William Shakespeare

His Birth Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. Often called England’s national poet, “The Bard of Avon,” or simply “The Bard” Responsible for 38 plays and 154 sonnets (that we know of) At 18, he married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children.

Portrait and Coat of Arms

“The Lost Years” Not much is known about Shakespeare between 1585 and 1592, giving this time period the name of “the lost years.” However, in 1592, he was well known enough on the London stage to be criticized by the playwright Robert Greene. Greene’s criticism was the first mention of Shakespeare’s name in the arena of theater.

The Beginning Most Shakespearean scholars assume his career began anywhere from the mid-1580s to right before Greene’s remarks. From 1594 on, his plays were performed by his own troupe, the Lord Chamberlain’s men.

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men Originally patronized by Queen Elizabeth, the LCM changed their name in 1603 to the King’s Men when James I ascended to the throne and continued to support them. In 1599, the LCM built Shakespeare’s theater, The Globe. The original Globe was destroyed by a fire in 1613; it was rebuilt in 1614 and closed again in 1642.

The Globe

The Globe The Globe was set up in a familiar style: balconies around the stage for wealthy members of society, a small landing behind the stage as well (for the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet), and a door behind the stage to keep costumes and props. The wide-open portion in front of the stage with no seats was called the pit; the poor individuals who stood in this section during the play were referred to as “groundlings.”

The Globe

R & J and Five-Act Structure All of Shakespeare’s plays are arranged basically the same way: they have five acts with five-six scenes in each act. The Quarto version of Romeo and Juliet that was published in 1597 (also called Q1) was actually very different from the version you might buy at your neighborhood Barnes and Noble.

R & J and Five-Act Structure The divisions between scenes and acts were indicated less clearly, and Shakespeare’s original play more closely resembled the three-act structure of traditional plays. As the play became more widely published, publishers began to impose the five-act structure on Shakespeare’s plays for various reasons. Most versions of Romeo and Juliet nowadays borrow heavily from Quarto 2, or Q2, because they see it as a more reliable text than Q1.

R & J

R & J Undoubtedly Shakespeare’s most frequently adapted work in film, Shakespeare got the idea for the play from Arthur Brooke’s The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, published in 1562.

R & J The major action takes place in Verona, Italy, where Romeo, a member of the Montague family, falls in love with Juliet, a Capulet; the families are bitter enemies, which creates some “problems.”

Important Terms and Themes Important Terms: tragic flaw, dramatic foil, conceit, iambic pentameter, denouement Important Themes: the idea of destiny/fate/chance, the impermanence of time, true love, and the distinction between light and dark, night and day, etc.

A Final Look