1. Background Information

2. Henry VIII Married Catherine of Aragon (stillborn daughter, son –
died at 7 wks, miscarriage, & daughter, Mary)
Wanted to divorce her, to obtain a male heir but Pope refused
Withdrew from Roman Catholic
Church and established the Anglican
Church
Divorced Catherine

3. Anne Boleyn Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn (Anne of a Thousand Days)
Elizabeth
Several miscarriages, last one was a 15 week-old son
Final miscarriage occurred on the day of Catherine’s funeral.
Anne now out of favor
Beheaded Anne on counts of incest and treasonable adultery
Real crime = no son

4. Henry VIII + Jane Seymour
Married immediately after Anne’s execution
Gave Henry a son,
Prince Edward

5. Henry VIII’s Death Throne goes to Edward – age 9/ dies at age 19
Lady Jane Grey named to throne (granddaughter of Henry’s sister) - deposed
Mary takes over throne – time is filled with violence, treason, upheaval, etc, because she was empathetic to Roman Catholicism
Ruled for 5 years

6. Elizabeth I’s Ascension
Reigned from 1558 – 1603
Historically – time was right for prosperity
WHY??? ALL threats were eliminated
War with France ended in 1564
Mary, Queen of Scotts – beheaded in 1587
Church of England established and strong
1588 – Sir Francis Drake defeats the Spanish Armada/frees England of any invasion threat
Waterways become peaceful

7. Resulting in…
A time of peace with other countries that have caused unrest for years
A time of trade – flourishing
Internal political unrest quelled
London becomes both the national and international center of life
England experiences a time of great peace in all areas.

8. During this time in England there is a sense of greatness, confidence, and hope.
Creates the opportunity for art, trade, business, etc, to flourish
First public theater built in London (1576)
Up to this time – Actors – bad reputation
(pickpockets, crime, plagues were rampant – public needed entertainment)

9. Influence of Puritans Believed stage and actors corrupted morals
Believed theater should be banned
Advocated to have theaters banned – were successful later on

10. Philosophy of the Renaissance
Great Chain of Being
Everything has a
special place
Rocks, inanimate
objects, plants,
animal, man, angels,
God

11. Philosophy of the Renaissance
Parallel Planes of Existence
Everything must balance
No chaos – only order

12. Philosophy of the Renaissance
Great Cosmic Dance
Belief in stars and earth in harmony
Results in belief in astrology, leads to ideas i.e. star crossed lovers

13. Philosophy of the Renaissance
Humours
Physicians of the Middle Ages believed that four fluids, or humours, made up the human body and mind. An improper balance of these fluids caused mental and physical illness.

15. Theatre in Renaissance England
First playhouse built in 1576
6-7 more built in next 30 years
Often built outside town – avoid conflict with authorities
Puritans especially – disapproved of plays, play-going – on political /moral grounds
Fearful it would spread plagues –
Globe built partially due to plague

16. Globe Theater Small by modern standards
Octagonal (less than 30 meters = 97 feet)
Accommodated audience of 2,000 -3,000 people

17. Globe Theater
Performances advertised by playbills posted around the city
Flag flown to show all was well and a play would go on to save playgoers a wasted journey
Plays took place during daylight and good weather

18. Globe Theater White flag = Comedy (something lighthearted)
Black flag = Tragedy (black represented death)
Red Flag = History

19. Theater Admission = one penny (75 cents today)
This amount admitted one to the pit
Groundlings – stood on ground in open air
Poor, uneducated, lower class
Shakespeare often inserted crude, sexual humor even in most serious plays to hold attention of this group (Bawdy humor)
If they didn’t like what was happening, jeering and throwing of rotten fruit & vegetable

20. Better off playgoers bought seats under the roof.
Higher the tier, the more paid
Best seats cost about one shilling ($7-10)

21. Full house = approx 800 groundlings and 1,500 in the galleries
May have had about a dozen “exclusive” seats on stage
New play would run for 6-16 performances
Moved quickly – 2 hours or less
Costumes = Elizabethan dress/not period of play

22. Females not allowed to participate
Young boys played parts of females
Globe Theater burned to ground in 1613 – cannon misfired during performance of Henry VII
ALL theaters in London closed in 1642 when Puritans were able to gain complete control of the government.

23. Parts of the Globe
Tiring-House- The important backstage area which provided space for storage and business offices.
Stairs- Ascending to the first level, theatre goers reached the galleries by wooden staircases enclosed by stairwells.
Trap Door- Leading down to the Hell area where equipment included the winch elevator that raised and lowered actors or properties.

24. William Shakespeare Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England
April 23, 1564
Married: Anne Hathaway (1582)
He was 18, she was 26.
three children
Susanna
Hamnet
Judith
Died on April 23, 1616
his 52nd birthday

25. Shakespeare: The Lost Years
After Shakespeare’s twins were born, he left Stratford. This began what is known as Shakespeare’s “Lost Years” ( ; there is not much documented about him during this time period).
There is speculation that William might have offended Sir Richard Lucy by poaching a deer on his grounds and had to leave Stratford to avoid prosecution ( No documented evidence supports this theory).
But it is reasonable to assume that there must have been a strong reason to leave his wife, children and family to follow the life of an actor in London ( In Elizabethan times actors were classed as low-lives )
There are many mysteries which surround the life of William Shakespeare - the Lost Years are the first of many!

26. Shakespeare, con’t. Shakespeare was in the acting company, Lord
Chamberlain's Men (later called the King’s Men)
He wrote:
37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long poems
His work was not published during his lifetime
but four years later in the "First Folio" book
Shakespeare is considered a "man for all
seasons" because his plays appeal to everyone
(all ages and across time)
Many of Shakespeare’s manuscripts were lost due to the burning of theaters by the Puritans.

27. The Shakespeare Debate
There is much speculation as to whether or not there was an actual “Shakespeare.”
Many historians claim that “Shakespeare” is actually a collection of several poets and playwrights’ works, while others claim that it was a pseudonym for another writer.
The three men most associated with the “Shakespeare Debate” are Edward De Vere, Francis Bacon, and Christopher Marlow.

28. The Shakespeare Debate
The reasoning behind the controversy seems to lie in the fact that many people find it difficult to accept that a man of poor education and upbringing could write such eloquent masterpieces and have such a strong command of the English language.
It is important not to focus on whether or not he was real, but instead we should focus on the great pieces of literature that we have attributed to him.

29. How Many New Words Did Shakespeare Coin?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary all the bold-faced words below (and some 500 more) are attributed to Shakespeare:
“[f]rom the spectacled pedant to the schoolboy, all gentlefolk recognize Shakespeare as a fathomless fount of coinages. The honey-tongued Bard had no rival, nor could he sate his never-ending addiction to madcap, flowery (or foul-mouthed!) neologisms. Even time-honored exposure cannot besmirch our amazement at the countless and useful words that lend radiance to our lackluster lives. All in a day’s work!

30. Shakespearean Insults Combine one word from each of the columns below
Shakespearean Insults Combine one word from each of the columns below. Add “Thou” to the beginning to create the perfect insult
Example: Thou rank rump-fed hedge-pig!
Column A Column B Column C
peevish clay-brained canker blossom
grizzled dog-hearted clot pole
greasy evil-eyed hedge-pig
jaded lily-livered dogfish
waggish mad-bred egg-shell
purpled onion-eyed nut-hook
rank paper-faced pantaloon
saucy rump-fed rabbit-sucker
vacant shag-eared snipe
yeasty whit-livered younker

31. Shakespearean Compliments Combine one word from each of the columns below. Add “Thou” to the beginning to create the perfect insult
Example: Thou precious young-eyed wafer-cake!
Column A Column B Column C
rare honey-tongued smilet
sweet well-wishing toast
fruitful fair-faced cukoo-bud
brave best-tempered nose-herb
sugared tender-hearted wafer-cake
flowering tiger-booted pigeon-egg
precious smooth-faced welsh cheese
gallant thunder-darting song
celestial sweet-suggesting true-penny
delicate young-eyed valentine