Introduction to Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Born 1564, died 1616 Wrote 37 plays Wrote over 150 sonnets Actor, poet, playwright Known as The Bard Bard is essentially just another word for "poet" or "storyteller," usually from middle ages Europe.

Types of Plays Shakespeare wrote: Comedies - light and amusing, usually with a happy ending Tragedies –serious dramas with disastrous endings Histories – involve events or persons from history

The Theatre The Globe Theatre: Open ceiling Three stories high No artificial lighting Plays were shown during daylight hours only Held 2000-3000 people tightly packed It was shaped like a 16 sided polygon

Spectators Wealthy people got to sit on benches The poor (called “groundlings”) had to stand and watch from the courtyard There was much more audience participation than today All but the wealthy were uneducated/illiterate

Actors Only men and boys Young boys whose voices had not changed played the women’s roles It would have been indecent for a woman to appear on stage

Twelfth Night OR What You Will

Twelfth Night of Christmas The Twelfth Night of Christmas is January 6, the Feast of Epiphany (Christian Feast of the Magi). In Renaissance times, Twelfth Night was the last day of Christmas revels. The purpose of allowing social roles to be turned upside down was to "channel potentially destructive insubordination into playacting and thereby promote harmony" (Bevington 326).

Twelfth Night or What you will First Title The original title was “What you will” Second Title Twelfth Night after Christmas

Setting to the Play Very romantic and exotic In a land called Illyria Ancient region Found near Italy Today: Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Regusa

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