1. Well-known Facts about Will
Great writer of England
Plays translated into all languages, musicals, ballets
Born in 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 (Hamnet and Judith)
Elizabethan rapper: uses rhythm and rhyme

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

4. Personal hygiene/health
Bathing considered dangerous
Body odor strong
Childhood diseases
Children often died before 5 years
Small Pox
Bubonic Plague (in 1593 theater
was closed and 5% of London’s
population perished)

5. Conditions in London-BAD!
Thames River polluted with raw sewage
Trees used as fuel
Poverty
Living Conditions
No running water
Chamber Pots
Open Sewers
Crowded

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

7. 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

8. The Globe Built in 1599 Across the Thames- “Wrong side of town”
King’s Players - Shakespeare’s company
Penny admission (a penny = $1.66)
Box suite for half-a-crown (=$50.00)

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

10. 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

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