1. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2. The exact date of Shakespeare’s birth is unknown. Father: John Shakespeare – a craftsman (grain / gloves) working his way up Stratford’s social ladder. Mother: Mary Arden – daughter of Richard Arden (a respectable gentleman) has inherited money and land. Mary had given birth to two girls before William but both had died very young. William was baptised on 26 April 1564 at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon. (Babies were usually 3 days old when baptised so we can assume that he was born on 23 April). Siblings: Gilbert, Richard, Joan and Edmund.

4. Stratford-Upon-Avon was a quiet market town during Shakespeare’s time with a population of less than 2,000 people. People sold animals and goods at the markets and the town was known for its fairs and ‘malting’ (beer). 1 in 3 children survived to adulthood during Shakespeare’s time and 40 was considered ‘old’. Stratford was hit with the bubonic plague when Shakespeare was just a few months old and it killed 300 people in the town.

5. John Shakespeare was elected one of the town’s 14 alderman (their job was to ensure laws were upheld). In 1568, he became the town’s bailiff (a modern day mayor). He applied for a ‘Coat of Arms’ which were essential to one’s social status. Unfortunately, he had lent money which was against the law. The authorities were informed – he stopped attending council meetings. He had to sell some of his land and was slowly going into debt.

6. School wasn’t compulsory during Shakespeare’s time. Girls weren’t allowed to attend and the poorer families never went. At 5 years old, Shakespeare attended the local ‘petty school’. It is here that he learnt to read and write English and complete simple mathematical problems. At 7 years old he went to the grammar school – ‘King’s New School’. Shakespeare would have had lessons on Latin, Religious Studies, Grammar, Maths, Greek and Classical History and Rhetoric (Public Speaking – an idea left by the Romans). He didn’t attend university – he was 15 when he left school and he helped with his father’s glove-making business.

7. Shakespeare was married at age 18. By law, he was still a ‘minor’ and had to seek permission from his father. His bride, Anne Hathaway aged 26, was already three months pregnant. *NB: 26 was quite old for a lady to still be single. On 27 November 1582 – Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married by the Bishop of Worcester. Anne gave birth to their daughter, Susanna, six months after their marriage. She was baptised on 26 May 1583. Two years after Susanna’s birth, Anne gave birth to twins Judith and Hamnet who were baptised on 2 February 1585.

8. ‘The Lost Years’ 1585 – 1592. In 1592, Shakespeare is recorded as being in London. The population had risen to 200,000 people – it was cramped, dirty, smelly and dangerous and yet it was popular with the tourists. The River Thames was vital to the city – a source for trade, drinking water and the city’s sewer! Popular entertainment in London included: Football, Bear-baiting, Cockfighting, Laughing at loonies, Executions, Theatre.

9. Theatres in Britain were first built by the Romans, although they collapsed with the Roman Empire. In the medieval period, theatre was performed at fairgrounds, churches, inns and market squares. Mimes and miracle (religious) plays were popular. During the 1500’s companies of actors put on plays and travelled across the country. They could tour as they liked until the new ‘Acte for the punishment of Vacabondes’ was introduced which insisted that travelling actors be under the patronage of a nobleman. James Burbage – received patronage from the Earl of Leicester (the Queen’s cousin) and then two years later, in 1574, by the Queen herself (Elizabeth II)

10. James Burbage established the first purpose -built theatre in London since Roman times. It was aptly named ‘The Theatre’. It was an immediate success when it opened in 1576. Its popularity was followed by other theatres – the ‘Curtain’ in 1577 and ten years later the ‘Rose’ which opened on Bankside (the time in which Shakespeare arrived in London). In London, plays were performed every day. A silk flag was flown on the theatre’s roof informing people of the upcoming performance. A trumpet would sound, just before 2’oclock to remind people to hurry to their seats. Prices different depending on where you were seated. One penny was charged to be a ‘groundling’ (standing in the court) and tuppence for a seat in the gallery. Private boxes could be hired by nobles for a shilling. The theatres had no roof and were thus, exposed to the elements. Performances went from April through to October (mainly the summer months) Everyone went to the theatre: It is one place where the rich and poor met on ‘equal terms’.

11. The Puritans disapproved of the theatre. (*NB: Puritans were a part of the English Protestant Church) They particularly disapproved because they felt it made people lazy, warped people’s minds, spread disease (the plague), encouraged crime (robbery), competed with church services and was the work of the Dark Lord Beelzebub. Elizabethan audiences were loud – people clapped or cheered the hero and booed the villain! Actors that weren’t liked were often pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables. Hawkers would sell bottles of beer, wine, fruit, nuts and cakes. Pickpockets were common. Women could watch the plays as part of the audience, however, they could not perform on the stage!

12. In 1592, Will had left Stratford and his wife behind and was now working as an actor in a company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He was also already writing plays. The plays were divided up into three categories: Tragedy, Comedy and History. It is believed that the first of Shakespeare’s plays to be performed was ‘Henry VI, Part 1, 2 and 3’.

13. The theatres were closed in 1593 due to an outbreak of the plague and they remained shut until 1594. Poetry was considered ‘art’ in Shakespeare’s day. Making their authors very successful. Shakespeare’s first poem, ‘Venus and Adonis’ published in 1593, was 1,125 lines long! In May 1594, Shakespeare’s much darker poem, ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ was published. The poem was another instant smash hit! The two poems were dedicated to Shakespeare’s patron – Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Another poem, ‘The Phoenix and the Turtle’ was published in the next year but it didn’t catch on like the others.

14. Over a period of ten years starting in 1593, Shakespeare wrote sonnets. The format and style of the poem was devised by the Italians in the thirteenth century and were very much the fashion in Elizabethan England in around 1590. Shakespeare ended up writing 154 of them! Sonnets had a format of 14 lines with a strict rhyming scheme. They often changed subject after line 8 and the final two lines were used to make a general comment to the reader. Each line also had to be ten syllables long. Shakespeare’s sonnets include descriptions of nature, plants and animals. They express the human emotions of love, passion, jealousy and death.

15. See handouts

16. When the theatres re-opened in 1594, there were two brand new companies: The Lord Admiral’s Men and The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (the one Shakespeare joined). There was a great rivalry between these two companies. The Lord Admiral’s Men were based at the Rose Theatre, south of the River Thames. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were based at James Burbage’s The Theatre. William Shakespeare became their chief playwright with most of his plays being staged there in the 1590s. Shakespeare wrote two plays per year and also appeared as an actor in small roles. THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN When Shakespeare joined the company he became a ‘sharer’, meaning he was paid a share of the company’s profits. He paid £30 to become a sharer. Each month, half of the profits were distributed amongst the sharers whilst the rest went back into the theatre to purchase costumes and props. Theatre companies stopped touring as they now had permanent homes.

17. The Theatre had to change plays regularly to maintain audience interest. Shakespeare would have handed over his original manuscripts to the company when complete – known as ‘foul papers’ as they were often foul with crossings out and corrections. A scribe was then hired to make ‘fair copies’ for the company’s actors. Actors were only given their part to learn to save time. Scenes were listed with the characters’ entrances and exits (called a platt or plot) and displayed backstage.

18. In the 1590s, Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed regularly for the Queen. However, she never went to the theatre – the theatre came to her! (Performing for the Queen was the highest honour for an actor and of course playwright) Between 1590 and 1596, Shakespeare’s status had grown as the most successful playwright in London. He organised to have a family ‘Coat of Arms’. The motto ‘Non Sanz Droict’ meant ‘not without right’. William and John Shakespeare were now officially gentlemen. Now financially stable, Shakespeare purchased a house in Stratford- Upon-Avon called ‘New Place’.

20. 13 April 1597 – the lease on The Theatre where the Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed ran out. The rent increased from £14 to £24. The landlord then demanded to have the building back after 5 years but Burbage refused. A new site for the Blackfriars was found in the middle of London, but the plan fell apart and Burbage died. The landlord wanted to pull down the building to put the timber to ‘better use’. The Lord Chamberlain’s men took down the theatre and set it up on a new site during their landlord’s absence.

21. The Globe was a fitting name for a new theatre as it was an age of discovery. Sailors were now reaching unchartered shores across the... Globe! The logo for The Globe Theatre showed the Greek god Hercules carrying the world on his shoulders. The Burbage family offered leading people shares in not just the company but the building as well and Shakespeare jumped at this opportunity. The theatre which opened in 1599 could seat up to 3,000 people. The new theatre had been built only 50 metres away from the Rose Theatre and The Admiral’s Men were very unhappy about Shakespeare’s company taking over their ‘patch’. The Globe was new while The Rose was old and damp. The Admiral’s Men kept on ‘acting’ for a while before making the decision to built a theatre down the river called The Fortune. They entertained audiences there for 20 years.

22. There were three levels of gallery seating. Fashion – patrons paid to ‘be seen’. Rich guests wanting to show off paid extra for seats that were in a gallery behind the actors on stage. Clothes were important as status symbols to the Elizabethans. (the poor people weren’t allowed to wear ruffs around their necks) Costumes matched the times – elaborate and expensive Special effects: bloody sword fights, sound effects The plays would often have a soundtrack of live music.

23. The Queen died and James, her cousin, becomes king. (James VI of Scotland / James I England). Queen Elizabeth had been on the throne for 45 years. The new King, James I, loved the theatre – 1o days after arriving in England he adopted the Lord Chamberlain’s men and the King’s Men was born. A new outbreak of the plague... again! Chain of Being – History Plays. The supernatural – many people would have believed in spells, magic and folklore. Shakespeare’s plays often reflect the belief at the time. Ghosts, witches, spirits and magic are common in his plays – as science with its many theories, was only just beginning.

24. In 1609 Shakespeare’s company took over the Blackfriars Theatre. As it had no roof, The Globe was only good for summer. The company performed at the Blackfriars in the winter, meaning they could perform all year round. The theatre could only seat 700 people as opposed to The Globe’s 3000. The company charged more money at this venue. Shakespeare bought into the company. The Blackfriars Theatre made double the profit of The Globe. Plague...again

25. Shakespeare retired between 1611 and 1613 – nearly 50 years old. 1613 – the globe burnt down during a performance of Henry VIII. A cannon misfired and set light to the theatre’s roof. It was decided that they rebuild it to open the next summer for business. This time it had no thatched roof – only tiles. The Globe Theatre survived for another 30 years until Oliver Cromwell (a Puritan) shut it down in 1642. The building itself was torn down in 1644

26. Shakespeare’s Will – in 1616, Shakespeare left his wife the second best bed. After signing the will he fell ill with a fever and on 23 April 1616 (52 nd birthday?), Shakespeare died. Shakespeare was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon- Avon. He wrote the epitaph for his own tombstone : ‘Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear / To dig the dust enclosed here: Blest be the man that spares these stones / And curst be he that removes my bones’

27. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. John Hemings and Henry Condell (actors with the King’s Men) had 36 of Shakespeare’s plays published in one leather bound folio. (A ‘folio’ being a ‘large book’). Shakespeare’s plays had been printed prior to this in unofficial, cheap editions. They were made from notes made during their performances which were taken in secret from scripts or nicked from the theatre. November 1623 – ‘The First Folio’ was printed and it sold for £1. 200 copies still exist today. Hamlet – key play in looking at Shakespeare’s language.

28. After the puritans had shut England’s theatres in 1642, they were reopened when the monarchy returned in the Restoration (women were now allowed to perform on the stage for the first time, new plays were written and new theatres built). Shakespeare’s plays were performed on the stage again (he was still very popular) although some writers thought his work could improve and they rewrote and changed them – i.e. William Davenant and Nahum Tate who often gave Shakespeare’s tragedies a happy ending

29. 1800s – Nineteenth Century – people returned to the original scripts. 1900s – Twentieth Century – Shakespeare goes to Hollywood. Another Globe Theatre was built on the banks of the Thames. Traditional craftsmen and ‘original’ materials were used in the new development. Officially reopened in 1997.