William Shakespeare World Lit

Childhood Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon Father: John Made and sold gloves…did well Town ’ s mayor Wealthy, but later had financial difficulties due to legal problems Mother: Elizabeth Arden Daughter of a wealthy farmer

Schooling Shakespeare attended school for free. Students arrived at 6:00 a.m. and left at 5:00 p.m. They only had a few short breaks for meals and recreation.

Shakespeare ’ s Marriage November 28, 1582 Shakespeare (18) married Anne Hathaway (26) They had three children:  Susanna  Hamnet and Judith (twins)  (Hamnet died when he was 11)

Before He Made It “ Big ” … Shakespeare was a school teacher. He went to London and became a minor actor in Lord Chamberlain ’ s Company.

1596: The Successful Playwright He wrote three types of plays: Comedies Histories Tragedies

Comedies A Midsummer Night ’ s Dream The Comedy of Errors The Taming of the Shrew

Histories Henry V Richard II Richard III

Tragedies Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Hamlet Othello

Theater of Shakespeare ’ s Time Shakespeare ’ s Theater First public theater in 1576 by Richard Burbage. Called “ The Theatre ” Other Public Theaters included “ The Rose ” and “ The Swan ” Shakespeare ’ s Theater = “ The Globe ” Built in 1599 Made of timbers from “ The Theatre ”

Acting Companies Six to ten actors would lease a theater for 8 pounds (1 pound = $2.40 approx.) No women on stage! Shakespeare and Richard Burbage worked together in Lord Chamberlain ’ s Men.

In the Theater… Seats were $.12 for richer people (seats) $.01 for poor people (They had to stand on the ground in front of the stage.) They were called “ groundlings ” or “ penny knaves. ”

Location, Location, Location! The theaters were across the Thames River in a low-class area. Officials disliked the theater: riots, fires, and plague. The atmosphere was like a baseball game.

Pre-requisites of Actors Resonant speaking voice Singer, musician, and dancer Competent swordsman (duels were real!) Good memory (at least two roles) Good physical shape (Had to fall as far as 20 feet)

Special Effects Blood = sheep bladder filled with chicken blood “ Heads ” on platters

Special Effects (continued) Thunder = rolled cannonball on wooden floor Lightning = wire coated with sulphur and ignited Cannon = real (The Globe burned as a result)

Sets Little scenery…words and limited props did the job. Swords, daggers, shields, dishes, lanterns, etc. would indicate the scene. Costume colors indicated rank, class, mood, etc. Red or purple=royalty Blue = laborer or commoner Yellow = jealousy Orange = pride

Structure of the Globe Theatre Open air (partially). Not used in winter Plays in the afternoon (no lighting) Flag flew to announce performance Plays began at 2:00 and lasted two hours Round, three stories with three tiers of seats

Epitaph: April 23, 1616 GOOD FRIEND, FOR JESUS’ SAKE FORBEAR TO DIG THE DUST ENCLOSED HERE BLEST BE THE MAN THAT SPARES THESE STONES AND CURST BE HE WHO MOVES MY BONES

Romeo and Juliet Juliet Capulet Romeo Montague

Capulet Lord Capulet (Juliet ’ s father) Lady Capulet (Juliet ’ s mother) Juliet (13 years old) Tybalt (Juliet ’ s cousin) Nurse (cares for Juliet) Paris (wants to marry Juliet)

Montague Lord Montague (Romeo ’ s father) Lady Montague (Romeo ’ s mother) Romeo (17 or 18) Benvolio (Romeo ’ s cousin) Mercutio (Romeo ’ s best friend) Balthasar (Romeo ’ s servant)

Other Characters Prince Escalus (ruler of Verona) Friar Laurence (clergy man of Verona and interested in herbs, plants, and “ apothecary ” ideas)