1. The History of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare's
Life & Time Period

2. William Shakespeare: Born: April 23, 1564 and Died: April 23, 1616
The third of eight children in his family
Lived in Stratford, England (market town close to London)
Father: John was a shopkeeper, glove maker and high bailiff
John was a man of importance (high bailiff is an elected official similar to mayor)
Mother: Mary Arden
His father’s social status helped Shakespeare advance in his society

3. William Shakespeare (1564-1616):
Attended a prestigious grammar school
Married Anne Hathaway at age 18 (she was 8 years older than he was)
Children: Susanna, Twins Judith and Hamnet (Hamnet died at age 11)
Moved to London, leaving his family behind.
The Lost Years : Not much is documented or known about Shakespeare in this period
By 1592 he had become an actor and playwright

4. Actor and Playwright History:
Highbrow: Richer, nobler people quality
Lowbrow: Poorer or working class people quality
Characters of Royalty and Nobility appealed to highbrow work
Characters such as clowns and servants provide comic relief and appealed to lowbrow work
By 1592, Shakespeare was a member of the theatrical company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, aka the King’s Men, a company supported by King James.

5. Actor and Playwright History:
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in his lifetime: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth
Quality: Highbrow
Known as a successful playwright and actor in London by 1592
1593 Theaters closed due to The Plague
Wrote plays and famous sonnets
Grew in popularity and wealth
Died at 52, on April 23, 1616, of unknown causes
Buried in Stratford with a famous epitaph

6. Shakespeare’s Famous Epitaph:
Shakespeare is buried under the old stone floor of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford with these words carved above his grave:
Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blessed be the man that spares these stones
And cursed be he that moves my bones.
His bones still lie undisturbed to this day

7. Shakespearean Prose VS Poetry:
Prose is spoken by the common people and sometimes Mercutio when he is joking throughout the play
Most of the characters speak in poetry
Blank Verse: No rhyme at the end of the lines
Iambic Pentameter: unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. The word pre-FER.
Shakespearean Sonnets: alternating rhyme scheme (ababcdcd) then switches in the tenth line to couplets (ee).
Full of puns, literary elements, and word play!

8. Elizabethan Theatre:
Galleries: covered seating around edge and in balconies (upper class seating)
1500 people = more money
Groundlings: people who stood on the floor in front of stage (lower class lawn seats)
Possible for people of all social classes to attend

9. Elizabethan Theatre: Circular Stage Open environment
A penny per show VS $10 at Destinta
All actors were males, even for women’s roles
Drama was a nationwide activity
Performed mainly in halls, courts, and open spaces
In London, buildings were constructed for plays.
The first theatre built by James Burbage called “The Theatre”
Theatres were 3 tiers of seats, circular, and open

10. The Globe Theatre: The first movie theatre
There’d be no Destinta without it!
Shakespeare was part owner and produced many plays there.
Constructed from parts of THE THEATRE in 1599.
20 sided and seated 2500 people
June 1613 fire from cannon explosion during Henry VIII destroyed The Globe
The Globe was rebuilt a year later

11. The Prologue: Prologue: a summary of the play or Act Foreshadowing
Chorus: Speaks or sings the prologue
Iambic pentameter: Pattern of unstressed syllable and stressed syllable occurring 5 times in a line
Today an audience prefers not to be told right at the beginning of a play how it will end; but in Shakespeare's time the audiences already knew the story and were looking to enjoy how well it was told.

12. Shakespearean Sonnet:
14 lines of iambic pentameter
Rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG
Ending Couplet
Couplet: two consecutive rhyming lines