1. Born April 23,1564 in Stratford upon Avon, England
William Shakespeare
Born April 23,1564 in Stratford upon Avon, England

2. Shakespeare…the facts
Parents were John—glovemaker, local politician and Mary—daughter of wealthy landowner
Shakespeare had 7 brothers and sisters   
Shakespeare’s house

3. Shakespeare…the facts
Spelling not yet standardized, thus name spelled in different ways
Shakespeare, Shakspere, Shackspere, Shaxper, Shagspere, Shaxberd, etc.

4. King’s New School – Shakespeare’s school  
From:

5. Married Life Married in November, 1582, to Anne Hathaway
Anne was pregnant at the time
First daughter Susanna born in May, 1583
Twins (Hamnet and Judith) christened on February 2, 1585
No documentary evidence between
Sometime in this period, he moved to London and began working in the theatre.

6. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
From:

7. Throughout The Middle Ages, plays were performed by workers in towns and were religious based, often retelling stories from the Bible.
   Elizabethan writers introduced theatre audiences to horror, the supernatural and GORE…
Introduction

8. Theater Career
During Elizabeth I’s reign was part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men
When theaters in London closed from due to the plague, wrote sonnets

9. Theater Career
With the accession of James I in 1603, the company was granted permission to change its name to the King’s Men

10. The Globe Theatre
The Globe built in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Later burned down during Henry VIII when a cannon misfired and a spark landed on the thatched roof

11. The Rebuilt Globe Theater, London

12. The Plays plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare
14 COMEDIES – ends in marriage
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, As You Like It…
10 HISTORIES – Richard III, Richard II…
10 TRAGEDIES – ends in death
Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello…
4 ROMANCES – Pericles, Tempest…

13. The Poetry 154 Sonnets Numerous other poems
Poetry usually dedicated to a patron

14. How to Read the Plays
Do not pause at the end of a line unless the punctuation calls for it
Read it like prose
“Aside”—the actor is voicing a “secret” only to the audience, other actors can’t hear
“Soliloquy”—the actor is alone on stage, speaking his inner thoughts

15. Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare coined many words we still use today:
Critical
Majestic
Dwindle
And quite a few phrases as well:
One fell swoop
Flesh and blood
Vanish into thin air
See

16. The Performances
Theatres had a harness that allowed “angels” and “gods” to be lowered from “Heaven.” Stages were had trapdoor leading to a “Hell” beneath the stage for witches rising up or bodies being lowered
There was very little scenery so the writers used to dialogue for explanation
Actors wore colorful and elaborate costumes that would tell the characters’ status, family ties or profession
The theme of disguise was common. In order to exchange places with another character or conceal identity, all an actor needed to do was to change his costume
 The Elizabethan theatre also used a variety of sound effects: music, thunder, running horses, falling rain, and cannon blasts

17. Heaven and Hell