William Shakespeare

n Born: April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon- Avon, England. n Married: Anne Hathaway, 26, at age children, two girls and a boy. n By 1592, S has left Stratford and moved to London where he is already a famous actor.

William Shakespeare, Cont. n Joins a theatre company called The Lord Chamberlain’s Men n They act in a theatre called The Blackfriar. Later, because the plague has shut down theatres in the city of London, they move across the Thames to The Globe.

William Shakespeare, Cont. n The LCM become the favorite acting troupe of Elizabeth I

William Shakespeare, Cont. n Shakespeare retires to Stratford with fame and fortune n Shakespeare dies on or around April 23rd, the same day he was born on n The First Folio of S’s plays and poems are published

Globe Theatre n Built in London’s Bankside district n Open air, octagonal ampitheatre that could seat up to 3,000 spectators n burns to the ground, but a replica is rebuilt in a matter of years n closed by Oliver Cromwell and Puritans

Elizabethan England - Henry VIII n Catherine of Aragon - had daughter, Mary. Divorced in 1533, begins Church of England n Anne Boleyn - had daughter, Elizabeth. Beheaded in 1536

Elizabethan England n Jane Seymour - had son, Edward. Died in childbirth, n Anne of Cleves - divorced, n Catherine Howard - beheaded, n Catherine Parr - died after Henry in 1548.

Line of Succession: n Edward VI - r , dies at the age of 12. n Mary I (Bloody Mary) - r , dies on throne. n Elizabeth I - r –Never marries - is known as the Virgin Queen. Uses promise of marriage to strengthen diplomatic ties. –Loved: plays, pageants, and dancing –Hated: religious fanaticism

Drama n A story, told in action, by actors who impersonate characters. n Arose from Greek religious ceremonies (Dionysian rites) n Medieval Drama ( ) - Rites commemorating birth and death of Christ, mystery and morality plays.

Classical Tragedy n Revolved around the “tragic sense of life,” the sense that all humans are inevitably doomed because of: –their own failures –the ironic action of their virtues (good things that turn out bad) –fate and destiny

Classical Tragedy, Cont. n Therefore, man will suffer, fail, and die, and the measure of their worth will be HOW WELL THEY DEAL WITH THEIR FAILURE n Basic Plot: a protagonist who is better than ordinary people who must be brought from happiness to misery. Always serious and dignified.

Romantic Tragedy (not Hamlet) n Mixes sadness with comedy - not only plot, but also action (like swordfights). n BOTH types (Romantic and Classical) emphasize the significance of CHOICE by the protagonist that occurs because of their FATAL FLAW.

World Order n Galileo, Machiavelli, Copernicus begin to question the world order n Ptolemaic View n In 1600 is replaced by Copernican view

World Order, cont. n Chaos will take over without the help of providence n Providence--God's plan/will/oversight

n Planets (stars) rule destinies within God's providence, but the Fall is responsible for the tyranny of fortune.

Fate, cont. n Consequently, neither the stars nor fortune can be blamed for what happens to people. We have free will, and if we are strong and use reason, we can overcome fate.

Elements, cont. n Elements--though separate; mix to form all else; proper balance necessary; imbalance causes illness, character defects; Fire (primacy among elements) (hot and dry, invisible, generates meteors)

Elements, cont. Air (hot & moist, nobler than water, devils take shape from air as angels from ether) Water (cold & moist) n Earth (heavy, cold & dry, place at center of universe, rises above water because God wills it)

Staging n no women, few props n Plays were not divided into acts n No stage directions

The Acts Act 1 -- introduces issues, ends in instigating event Act develops issues and characters includes midpoint pivotal event includes second turning point Act 5 -- climax, resolves conflicts

History n Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet n By Arthur Brooke in1562 n A long English narrative poem n 1595 around the correct date of publication for Shakespeare’s play version.

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