William Shakespeare Life and Times
Childhood and Education 1564 (most likely April 23rd) Parents were John and Mary Shakespeare John was a merchant while Mary took care of their 8 children of whom Shakespeare was the 3rd eldest Shakespeare was educated at the Stratford grammar school where he learned English and Latin Other influences include the Church, as everyone attended church and received training in the many stories of the bible.
Marriage and Death Married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, who at the time was 3 months pregnant and also 8 years older than him They had 3 children, Daughter Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith Died on April 23, 1616
Shakespeare’s World Elizabethan England Queen Elizabeth 1558 – 1603 Elizabeth was 25 years old when she became Queen of England in 1558 She held reign for 45 years until her death in 1603 She remained unmarried throughout her entire life and used her position as an unmarried monarch to her political advantage in Europe.
Shakespeare’s World Move into the Cities London became one of the most populated cities in the world Also, it was one of the most vile, unhealthy and pungent cities Created opportunities for Theatres and entertainment companies to attract mass crowds for their performances Plague Bear Baiting
Shakespeare’s Career and The Globe The Globe Theatre The original globe was built in 1599 by the Burbage brothers Cuthbert and Richard Shakespeare invested some money in the theatre to have part ownership as well as some other members of Lord Chamberlain's Men Three levels of the theatre represent the class structure of Elizabethan England Bottom – 1 pence Middle – 3 pence Top – 6 pence
The Globe Theatre
Shakespeare as Pop Culture In Elizabethan Culture everyone went to the plays Shakespeare and Marlowe were two of the biggest playwrights and were always competing The plays were the equivalent to Television today Also, the playhouse was where everyone went to be “seen” and to make appearances in society
Shakespeare’s Plays Shakespeare wrote plays for three main Genres: Comedies Romances Tragedies Histories Has an amazing ability to capture the human condition or main archetypes Shakespeare speaks across time to all humans and what struggles and joys we all experience.
Reduced Shakespeare Company version of Shakespeare’s biography http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4HdGJcJVo