William Shakespeare and the Globe

William Shakespeare's Life  Greatest writer in the English language  Greatest play writer of all time  Few known facts about Shakespeare’s life  Renaissance period: renewed interest in Science, commerce, philosophy, and the arts  A new way of life: focus on the individual and freedom of choice

William Shakespeare's Life  Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564  Stratford-on-Avon: a small town about 90 miles northwest of London

William Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare lived on Henley Street. Father was a glove maker and town’s mayor Mother was a distant relative of a wealthy family

William Shakespeare’s life  At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a local farmer’s daughter  At the time of marriage Anne was three months pregnant with their first daughter Susanna  Two years later, they had twins Hamnet and Judith  Hamnet dies at the age of 11

William Shakespeare’s life  The next seven years are the “lost years”  Shakespeare and London  Joined a theater company as a traveling actor  Shakespeare as a great play writer

William Shakespeare’s Life (The Late Years)  In 1609, Shakespeare published his sonnets and a series of poems about love and friendship  In 1613, Shakespeare retires back in his hometown of Stratford  Shakespeare’s death is unknown  Shakespeare dies on April 23, 1616

“Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here: Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.”

Queen Elizabeth I & Shakespeare  Queen Elizabeth I ( )  Supporter of the English culture and the Arts  Financial supporters of the arts  1590 Shakespeare began acting and writing plays for a company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men  Queen Elizabeth frequently attended

The Globe  In 1599, Shakespeare became a joint owner of the Globe  The Globe was a three-story wooden structure with an open roof  3,000 spectators of all classes  Lower class in the pit and the upper class in the balconies

The Globe  Plays could last from 2-5 hours  Audience became emotionally involved in the performances  Only men acted in the plays  Limited amount of props  Elegant costumes

Shakespeare’s Impact on Language  Shakespeare's play have influenced literary works for hundreds of years  Playing on words and their meanings, creating metaphors and images  Contributed more words to the English language than any other writer (Assassination, bump, and lonely)  Shakespeare being the first to write down new spoken words