Introduction to Shakespeare Lesson Objective: By the end of the lesson I will be able to recall at least TWO new facts about Shakespeare

What do you already know…? -Born -Died -Plays -Poems -Family life Who’s this?

Over the next 6 weeks we are going to be reading and watching Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the 6 weeks you will complete a reading assessment (which will be delivered verbally) just like your Shakespeare assessment at GCSE. We are going to focus on Shakespeare’s Language, Themes and Dramatic Devices. The way he gets the characters to speak and their use of things like similes The ideas that Shakespeare writes about The way he creates a play without any special effects or props

What was life like in London in the 16 th Century?

The Globe

Birth and death: Born in 1564 – that is a FACT; however nobody knows the exact date of his birth. He was baptized on 26 th April so historians have concluded that he was born on the 23 rd April (St George’s day). There was an outbreak of plague in 1564 and so children were baptised as quickly as possible. His death is recorded as being in He was 52. Queen Elizabeth was on the throne at the time of his birth.

Family Shakespeare’s father (John)was a glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was a well-respected man who took on the role of mayor in the town. However later in his life he was accused of trading wool and money lending – both highly illegal activities and by the time William was 12 Shakespeare Snr’s business had suffered and he withdrew from his public commitments. In 1582 William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway who was pregnant. She was 8 years older than him (he was 18).

Shakespeare’s London: - life expectancy 35 years of age - one of the great cities of Europe - population constantly growing - outbreaks of plague every 10 years - religious country – people were fined for not going to church - the city gates were locked at dusk and no one allowed in or out until dawn – there was a curfew at night and the city was patrolled by watchmen - The only bridge across the Thames was London Bridge it was occupied by houses and shops – busy just like today’s Oxford Street - There is no record of where Shakespeare was in the years 1585 – times of religious conflict Protestant vs Catholics culminated in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The Globe and Shakespeare’s career - Shakespeare was also an actor (player) - He wrote plays and was instantly successful - In Elizabethan theatre men played the role of women - There were no special effects or elaborate props – Shakespeare used language to tell the audience what time of day it was or where the play was set - The Globe had no roof - Performances were held at 2pm and cost 1p to enter an additional 1p for a seat and a further 1p for a cushion - people watching the plays ranged from royalty to criminals

Activities: Group work – each group gets given one of the handouts on Shakespeare’s Birth and Death, Family, Life in London, and The Globe and Shakespeare’s career. They will be asked to present the information to the rest of the class. Research – place the information around the room, and give each student a copy of the questions (on the next slide – adapt as appropriate for your class). They have to go around the room, finding the answers to the questions. Creative Individual Work – create a learning booklet for year 6 students, using the information provided. Add illustrations and make the information fun for the year 6s.

Questions: 1.Where and when was Shakespeare born? 2.What was his father’s profession? 3.Why do historians say Shakespeare was baptised quickly? 4.What was the life expectancy of a man in Shakespeare’s time? 5.What was unusual about the Globe theatre? 6.Who was Shakespeare’s wife and why was their marriage controversial?