1. Well-known Facts about Will
Great writer of England
Plays translated into all languages, musicals, ballets
Born Stratford-upon-Avon
Well-to-do, affluent while alive
Most quoted, other than the Bible

2. Lesser-known Facts
Teen father: married pregnant 26 year old Anne Hathaway when he was 18
Deadbeat dad: Left wife and children for London stage career
Father of twins
Elizabethan rapper: uses rhythm and rhyme
“Plagiarism” ?

3. The Competition Bear-baiting Races Gambling Music Drinking/socializing
Prostitution
Public executions

4. Conditions in London-BAD!
Thames River polluted with raw sewage
Trees used up for fuel
Poverty

5. Personal hygiene/health
Bathing considered dangerous
Body odor strong
Childhood diseases
Children often died before 5 years
Small Pox
Bubonic Plague

6. Living Conditions
No running water
Chamber Pots
Open Sewers
Crowded
                  

7. Clothes One set used all year long, rarely washed
Underclothing slept in, infrequently changed
Clothes handed down from rich to poor

8. Theater in London Performed in courtyards of inns
The Theater-first public theater-1576
Daytime/open air
Limited set design
Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description

9. The Globe Built in 1599 Across the Thames- “Wrong side of town”
King’s Players - Shakespeare’s company
Penny admission

10. Actors All men Female parts played by young boys
No actual kissing or hugging on stage

11. The groundling Poor audience member Stood around stage in “the pit”
Women not allowed (had to dress up as men to attend)
Threw rotten vegetables at bad performances

12. “Romeo and Juliet” Tragedy Written in 1595 Set in Verona, Italy
Themes: parental control/rebellious teens; fate/freewill; impulsive behavior/self-control

13. Play’s source Borrowed from a poem by Brooke-1562
Poem found in French translation by Brooke
Shakespeare gave story new life and beauty

14. Queen Elizabeth Bastard daughter of King Henry VIII
And Ann Boleyn (2nd of 6 wives)
Henry had Ann beheaded for “treason”
Younger sister of “Bloody Mary.”
“Virgin Queen”?
A tease and a player

15. Her “loving” parents

16. The Renaissance 1500-1650 “Rebirth” of arts, culture, science
Discovery of “New World”
Copernicus: Sun-centered Universe (1543)
King Henry VIII = renaissance man (ideal)
Reformation of Catholic Church