Who is William Shakespeare?

He lived In England in the 1500s ●Trade during the 1300s and 1400s had created a more global society ○Countries knew more about each other ○Cultures were being shared in the Eastern Hemisphere ●Time Period is called the Renaissance - focus on trade, science, and art ○Copernicus/Galileo - world was round and circled the sun ○Christopher Columbus/Ferdinand Magellan explored

He lived during this Renaissance Period ●Michelangelo/Da Vinci painted and sculpted lifelike human beings ●Shakespeare and others wrote about complex human personalities ●Civil War in England (Shakespeare’s home) brought the Renaissance late ○From Henry the VII (great guy) to Henry the VIII (troubled guy) England saw changes. ○Henry the VIII had a daughter, Elizabeth who reigned from

Her reign became known as the Elizabethan Era ●Referred to as the Golden Age ●Elizabeth was moderate and frugal - bringing economic stability to England ●Commerce and therefore Culture thrived ○Mapmaking, inventions, transportation, craftwork (wares), music, art, and drama all thrived ●London becomes busy center of commerce (River Thames - Tehms) ●Attracted immigrants and travelers ●Class system more fluid - women had more rights

Shakespeare’s Theater in the Round ●Audience included all levels of society ●Shakespeare used Greek and Roman Storylines ●In 1599, a large successful theater, called The Globe, was built outside London ○Round/octogonal ○State in center, open to sky ○Stretched to the pit - lower class stood there to watch ○Galleries were for the upper class to sit

Staging ●The area right behind the stage was where actors entered and exited ○trap door for unusual entrances - ghosts, witches, etc. ●a second stage for scenes like the famous Romeo and Juliet ●No artificial light - performances were in daylight ●No set changes. Set was told during dialogue or monologue ●Special effects simple - smoke, for example, to cover sudden disappearances ●Costumes are elaborate - colorful and fun

Shakespeare’s Life ● Stratford, England ○ Market town, 75 miles north of London ● His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a wealthy farmer ● Shakespeare would have gone to elementary school ○ studied Latin and Greek, English, History ● Shakespeare, age 18, married Anne Hathaway, a woman 10 years older than he ○ She was pregnant when they married. They have 3 children. Two girls and a boy. One of the girls and the boy were twins.

Much of Shakespeare’s Life is Mysterious ●His family stays in Stratford, but he goes to London and becomes an actor ○1592 ●Quickly begins writing and hanging around the theater crowd. ○Many comedies and romances at this time ●Became part owner of the theater company. ○Three sources of money: acting, writing, owner ●Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies at a young age ○Shakespeare’s plays turn darker, more depressing

Words and phrases created by or popularized by WS As good luck would have it - The Merry Wives of Windsor As merry as the day is long - Much Ado About Nothing Bated breath - The Merchant of Venice Brave new world - The Tempest Break the ice - The Taming of the Shrew Refuse to budge an inch - Measure for Measure and Taming of the Shrew Dead as a doornail - Henry the VI, Part 2 Eaten me out of house and home - Henry the VI, Part 2 Faint-hearted - Henry the VI, Part 1 Fancy free - A Midsummer Night’s Dream Forever and a day - As You Like It For goodness’ sake - Henry the VIII Good riddance - Troilus and Cressida Heart of gold - Henry the V Knock, knock. Who’s there? - Macbeth