 Queen Elizabeth ruled England during much of Shakespeare’s time.

 How often did people bathe?  a) Once a day  b) Once a week  c) Once a year (Answer)

 People sang, played musical instruments, and danced.  People would also enjoy hangings, bear baitings, and cockfights.

 Until the mid-16 th century, most plays were performed outside London.

 Some theaters were round with a covered stage. Most of the area had no roof.

 The first London theatre was called The Theatre, built in 1576.

 The Theatres in London were not on the “better” side of the River Thames.

 In London, plays were put on by theatre companies.

Shakespeare’s Theater The seats in the balconies cost more than the “pit,” where the crowd would stand on a dirt floor.

 The audience  Because of the crowds, theatres were popular with thieves and pickpockets.

 They announced what kind of play was showing with flags: Black-Tragedy, White-comedy, Red- History

Theaters in London closed from due to the Plague

 Plague and Players  Theatre were closed during severe outbreaks of plague – they thought it spread more quickly in crowds

Theatres used: trapdoors and wires elaborate costumes singing, swordplay, and acrobatics

 Wordplay, bawdy jokes, and lofty language appealed to Elizabethan audiences.

Globe built in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,

 Had three sides.

Burned in 1613

 Stage was 43 feet wide

 The Globe held about 3000 people

 The Globe theatre was burned to the ground in 1613

“All the world 's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.”——

 The 3 rd of 8 kids

Educated at Stratford-on-Avon.

From:

 Father John Shakespeare was a glove maker and trader  Married Anne Hathaway 1582.She was 26.He was 18

Anne was pregnant at the time First daughter Susanna born in May, 1583

From:

 He regularly performed for the aristocracy, including Queen Elizabeth.

 Shakespeare prospered even more under Elizabeth’s successor, King James of Scotland who ruled England during Shakespeare’s later career.

 Became King’s Men when James I became king in  Shakespeare’s Company was given royal patent.

Two major poems Venus and Adonis Rape of Lucrece 154 Sonnets

 Shakespeare’s Sonnets were Written between , and printed in 1609

 During Shakespeare’s career, fashions and tastes in drama changed.

 plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare  14 comedies – ends in marriage  10 histories –  10 tragedies – ends in death  4 romances –

 Tragicomedy  A mixture of tragedy and comedy  Seems to move toward a tragic ending but a twist in the plot saves the characters.

 History plays  Usually tell the stories of great leaders and kings.

 Often a man of high rank, such as a king or prince  Creates, or is put into, a difficult situation which he must try to resolve.

 Many people believed in fate, or destiny, and in the power of the stars to foretell the future.

Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English”

Shakespeare coined many words we still use today: Critical Majestic Dwindle And quite a few phrases as well: One fell swoop Flesh and blood Vanish into thin air See

Elizabethan theatre has had a very important effect on today’s theatre, and other parts of every day life. For example:  Shakespeare coined over 1600 words still used today including: countless, critical, excellent, lonely, majestic, obscene and its.

 Many of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted into other forms

 His plays are now performed all over the world in hundreds of languages.

 Some experts have even said that “Shakespeare’s” plays are really the work of other writers.

 Shakespeare wrote about human nature and how people behave.

The End * Actor * Playwright * Poet Died April 23, 1652