1. William Shakespeare
His Life and Times

2. The Beginning April 23 or 26, 1564 Stratford-upon-Avon England
3rd of 8 children

3. His Parents John Shakespeare Mary Arden
Leather craftsman
Town official
Successful businessman
Became a respected leader
Mary Arden
Inherited an estate and farming land from her family
Upper-middle class

4. The Early Years
Young Shakespeare probably went to New King’s Grammar School in Stratford
Studied Latin, grammar, and literature
Never attended a university

5. The Early Years Left school at age 15 to work
John Shakespeare suffers financially
William begins to gain business knowledge and wealth
The “dark years” period

6. Shakespeare’s Family William marries Anne Hathaway in 1582 Children
Anne is 26 and pregnant
William is 18
Children
Susanna 1583
Twins Hamnet & Judith 1585
Hamnet dies 1596
Shakespeare leaves most of his assets to Susanna upon his death

7. The London Times
Between 1585 and Shakespeare leaves Stratford and his family for London
Brings plays and has some recognition as an actor, playwright by 1592
Joins theatre troupe The Lord Chamberlain’s Men in
Performed for Queen Elizabeth and King James I

8. The London Times
Shakespeare and his partners open the Globe Theatre
Famous London landmark
Seating for the wealthy and the commoners
Destroyed and rebuilt several times
people
Many of Shakespeare’s plays performed here
1603- forms new acting group, The King’s Men
1607-writes fewer plays
Final play was Henry VIII

9. Elizabethan Theatre Plays performed during the day for lighting
The wealthy paid for seats
The “groundlings” stood in the courtyard
Cost: 1 shilling to stand,
2 shillings to sit
1 shilling = 10% weekly income

10. Only men were permitted to perform
Boys or effeminate men played female characters
Costumes were the most valuable assets
Made by the theater company or donated by nobility
No scenery was used, but plenty of props

11. The Later Years Purchases land in Stratford in 1601
Retires and lives off his land assets and profits from his works and theatre investments
Revises his will on March 25, 1616
Leaves his second best bed to his wife and most everything else to Susanna
Dies April 23, 1616
Age 52
Buried at the Holy Trinity Church

12. Literary Works Shakespeare best known for his 37 plays and 154 sonnets
First Folio of his plays published in 1623
3 kinds of plays
Comedies
Tragedies
Histories

13. Comedies All’s Well that Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors
The Merchant of Venice
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
The Taming of the Shrew

14. Tragedies Antony and Cleopatra Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet

15. Histories Henry IV (Part I & II) Henry V Henry VI (Part I, II, & III)
Henry VIII
King John
Richard II
Richard III

16. Contribution to Literature
Shakespeare uses over 20,000 words in his writing
Average writer uses 7,500
English Dictionary only had 500 words then
Invented 3,000 new words for the English Oxford Dictionary
Huge influence on the development of Modern English
Accommodation
Lonely
Assassination
Majestic
Baseless
Monumental
Bloody
Obscene
Countless
Pious
Courtship
Radiant
Exposure
Suspicious
Frugal
Generous
Hurry
Impartial

17. Shakespeare Fun Facts
The average American vocabulary is around 10,000-15,000 words if you are really smart. Shakespeare’s total vocabulary = 29,000 words.
Shakespeare’s grandchildren all died before adulthood.
Shakespeare’s family was illiterate.
Shakespeare lived through the Black Plague which killed over 33,000 people when he was in London in 1603.
The most insulting “insult” ever used in his writing was “You Bull’s Pizzle.”
So many people have referenced Shakespeare’s work that if he were alive today, he would earn $55 million a year in royalties!

18. Why did Shakespeare write Julius Caesar?
The play deals with the importance of upholding the ideals of the Roman Republic, but these were contrary to monarchical rule in England.
The hot topic in England was who might succeed Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, who would be leaving the crown without an heir.
The play focuses on the question of whether rulers who take the crown are fit for it, especially in the eyes of the people.