1. William Shakespeare
Life and Times

2. Birth
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England on April 23, 1564.
The only evidence we have of this date are the baptism records of the local church.
According to tradition, a baby was always baptized three days after birth.
The records show that William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26.

3. Meet the Shakespeares
William Shakespeare was the third out of eight children born to John and Mary Shakespeare.
His father John was a glove maker and served on the town’s city council.
During Shakespeare’s youth, the family was financially comfortable, but had troubles later on when John Shakespeare received many fines for not attending church.

4. Elizabethan England
The time in which Shakespeare lived is called Elizabethan England. It is called this because of Queen Elizabeth I, who was on the throne at the time.

5. Elizabeth England: Facts
This is a time very different from our own. Here are a few facts about this era.
The life expectancy was 47 years of age
Half of women died in childbirth
The average marriage age was 16 for women and 17/18 for men
Hygiene was an unheard of concept; most of the deaths were a result of disease or infection

6. Facts Part II
Only wealthy male children were educated and knew how to read
Female children who were not wealthy learned domestic tasks such as taking care of the home, children and leaning how to cook
Wealthy female children learned how to organize the duties for the many servants and to keep the household in order.

7. Facts Part III
Wealthy or not, the main job of the male was to provide for his wife, children and any helpless relatives living in his home
It was the duty of women to marry and provide heirs for the family. This was particularly important for wealthy families because they needed to keep the money in the family.

8. Background Information
During Shakespeare’s time, the two religions, Protestant and Catholic had many disagreements with each other. It is difficult to understand Shakespeare without understanding the religious world in which he lived.
Although the queen was a Protestant, there were many people who disagreed with her and refused to follow her religion

9. Henry VIII
Queen Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII brought the Protestant Reformation to England; however, he did not do so for religious purposes.
Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, and when the Pope refused to allow this to happen, he left the Catholic Church and began his own church in England.

10. Henry VIII continued
This split from the Catholic Church left many people upset, and they refused to change their religion. They felt that they should not have to change their simply religion because their king was not granted the divorce he wanted.
Because of this, many civil wars between Catholics and Protestants occurred, which resulted in the deaths of many people on both sides.

11. Elizabeth I
By the time Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the throne, the country had been torn apart from all the religious wars.
To unite her country, Elizabeth insisted that everyone followed the same religion. She argued that if the country did not stay united, they could fall to foreign powers.
Therefore, everyone had to follow the Protestant religion and were fined for not doing so.

12. Protestant Education
According to Elizabeth’s laws, everyone had to follow the Protestant religion and all the schools had to teach the same religious texts.
It is through this religious environment and Protestant textbooks that Shakespeare learned his lessons as a small boy.
Many historians believe that John Shakespeare was fined for skipping church because he was secretly a Catholic.
Those who were Catholic were accused of being spies for foreign countries, mainly Spain.
At this time, the two biggest threats to England were Spain and Italy.

13. Anne Hathaway (not the actress)
When he was 18 years old, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 at the time.
Shakespeare had to get a special license to marry her because one was not allowed to marry during Lent.
Six months later, their first child Susanna was born followed by twins, Hamnet and Judith twenty months later.

14. The Lost Years
From , there is no record of Shakespeare’s activities. For this reason, these years are known as the “lost years”.
The only information we have is that Shakespeare left Stratford sometime after 1585 and ended up in London in 1592.
Many historians have different ideas of Shakespeare’s activities during his time, but no one knows for sure.

15. Elizabethan Theater
During the Elizabethan era, people had different ideas about the theater. Some religious groups felt that acting was a sin and that all who participated in the theater were going straight to hell.
These religious groups (who later formed into the Puritans) felt that it was their duty to save the actors, writers and other theater workers from a life of sin.

16. The Theater Continued…
However, those groups were in the minority. Most Elizabethans loved the theater and would see a play whenever they could afford to do so.
The theater was the main source of entertainment; the main reason for this is that Queen Elizabeth herself was a very eager fan of the theater.
She went to many plays and funded theaters, acting groups and other sources of entertainment.

17. The Globe
The most famous theater during this time was the Globe Theater.
This was the theater in which Shakespeare worked during the first half of his career.

18. The Globe Continued…
Unlike today’s theater, the most expensive seats were in the back.
The middle class would sit on wooden benches below the balconies.
The lower classes would stand on the ground in front of the stage. They were called the “groundlings.”

19. Women in the Theater
Women were strictly prohibited from acting or participating in any way on stage. It was considered very improper and immoral for a woman to act on stage.
The female roles were played by men as well, particularly, boys whose voices had not changed yet.
The only involvement women had in the theater was backstage as seamstresses.

20. Shakespeare’s Death
Throughout his career, Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 narrative poems.
Shakespeare retired from the theater business in 1613 and moved back home to Stratford.
He died on April 23, 1616.
His fortune was left to his wife and daughters (his son had died at the age of eleven)
One unusual item he left for his wife in his will was his second best bed.

21. Shakespeare’s Grave
Because of limited spacing, graves were usually dug up a few years after the person died to make room for the newly deceased.
In order to avoid this happening to his grave, Shakespeare put a “curse” on his tombstone.
GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS’ SAKE FORBEARE, TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE. BLESE BE THE MAN THAT SPARES THES STONES, AND CURST BE HE THAT MOVES MY BONES.

22. Aristotle
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who is known to the be father of drama (theatre, not the girls’ bathroom). In his writing, Poetics, he documents the criteria for both comedies and tragedies, the formulas for which are still followed to this day. Shakespeare adheres to Aristotle’s formulas, but adds a Christian perspective to them.

23. Key Points of a Tragedy
As documented in Poetics, the elements of a tragedy are thus stated:
The hero (protagonist) must have a flaw which leads to his downfall
There is a reversal of fortune
His fate is brought about by the gods (or in Shakespeare’s case, God); he has no control over it

24. Key Points of a Comedy
According to Aristotle, a comedy must have the following criteria:
The main characters involved must be nobility
There must be a threat of death
The conflict must be resolved from an unlikely source
The story must end in a marriage (promise of children—mainly sons)

25. Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet was written early in Shakespeare’s career. Although we are not certain of the exact date, we do know that it was written either in 1594 or 1595.
The story takes place in Verona, Italy, and is mainly about two young people who fall in love despite the fact that their families have been fighting for centuries.

26. Romeo
Romeo is the son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of sixteen, Romeo is handsome, intelligent and sensitive
Even though his family is having a feud with the Capulets, he is not interested in their fight.
At the beginning of the play, Romeo thinks he is in love with Rosaline, but he quickly changes his mind when he meets Juliet.

27. Juliet (Capulet) Juliet is the daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet.
She is almost fourteen years old. In the beginning of the play, she is an obedient and somewhat sheltered daughter.
However, as time goes by, she defends her decision to marry Romeo and goes through many obstacles to make this happen.

28. Benvolio (Montague)
Benvolio is Montague’s nephew and Romeo’s cousin. He is a very thoughtful friend who tries to bring peace to the public feuds between the Capulets and Montagues.
Benvolio spends much of his time trying to help Romeo get over Rosaline, who has rejected him.

29. Mercutio
Although he does not belong to either house of Capulet or Montague, Mercutio is loyal to the Montagues.
Mercutio is related to the Prince, and he is a very close friend of Romeo’s.
Mercutio loves to banter back and and forth with this friends, and most of his jokes have a sexual connotation.

30. Nurse
The Nurse has taken care of Juliet since she was a baby. Oftentimes, she will take the place of Juliet’s mother, and Juliet is more close with her than she is with Lady Capulet.
The Nurse often makes jokes that are inappropriate and are centered around sex.
She is very loyal to Juliet and wants her have a handsome husband who will make her happy. Because of this, she helps Juliet meet Romeo in secret.

31. Friar Laurence
Friar Laurence is a friend to both Romeo and Juliet. In addition to being a priest, he is also an expert at dealing with poisonous plants.
He supports Romeo and Juliet’s decision to marry, not because he believes them to be in love, but he hopes that their union will put an end to the old feud.

32. Paris
Paris is a cousin of the Prince. As a wealthy and handsome young man, he is Capulet’s preferred choice for Juliet.
Paris wants to marry Juliet; when Capulet gives his permission, he begins to act as though they are already married.

33. Tybalt
Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin. He is very quickly offended, and oftentimes, his short temper leads him into violent situations.
He is a very skillful at sword fighting, and he has an extreme hatred of all Montagues.

34. Prince Escalus The Prince is related to both Paris and Mercutio.
His main concern is keeping the peace in the streets, which he is prepared to do at all costs.
He is very frustrated with the feud, and this causes him to administer extreme punishments for those who are caught fighting.

35. Themes in Romeo and Juliet
As we read the play, watch out for the following themes, which are important to the development of the plot:
Sex
Hate
Death
Fate
Loyalty
Theme is defined as the main idea of a literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly.

36. Themes of Love and Sex
Romeo starts the play in “love” with Rosaline, but quickly changes his mind to Juliet
Even though their families are feuding, Romeo and Juliet’s love helps to resolve this fight
Throughout the play, love becomes a violent and overpowering force that clouds people’s judgement and rational thought. It is used to make decisions or to be influenced by them
Even though love is portrayed as beautiful and passionate, it is also chaotic and destructive, brining death to friends, family, and even the main characters themselves
Given the brief time period, it is difficult to ascertain if Romeo and Juliet’s union is based on true love or physical attraction.

37. Themes of Hate and Death
The two families hate each other and are constantly disagreeing and feuding, causing many deaths, including their own children’s
No one knows the reason for this chaos, and it is up to the reader individually to have an opinion as to why Shakespeare leaves this a mystery
Romeo and Juliet’s love is threatened constantly by a society full of hate
Death is usually portrayed as a connection between hate, violence and passion

38. Theme of Fate
The idea of fate works in all of the events surrounding Romeo and Juliet’s lives. For example:
The family feud
Friar Laurence’s letter being mislaid
Romeo reading that Rosaline will be at the Capulet’s feast
The timing of Romeo’s death and Juliet’s awakening
Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers and are fated to die together.

39. Theme of Loyalty
Some characters have certain loyalties, like the Nurse to Juliet, Friar Laurence to Romeo and Tybalt to the entire Capulet family. These loyalties will be hard to keep when certain choices have to be made.
Examples of loyalty:
Mercutio to Romeo: he risks his life an goes with Romeo to see the Nurse, who is a Capulet
Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt as revenge
Benvolio consoles Romeo, who is sad about Rosaline
The servants of each household are very loyal to their employers