William Shakespeare Slide Show

William Shakespeare * He was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. * There is no record of his birth, but his baptism was recorded by the church, thus his birthday is assumed to be the 23 of April.

About Shakespeare * All that is known of Shakespeare's youth is that he presumably attended the Stratford Grammar School, and did not proceed to Oxford or Cambridge. The next record that history has recorded of him is his marriage to Anne Hathaway in 1582. The next year she gave birth to a daughter for him, Susanna, followed by the twins Judith and Hamnet two years later.

Shakespeare * Shakespeare was recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright. He was part of one of the most successful acting troupes in London: "The Lord Chamberlain's Men”; they were wealthy enough to build their own theatre, which they called "The Globe." * The new theatre opened in July of 1599, built from the timbers of "The Theatre”.

Shakespeare * Shakespeare entertained the King and the people for another ten years until June 19, 1613, when a canon fired from the roof of the theatre for a gala performance of Henry VIII set fire to the thatch roof and burned the theatre to the ground. The theatre burned to ashes. * He retired from the stage to the Great House of New Place in Statford that he had purchased in 1597 He continued to write until his death in 1616 on the day of his 52nd birthday.

The Globe Theatre * This theatre was an open-air octagonal amphitheater seats up to 3,000 spectators. three stories high This staging area housed trap doors in its flooring and primitive ropes overhead for various stage effects.

The Globe

The Globe * The new Globe continued operating as a theatre until 1642 * In 1644, the Globe was destroyed in order to build tenements upon the premises. In 1993, the late Sam Wanamaker saw the beginning of construction on a new Globe theatre near the site of the original.  * One of the latest Globe Theatres was completed in 1996 In its initial 1997 season, the theatre attracted 210,000 patrons.

The Renaissance Period (1450 - 1600) * As all forms of art, including music, the renaissance marked the rebirth of humanism, and a revival in cultural achievements for their own sake. This period covers the last half of the 15th century, and 16th century, inclusive. With the Renaissance, more complicated and broader harmonic structures emerge.

Renaissance Period * Though the musical forms employed are still largely liturgical, the late Renaissance does see a great increase in sophistication for instrumental composition, as well as the emergence of secular madrigals, dramatic works, and the first operas. Many of these changes were pioneered with the music of Franco-Flemish composers including Johannes Ockeghem, Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Prez. The period culminated in the music of Giovanni Palestrina, Claudio Monteverdi, William Byrd, Roland de Lassus, and many others, as the musical styles spread throughout Europe.

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