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What do we know about Shakespeare? He was born in His hometown is Stratford-on-Avon. His father was a middle class butcher, mayor, & glovemaker. He married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old. She was 26! They had three children, including a set of twins. He moved to London and became an actor, playwright, and theater owner. His acting company was called “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.” Later it became “The King’s Men.” He wrote 37 very successful plays. Even Queen Elizabeth enjoyed his plays! His vocabulary was huge: 17,000 to 34,000 words! He purchased a coat of arms to make his family upper class. When he retired he went back to Stratford-on-Avon and bought the best house in town. He died in 1616.
Poor sewer system High crime rate But … 200,000 inhabitants the cultural and political heart of England
“Rebirth” of arts, culture, science Discovery of “New World” Copernicus: Sun- centered Universe (1543) King Henry VIII = renaissance man (ideal) Reformation of Catholic Church
South of the Thames
o Aristocrats o The Queen/King o The Groundlings!
The actors had to deal with many distractions: ◦ Weather (no roof) ◦ Rowdy Audience ◦ Fruits and Veggies thrown at them if the play or the acting was bad.
Only men were permitted to perform Boys or effeminate men were used to play the women Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers
1 shilling to stand 2 shillings to sit in the balcony 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income Broadway Today: ◦ $85 Orchestra ◦ $60 Balcony ◦ 10% of a teacher’s weekly salary
I couldn’t sleep a wink. He was dead as a doornail. She’s a tower of strength. They hoodwinked us. I’m green-eyed with jealousy. We’d better lie low for awhile. Keep a civil tongue in your head.
WWhen the young Shakespeare meets Viola in “Shakespeare in Love”, he is inspired to write her a sonnet. IIt was one of the favourite lyrical forms of poetry. IIt has 14 lines: 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet. HHere is more information.
1. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 2. Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 3. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, 4. And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 5. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 6. And often is his gold complexion dimmed, 7. And every fair from fair sometime declines, 8. By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed: 9. But thy eternal summer shall not fade, 10. Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, 11. Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, 12. When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, 13. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, 14. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee What on earth does it mean? What on earth does it mean? Try here. Try here.