Shakespeare: His Life and Times

3 Little Pigs…Shakespeare Style!!!

Why study Shakespeare? Chances are, you’ve quoted Shakespeare without even knowing it! Have you ever said the following...

“Too much of a good thing.” “in a pickle” “It’s Greek to me.” “Too much of a good thing.”

“as luck would have it” “good riddance” “foul play” “dead as a door-nail” “foul play”

“without rhyme or reason” “a laughing stock” “an eyesore” “send me packing” “without rhyme or reason”

Even today, Shakespeare lives on. We can relate to his tales of love, hatred, revenge, courage, trust and deception. So much of our world today has been influenced by Shakespeare.

My Early Life- A Mystery????? Born April 23 or 26 1564- died April 26, 1616 Stratford-upon-Avon 3rd of 8 children Parents: John and Mary Arden Shakespeare Mary—daughter of wealthy landowner John—glove maker, local politician

Stratford-on-Avon in Shakespeare’s Time

Stratford-upon-Avon Today

Shakespeare’s Birthplace From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/

Education Probably attended King’s New School in Stratford Educated in: Rhetoric Logic History Latin But was he actually educated????

King’s New School From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/

Married Life Married in 1582 to Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time with their first daughter Had twins in 1585 Sometime between 1585-1592, he moved to London and began working in theatre. Poet Playwright Actor

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/

1590’s Queen Elizabeth I ruled English explorers were crossing the ocean to the New World And travelers coming to England LOVED watching plays...

The Playwrights... Christopher Marlowe Thomas Kyd And William Shakespeare was the original “New Kid on the Block”

The Rose, built in 1587 (London’s first “Bankside” theatre) The Theatres... The Theatre, built in 1576 The Rose, built in 1587 (London’s first “Bankside” theatre) The Swan, 1595 The Globe (Shakespeare helped construct in 1598-1599)

About the theatres •Protestants condemned the plays •Theatres were on the outskirts of London--away from the authorities •People who attended the theatres included: -merchants -lawyers -laborers -prostitutes -visitors from other countries -nobility & royalty

•No lighting •No scenery--Just a curtain •Could hold around 2,000 people

most expensive seats were directly behind the stage people sitting there could only see the actors from behind

Theatre Career Member and later part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men under Queen Elizabeth I Globe Theater built in 1599 by L.C.M. with Shakespeare as primary investor Later called the King’s Men under King James I Burned down in 1613 during one of Shakespeare’s plays What happened between 1593-1594 to theater companies?

The Rebuilt Globe Theater, London

The Plays 14 comedies 10 histories 10 tragedies 4 romances 38 plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare 14 comedies Ex. Alls Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew 10 histories Henry IV, Henry V 10 tragedies Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet 4 romances The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale

The Poetry 154 Sonnets Numerous other poems Got his ideas from all over!

Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare did NOT write in “Old English.” Old English is the language of Beowulf: Hwaet! We Gardena in geardagum Þeodcyninga Þrym gefrunon Hu ða æÞelingas ellen fremedon! (Hey! We have heard of the glory of the Spear-Danes in the old days, the kings of tribes, how noble princes showed great courage!)

Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare did not write in “Middle English.” Middle English is the language of Chaucer, the Gawain-poet, and Malory: We redeth oft and findeth y-write— And this clerkes wele it wite— Layes that ben in harping Ben y-founde of ferli thing… (Sir Orfeo)

Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English.” EME was not very different from “Modern English,”

Shakespeare’s Language A mix of old and very new Rural and urban words/images Understandable by the lowest peasant and the highest noble How many words did he use? 30,000 How many words do we use today? 6,000-15,000

Love of the Language In Shakespeare’s time, everyone loved the English language. There were no grammar rules, punctuation keys, OR spelling! The language was evolving and everyday new words were being made up. Shakespeare’s language reflects this freedom and experimentation.

Iambic Pentameter Is a sound pattern IAMB: one unaccented (or unstressed) syllable with one accented syllable It’s like a heartbeat: ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum Five “ba-bum”s in a row make one line of iambic pentameter (10-syllable lines) Example: he WENT to TOWN toDAY to BUY a CAR OR: In SOOTH / I KNOW / not WHY / I AM / so SAD

Why go to all the TROUBLE??? Using iambic pentameter kept things moving in the play (like a drum beat) It made the words & play more interesting It helped the actors remember their lines (like a song)

a mixing of old styles and new sounds. When Shakespeare set his words to iambic pentameter it is compared to the birth of rock-n-roll: a mixing of old styles and new sounds.

•In Shakespeare’s time, you only had one copy of a play, and after you wrote it for the acting company, you no longer owned it! •Scripts were thrown out when they were no longer wanted or needed. •NO copies of Shakespeare’s plays in his own handwriting have survived. The only known evidence of anything in his handwriting is his signature (shown above) on the play Sir Thomas More that Shakespeare might have written.

“Quartos” Small books of published plays were called “quartos.” The first published works of Shakespeare’s vary considerably Scholars believe these are faulty versions, calling them “bad quartos.”

The first full collection of Shakespeare’s work was published in 1623, seven years after his death. It was called “First Folio” It contained 36 plays (compiled by John Heminge and Henry Condell--friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare’s)

Elizabethan Theatrical Conventions

Acting The actors were all men; young boys (age 12-14) played the female parts They were considered “shareholders” and owned stock or shares in the play texts, costumes, and props Their pay depended on admission sales Actors only had about 3 weeks to practice a new play In one week, the troupes may perform 6 different plays (as many as 4,000 lines!)

A theatrical convention is a Theatrical Conventions of Shakespeare's Theatre A theatrical convention is a suspension of reality. No electricity Women forbidden to act on stage Minimal, contemporary costumes Minimal scenery These control the dialogue.

Theatrical Conventions of Shakespeare's Theatre Soliloquy Aside Types of speech Audience loves to be scared. Blood Use of supernatural

Theatrical Conventions of Shakespeare's Theatre Use of disguises/ mistaken identity Last speaker—highest in rank (in tragedies) Multiple murders (in tragedies) Multiple marriages (in comedies)

Let’s dramatize Shakespeare!!! “All the world 's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” So….. Let’s dramatize Shakespeare!!!

Shakespeare’s Epitaph… "Good Friends, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the bones enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones."