The History of Shakespeare William Shakespeare's Life & Time Period

William Shakespeare: Born: April 23, 1564 and Died: April 23, 1616 The third of eight children in his family Lived in Stratford, England (market town close to London) Father: John was a shopkeeper, glove maker and high bailiff John was a man of importance (high bailiff is an elected official similar to mayor) Mother: Mary Arden His father’s social status helped Shakespeare advance in his society

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Attended a prestigious grammar school Married Anne Hathaway at age 18 (she was 8 years older than he was) Children: Susanna, Twins Judith and Hamnet (Hamnet died at age 11) Moved to London, leaving his family behind. The Lost Years 1585-1592: Not much is documented or known about Shakespeare in this period By 1592 he had become an actor and playwright

Actor and Playwright History: Highbrow: Richer, nobler people quality Lowbrow: Poorer or working class people quality Characters of Royalty and Nobility appealed to highbrow work Characters such as clowns and servants provide comic relief and appealed to lowbrow work By 1592, Shakespeare was a member of the theatrical company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, aka the King’s Men, a company supported by King James.

Actor and Playwright History: Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in his lifetime: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth Quality: Highbrow Known as a successful playwright and actor in London by 1592 1593 Theaters closed due to The Plague Wrote plays and famous sonnets Grew in popularity and wealth Died at 52, on April 23, 1616, of unknown causes Buried in Stratford with a famous epitaph

Shakespeare’s Famous Epitaph: Shakespeare is buried under the old stone floor of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford with these words carved above his grave: Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here Blessed be the man that spares these stones And cursed be he that moves my bones. His bones still lie undisturbed to this day

Shakespearean Prose VS Poetry: Prose is spoken by the common people and sometimes Mercutio when he is joking throughout the play Most of the characters speak in poetry Blank Verse: No rhyme at the end of the lines Iambic Pentameter: unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. The word pre-FER. Shakespearean Sonnets: alternating rhyme scheme (ababcdcd) then switches in the tenth line to couplets (ee). Full of puns, literary elements, and word play!

Elizabethan Theatre: Galleries: covered seating around edge and in balconies (upper class seating) 1500 people = more money Groundlings: people who stood on the floor in front of stage (lower class lawn seats) Possible for people of all social classes to attend

Elizabethan Theatre: Circular Stage Open environment A penny per show VS $10 at Destinta All actors were males, even for women’s roles Drama was a nationwide activity Performed mainly in halls, courts, and open spaces In London, buildings were constructed for plays. The first theatre built by James Burbage called “The Theatre” Theatres were 3 tiers of seats, circular, and open

The Globe Theatre: The first movie theatre There’d be no Destinta without it! Shakespeare was part owner and produced many plays there. Constructed from parts of THE THEATRE in 1599. 20 sided and seated 2500 people June 1613 fire from cannon explosion during Henry VIII destroyed The Globe The Globe was rebuilt a year later

The Prologue: Prologue: a summary of the play or Act Foreshadowing Chorus: Speaks or sings the prologue Iambic pentameter: Pattern of unstressed syllable and stressed syllable occurring 5 times in a line Today an audience prefers not to be told right at the beginning of a play how it will end; but in Shakespeare's time the audiences already knew the story and were looking to enjoy how well it was told.

Shakespearean Sonnet: 14 lines of iambic pentameter Rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG Ending Couplet Couplet: two consecutive rhyming lines