1. Elizabethan Theater, Renaissance Humanism, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Shakespeare
Not exactly in order

2. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon (England), baptized April 26, 1564
Shakespeare’s Life
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon (England), baptized April 26, 1564
Married Anne Hathaway at age of 18. She was at least five years older than he and pregnant with Susanna. Twins Judith and Hamnet were born in 1585
Hamnet died at age 11
Lost years
Well known in theatre by 1592
Didn’t return to live in Stratford until about 1613
Died April 23, 1616 (Feast of St. George)
Wrote 37 plays, 152 sonnets, and several long poems
Died around April 23, 1616

3. Map of London 1600

4. Globe Theater

5. The Reconstructed Globe

6. What Shakespeare wrote
37+ plays, including a couple with co-authors
154 sonnets
2 long poems, Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis
A few other middle-length poems

7. History on a need-to-know basis
Henry VIII – six wives, needed to get divorced so he made England Protestant instead of Catholic
Father of Elizabeth I

8. Elizabeth I
Virgin Queen (never married at least) lived , Queen beginning in 1558
Under her leadership, the English navy defeated the Spanish Armada
Kept England Protestant
Identified with England
Think about her when you read about Hippolyta (Queen of Amazons) and Titania (Queen of Fairies)

9. The Renaissance
“Rebirth” of Humanism of the Greeks and Romans, including their poetry, plays, science, math, astronomy, chemistry, and interest in the individual (as opposed to theological study). Back to Greek and Roman
Sculpture
Art
Music
Literature
Drama
Democracy
Philosophy
Science

10. Renaissance, continued
BEFORE the Renaissance, the Church was in control so all of these areas of human endeavor were directed to support of the Church and for worship of God.
In 1400’s (Quatrocento) Italy, France, and by 1500’s England, re-started all of these OUTSIDE of the Church control, partly because of Protestant Reformation & Science combined, and partly because of manuscripts discovered – writings from Greece & Rome
NOW a secular emphasis – not by church people, not for church people, not about God
Individualism/ Humanism: People are not TYPES, but individuals
People are not represented as primarily SPIRITUAL, but as intelligent and individual, depending on oneself, rather than the social structure

11. Renaissance Humanism
“Renaissance Humanism” = a new concept of what humans are
Emphasis on the above arts and endeavors, plus
Rich potential of human nature/ “Man’s” potential power
Free creative play of human talent in every field
The individual soul apart from all others
A person who shaped his own destiny, free in mind & spirit
Perspective in art
Study of anatomy & astronomy & biology
Less symbolism and more real, concrete reality
Intense interest in things human and earthly
Began in Italy (Quattrocento) and went to France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, England

12. Italian Renaissance Humanism
Petrarch and Laura
Also see Dante’s Divine Comedy

13. Renaissance Humanism
Michaelangelo

14. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Oration on the Dignity of Man
The Whole Oration
After thinking a long time, I have figured out why man is the most fortunate of all creatures and as a result worthy of the highest admiration and earning his rank on the chain of being, a rank to be envied not merely by the beasts but by the stars themselves and by the spiritual natures beyond and above this world. This miracle goes past faith and wonder. And why not? It is for this reason that man is rightfully named a magnificent miracle and a wondrous creation.
If you see a philosopher judging things through his reason, admire and follow him: he is from heaven, not the earth. If you see a person living in deep contemplation, unaware of his body and dwelling in the inmost reaches of his mind, he is neither from heaven nor earth, he is divinity clothed in flesh.

15. The Early Modern Period
Another name for the Renaissance
Emphasis is on looking forward from the 15th and 16th centuries to NOW – we see the concerns and psychology of the people of the Early Modern Period as essentially akin to ourselves
Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets are the defining literary texts which most emphatically “prove” this point

16. What is a sonnet? Lyric (short) poem Rhymes Metered 14 lines
Usually there is a turn, either between the 8th and 9th lines (Petrarchan/ Italian) or between the 12th and 13th lines (Elizabethan/ Shakespearean)

17. Shakespeare’s Sonnet Cycle
Sonnets written , 2 published in 1599, rest published as we read them in 1609, dedicated to “the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets, Mr. W. H.”
Usually read as the most biographical of WS’s writings
Sonnets to fair young man (poet’s dear friend and patron)
Sonnets to dark lady, mistress for a time
were translations
BUT mistress steals affection of the friend
Rival poet does , too