1. William Shakespeare

2. Background Born on April 23rd ,1564 Stratford-upon-Avon Father-John
Glove maker
Mother-Mary Arden
Good Catholic, wealthy
Married Anne Hathaway
He was 18 and she was 26
Moved to London in 1592 and became an actor and a playwright

3. History Elizabeth I was Queen on England
England ruled the seas with its navy and was creating colonies all around the world
In 1590 the plague came to London and shut down all the theaters.
Why?
Shakespeare began to write poetry at this time.

4. Shakespeare’s Theater
Company name was Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Most popular company for a decade!
He had his own theater named “The Globe”
Commoners and the wealthy came to plays
Wrote many plays between
Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello
Plays fall into three categories: histories, tragedies, and comedies

5. Death Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52
No one knows how he died-mystery!!
Alcohol, murder, writer’s cramp!!

6. The Elizabethan Stage Different than today!
Stage was round
Audience involved (actors spoke to them and they answered back!)
Yelled, laughed, taunted, talked, ate throughout!
Politicians and clergy members against theater
Took away from religion
Theaters banned from London
Moved to suburbs
Surrounded by pubs and taverns and had thieves and pickpockets

7. The Globe

8. Theater Plays began with a raised flag-theme
black-=tragedy
White=comedy
Red=history
As you came in you placed money in a box
“box office”
Then you sat in the galleries on benches, on cushions in front of stage, on the stage itself, or stood in the back.
It was stinky in there! Sweat, beer, garlic, etc!

9. The Globe Called “wooden O” Had 20 sides
3 tiers-heaven, earth, and hell
Limited props and scenery
Used words to describe
No women on stage
Few women characters in plays. Smart rather than pretty characters
Burned down in 1613 when a prop canon exploded
Puritans shut down all theaters in 1642 and in 1644 Globe was destroyed.