1. William Shakespeare

2. A bit about Bill….

3. What is significant about his education?
When did he live?
April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616
Where is he from?
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Wife and kids?
Married to Anne Hathaway & had three children
What is significant about his education?
Only attended school until about 5th grade; self-educated after that!

4. What did he write? Where did he work? 37 plays 154 Sonnets London
Globe Theater
Lord Chamberlain’s Men & The King’s Men

5. What was the theater like
What was the theater like? All male actors; groundlings; daytime shows; moral ills

7. What is the First Folio?
1623 publication of Shakespeare’s plays, “True Original Copies,” put together by two of Shakespeare’s acting colleagues. It’s the only reliable source for many of his works.

8. England in 1590
Teenagers had to obey their parents’ every whim until they married.
Marriages were commonly arranged by the parents for purposes other than love and affection.
Daughters married young for the most part, often as early as 14 or 15.
A father had a God-given obligation to choose a husband for his daughter who would be able to support her materially and protect her physically.
Wives, just like children, were obliged to obey their husbands.

9. Shakespeare’s Tragedies
Features a person struggling with his or her existence
Main characters come to an unhappy end
Protagonist is typically of high stature, courageous or virtuous…the ideal
Man aspires for more than he can achieve

10. The tragic hero has a tragic flaw
Destruction or death results from:
Forces beyond the character’s control (fate or destiny)
Decisions the character makes, especially in haste

11. Ends with a conclusion in which order is restored
Titles are usually about individuals:

23. Notes about the play Shakespeare wrote the play between 1594-1596.
As with most of his plays, R & J is based on an older tale, Arthur Brookes’ Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet (1562)
the play was so popular in its own time that it was published twice during Shakespeare's life (1597 and 1599).
switches between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension

24. Notes, continued
Use of a ‘chorus’ – for Romeo and Juliet, the chorus serves as a narrator of background information in the prologue and summary of information in later acts. In ancient Greek plays, the chorus often served as a ‘conscience’ of the character.
Bawdy humor - Dealing with sexual matters in a comical way; humorously indecent. (ribaldry) In Romeo and Juliet, bawdy humor is used to ‘offset’ the growing drama and tragedy.