1. Notes on the History of Elizabethan England and Shakespeare Himself

2. King Henry VIII (Ruled England 1509-1547) Known for breaking with Church + Many Wives (6)

3. As a young man, Henry was quite active.

4. England After Henry
When Henry dies, Edward comes to the throne (he was 9!)
•Edward dies when he’s 16, and “Bloody Mary” takes the throne

5. Queen Elizabeth I (Ruled England 1558-1603)
Mary (a Catholic) dies and Elizabeth (a Protestant) comes to the throne in 1558
Under Elizabeth, the arts flourished and educational institutions were established.
England also became a military force -Defeat of the Spanish Armada 1588
Never married, so known as the “Virgin Queen”
Followed by King James ( )

6. Defeating the Spanish Armada

7. Life in Elizabethan England
Public Life
Gossip: Those who are “in the know” are popular.
Crowds and public squares were volatile --> anything could set them off!
No free discussion of rulers =
High treason! Spies everywhere
Punishments:
Upper class = beheading
Lower class = drawing and quartering

8. Life in Elizabethan England
Family Life
Children and parents =
very formal
Never disobey
Children raised by nurses
Women had no legal rights
All their money and possessions went to the husband
Literacy Rate was Low
(W-10% M-30%)
Single wealthy women were fought over
Married at the age of 11 or 12
Father had the right to choose husbands for daughters -- negotiated for power
Marriage = crucial to a woman
No legal rights without it
LOVE
Romantic Love was ALWAYS discouraged -- a good match was more important
HONOR = very important! Defend family

9. Heart of England = LONDON
Tower Of London
Fort for protecting the city from invasions
Royal Palace
Prison

10. London: Sanitation The Plague = incurable
Horrible!
Streets were filthy
No sewers or drains
Gutters were in the middle of the street
Garbage & chamber pots emptied in the streets --piled up until a rain
Men walked in the middle of street to protect the ladies
The Plague = incurable
Overcrowding led to slums, filth
Plague carried by fleas on rats -- not known then
Thought to be God’s wrath on wicked people
Two outbreaks killed 1/4 of the population in Shakespeare’s time
Life expectancy = 48 years
Time to travel to “New World” = 1-2 months

11. Theater’s Place in the World: One Side
The Court
Elizabeth and James totally supported theater
Shakespeare’s company, “The King’s Men,” were named for King James

12. Theater’s Place in the World: The Other Side
City Officials
Time of Puritanism = Very conservative
Thought theater was evil, satanic, and destroyed public morals

13. Theater’s Place in the World
Therefore:
Theater was not allowed in London proper, within the official city limits
Instead, all theaters were in Southwark, just across the Thames, and outside city lines

14. Shakespeare’s Theater: The Globe
Variety of tickets, from the pit (groundlings) to the gallery
Loud, obnoxious, intelligent crowds
Performances lasted “at least two hours,” and started around 2 PM (the middle of the working day)
Trumpet blew to signal the start
Public - open to all, though could not be advertised
Showed type of play by color of the flag
White = Comedy
Red = History
Black = Tragedy

15. A Tour of the Globe

16. William Shakespeare: The Bard Himself

17. England-A Spiritually Divided Country
When Henry starts his own church, that splits the country into Catholic and Protestant
Shakespeare’s family has Catholic roots, but he supports the Queen

18. Shakespeare: Early Life
Vital Stats:
Born April 23, 1564
Dies April 23, 1616
Early Life: Stratford on Avon, England
Marries Anne Hathaway (said she saved his life)
They have three kids:
Susanna, Hamnet and Judith
He moves to London in 1590s

19. Stratford On Avon: Shakespeare’s Hometown
Trinity Church
Shakespeare’s Grammar School

20. London: The Big City

21. Shakespeare in London Became a leading actor and playwright by 1592
In 1594, Romeo and Juliet was first performed -- all male actors!
By 1595, he’s the hottest playwright in London
Writes 37 plays (2 per year)
Performed plays in theaters, palaces, inns, and homes of nobility
returned to Stratford

22. How Shakespeare Changed Theatre
Before --
•Performed by roaming troupes for a meal or bed.
•Actors considered vagrants
• Performed lewd plays to religious ones.
After --
Professional
Adds sets, lighting, multiple stages, and the box office.
Theater is new, akin to the start of TV

23. William Shakespeare, according to many scholars, has made the greatest contribution to the English language of any writer, ever.

24. Shakespeare’s Plays: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories
Tragedies: The fall of a great man. Not by fatal “tragic” flaw, but through choice of action that puts him out of his comfort zone (Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth).
Comedies: Not simply comical, in the modern sense, but often tensions between traditional roles—male vs. female, poor vs. rich, old vs. young—often ending in marriage, the revision or restoration of tradition (Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It).
Histories: Based on the lives of English Kings (Henry IV, Henry V, Richard III).

25. London & the Theater in Shakespeare’s Day
The theater was the most widely available entertainment to which people of every class had access.
Professional theater life was considered a fringe culture, existing on the margins of society. Actors were like rock stars.
Actors were considered homeless vagabonds and, as such, were subject to arrest (like rock stars).
Plays were often acted out in any space available; thus the income for actors and playwrights was undependable and rarely enough to live on.
Wealthy aristocrats, who enjoyed drama, would support acting companies with their own money—actors under the care of these “Lords” could not be arrested for their vagrant lifestyle.

26. Bankside
The Entertainment District:
Taverns, Theatres & Prostitutes, Oh My!
Bankside London, on the Thames River, was a notorious area of the city.
The Globe Theatre was situated in this area where people went out to drink and gamble, and where prostitution flourished.
The theatre was not a symbol of high culture in those days, it was bawdy and violent entertainment, considered by many to be full of dangerous ideas and suggestive sexual themes.

27. Bankside

28. The Globe: The Glory of the Bank
Based on design of The Rose theatre.
First London theatre built and owned by an acting company (1599).
All the decisions made in its construction were made by the actors and writers who would use it as a performance space.
Shakespeare plays first performed at the Globe: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.

29. A Reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Theater
The Globe Theatre
A Reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Theater
Built in 1996

30. The Audience
There were only two doors, and the Globe held up to 3,000 people.
People from all classes visited the theatre on a regular basis.
Cheapest seats cost one penny; “groundlings” stood in the yard.
For an extra penny, you got a “cushion seat” in the gallery.
For extra money, the view was obstructed; however, in those days people didn’t go to see a play, they went to hear a play.

31. Stage Effects
Both the stage and the heavens (the area above the stage) held trap doors.
Sheep and cow blood was used for fight scenes. A small bag could be filled and popped at the right moment for the right effect.
Gunpowder was used for musket fire and special controlled explosions.

32. The Threat of Theatre
The puritans, and city authorities, did not like play going.
Only the support of the King or Queen kept the theatre open.
The theatre represented freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and openly played with gender roles and human sexuality.

33. A Tale of Three Globes
Original Globe burnt down (6/29/1613) during the third performance of Henry VIII after cannons firing blanks set fire to the thatch roof.
The King’s Men (Shakespeare’s acting company) rebuilt the Globe in This Globe was torn down in 1644.
Modern Globe was built by an American named Sam Wanamaker, using Elizabethan construction techniques, opened in 1997.

34. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616
Why do we learn and study the works of William Shakespeare, a 16th Century English playwright and poet?
Apart from a 'requirement' to study Shakespeare, what positive reasons can you think of to study Shakespeare?
LO – An answer to teenagers’ complaints and concerns about learning Shakespeare

35. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616
A possible reason?
'The ideas, themes and issues of human nature described in his works have a resonance, a connection with the lives led by people today!'
Here is a list of ideas, themes and issues that are written about by Shakespeare...?

36. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616

37. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616
Common expressions, clichés, were Shakespeare's creations
Compelling characters
Great stories
Highlighting human experience
refused to budge an inch,
if you have been tongue-tied,
the long and short of it,
your own flesh and blood,
you suspect foul play,
if the truth were known,
dead as a door-nail,
a laughing stock,
a blinking idiot,
lived in a fool's paradise,
seen better days,
in a pickle.

38. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616
Common expressions, clichés, were Shakespeare's creations – over 135 examples
A fool’s paradise – an experience of happiness based on false hope - Romeo & Juliet
All of a sudden - suddenly – The Taming of the Shrew
A sorry sight – something or someone of an untidy appearance - Macbeth
Love is blind – The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, and other plays
Lie low – keeping out of sight, hiding – Much Ado About Nothing
Milk of human kindness – care, compassion for others – Macbeth
refused to budge an inch,
if you have been tongue-tied,
the long and short of it,
your own flesh and blood,
you suspect foul play,
if the truth were known,
dead as a door-nail,
a laughing stock,
a blinking idiot,
lived in a fool's paradise,
seen better days,
in a pickle.

39. William Shakespeare - 1564 - 1616
refused to budge an inch,
if you have been tongue-tied,
the long and short of it,
your own flesh and blood,
you suspect foul play,
if the truth were known,
dead as a door-nail,
a laughing stock,
a blinking idiot,
lived in a fool's paradise,
seen better days,
in a pickle.