% of the total profit, approximately a year
The Bard retired to Stratford and lived on the profits he earned from the GlobeJune 19, 1613
The Globe burned to the ground during a performance of Henry VIII

6. The Plays Early plays, 1590’s, were mainly comedy
Comedy (and this could be extended to most of Shakespeare's history plays as well)  is social--leading to a happy resolution (usually a marriage or marriages) and social unification. 
Shakespeare began to focus on tragedy/dramatic themes in the early 1600’s
Tragedy is individual, concentrating on the suffering of a single, remarkable hero--leading to individual torment, waste and death
1608 marks a change in tone from tragedy to romance, light, magic, and reconciliation

7. Comedies Comedy of Errors 1592 The Taming of the Shrew 1592-94
Love's Labor's Lost 

Two Gentlemen of Verona 

A Midsummer Night's Dream 

The Merchant of Venice 

Much Ado About Nothing 

As You Like It 

Twelfth Night 

Merry Wives of Windsor 

Troilus and Cressida 

All's Well That Ends Well 

Measure for Measure

8. Tragedies and Tragicomedies

Titus Andronicus Romeo and Juliet Hamlet Othello The Tragedy of King Lear
Macbeth
Timon of Athens 1607-(?)
Cymbeline 

The Winter's Tale
Tempest 


9. Historical Henry VI parts I, II, III 1590-92 Richard III 1590-92
King John
Richard II 1597-(?)
King Henry IV part I, part II
Henry V (1599)
Julius Caesar
Henry VIII 1613-(?)
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus 

10. Shakespeare 101 Part 1: What did he just say?
A brief overview of Shakespearian language, word meanings, unusual word order, and omissions
Part 2: What just happened?

11. WHAT DID HE JUST SAY? Did people really talk this way?
Prose- language without metrical structure
Verse- poetic language and style
Blank Verse:  unrhymed iambic pentameter
Iambic Pentameter:  five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables; ten syllables per line.'So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen'

12. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Shakespeare will be some of the most difficult reading you will ever attempt
BE PATIENT!
Middle English vs. Modern English Reading Tips
Read the Introduction
Read everything twice
First time- try reading without looking at footnotes, mark any interesting or difficult items
Try reading aloud

13. Unusual Word Order I ate the sandwich. I the sandwich ate.
Ate the sandwich I. Ate I the sandwich.

The sandwich I ate. The sandwich ate I.
Shakespeare uses unusual word order to emphasize an action, a word, an emotion, or just to create a rhyme.
Tips for deciphering unusual word orders
-Find the subject of the sentence
-Find the verb in the sentence
-Find the object of the sentence
-Rearrange the sentence to make it easier to understand

14. NOW WE GET TO BEGIN!!!!!