1. Introduction to the English Renaissance & Shakespeare

2. Focus of the World: WORLD EVENTS:
Time of the Renaissance is Focus will be Notice changes all over the world
Focus of the World:
Exploration
Art
Literature
WORLD EVENTS:
1492: Columbus lands in Western Hemisphere
1503: Leonardo de Vinci paint Mona Lisa
1514: Ponce de Leon explores Florida
1604: Part I of Don Quixote published
1620: Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock

3. British Events 1534: Church of England established
1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England
1590: Edmund Spenser publishes The Faerie Queen Part I
1594: Shakespeare writes Romeo and Juliet
1599: The Globe Theater opens
1605: Shakespeare’s Macbeth first performed
1603: James I crowned King of England
1611: King James Bible is published
Main focus---Literature
Poetry and Drama

4. Historical Background
Tudor Dynasty established in 1485=new era
Monarchs assured stability by increasing their own power and undercutting strength of nobles
They changed religious practices and helped to transform England from small nation to one of world’s great powers
First Tudor Monarch---Henry VII
Rebuilt nation’s treasure and established law and order
Succeeded by son Henry VIII---a practicing Catholic
Good relationship w/church until he asked a question…
Wife Catherine had not given him a son…so, he wanted an annulment to marry Anne Boleyn---request denied, but remarried anyway
Broke away from church and dissolved monasteries
Had former friend, Thomas More, killed b/c he would not denounce his religion
Had a son with 3rd wife, Jane Seymour….son’s name was Edward
Married 6 times
Edward took throne at age of 9 years….died at the age of 15
Replaced Latin in church ritual with prayer book, the Book of Common Prayer

5. Mary I (Edward’s half-sister) took throne
Restored Roman practices to the Church of England
Ordered the execution of nearly 300 Protestants and strengthened Catholic sentiment
Became known as “Bloody Mary” after this occurrence
Elizabeth I (Mary’s half-sister) took throne
Was strong, clever and probably England’s ablest monarch since William the Conqueror
Instituted a policy of religious moderation
Restored the Book of Common Prayer in the Church of England
Main adversary—Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland. (many Catholics did not recognize Henry VIII’s marriage to Elizabeth’s mother, so they considered Mary Stuart the Queen of England)
Mary Stuart instigated plots against Elizabeth I
Parliament insisted on Mary’s execution…she was beheaded in 1587
James I took throne in 1603
Claim to the throne rested on his descent from King Henry VII through his mother, Mary Stuart
He was a Protestant and successful leader
Sponsored establishment of England’s first settlement---Jamestown, VA
Eventually persecuted the Puritans and struggled with Parliment

6. Review of Background Information
William Shakespeare
Review of Background
Information

7. William Shakespeare
Born (baptized) April 23, 1564 in Stratford on Avon
Father –John Mother---Mary Arden
Married Anne Hathaway in & she was 26)
Had 3 children together
Susanna (1583)
Twins: Hamnet and Judith (1585)
Settled in London where he began acting & writing
Queen Elizabeth I loved arts, plays, and pageants
Supported writers and theaters
Her support helped prompt the popularity and growth of the arts in England
Other beloved writers: Edward Spenser, Christopher Marlowe and Sir Philip Sidney

8. Joined with leading tragic actor, Richard Burbage
William Shakespeare joined an acting group called: The Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1594
Joined with leading tragic actor, Richard Burbage
James I became a patron of the theater and of the acting company
He changed the name to The King’s Men
Financial success allowed Shakespeare to
Become a partner in The Globe Theater
Buy home---called New Place
Bought a coat of arms for his father (usually only given to royalty and knights by the king)
Earliest Masterpieces Included:
Richard III
The Comedy of Errors
The Taming of the Shrew
Romeo and Juliet

9. Wrote comedies, tragedies and histories
Most famous tragedies (play in which the hero/heroine MUST die): Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Antony & Cleopatra
He retired to Stratford Upon Avon in 1611 and died April 23, 1616
In his lifetime he wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 narrative poems
Included genres of histories, comedies, tragedies and tragic comedies
Many plotlines based on or borrowed from ancient Greece where the tragedies would bring about pity and fear
pity for the hero
Fear of humans w/their character flaws

10. Theaters of the Renaissance
“The Theater”---the 1st theater (1576)
Built by James Burbage
“The Rose”, “The Swan”, “The Curtain”, “The Blackfriars” followed
“The Globe” was built in 1598 and used for many of Shakespeare’s plays
Held up to 3,000 people (2 areas…the pit and the galleries)
Burned down in 1613 when a cannon was fired during a play and caught the roof on fire
Very little scenery was used, therefore the writer had to rely heavily on dialogue to set the scene
Flags were used to signify the genre of a play—Black = tragedy, white = comedy
Eventually rebuilt and torn down again before 1644
Rebuilt in June 1997 (yes, 1997)

11. Characteristics of a Tragedy
Tragic hero comes to an unhappy end
Tragic hero is usually a person of importance
Tragic hero exhibits tragic flaw (an error in judgment or weakness)
Antagonist contributes to the hero’s downfall
A series of events lead inevitably to the catastrophe (tragic resolution)

12. Follow outline with Acts in Shakespeare’s plays
Plot Diagram
Climax
Falling Action
Rising Action
Resolution
Exposition
Follow outline with Acts in Shakespeare’s plays