1. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND THE GLOBE THEATER

2. Shakespeare’s Early Life  Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, northwest of London, England  He belonged to a well- respected family and probably attended Stratford Grammar School, learning Latin, logic, history, natural history, and some Greek; therefore, his knowledge of classical literature would have come from here.

3. Shakespeare in Adulthood  In late November or early December 1582, he married twenty-six year old poet Anne Hathaway  Anne gave birth to daughter Susanna in 1583 and twins, Judith and Hamnet, in 1585 (Hamnet died in 1596)  Scholars believe he served as a country schoolmaster for a short time after he married Anne

4. Shakespeare's Career  It is believed he was acting by age eighteen or nineteen in plays in London  By 1594, he was part owner and principal playwright of the most successful theatrical company known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, in London  In 1599, the company built the famous Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare’s plays would be performed  In 1603, King James I took control of and renamed the theatre company The King’s Men, but Shakespeare continued to write for and and act with them

5. Shakespeare’s Later Life  Shakespeare retired to Stratford around 1610 having made a good living from his share in the theatre company  He died on April 23 (his birthday), 1616  Shakespeare has no living descendants since none of his daughters Susanna’s and Judith’s children had any of their own

6. Elements of Shakespeare’s Plays  Iambic Pentameter: Shakespeare’s style of writing features stressed/unstressed repeated five times which equals 10 syllables per line  Main characters spoke in iambic pentameter, so the groundlings knew who the main characters were  Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter  Soliloquy: long speech to audience to reveal thoughts of a character  Monologue: long speech to another character  Aside: brief statement to either another character or the audience

7. The Globe Theatre  Octagonal shape made of wood and thatch  3 levels to represent the 3 classes of society  Has a roofless courtyard for natural light  The poor spectators, called groundlings, stood on the dirt to watch the plays from in front of the stage

8. The Globe Theatre  During the time of the plague, the “pit” was feared as a breeding ground for the disease; therefore, the Master of Revels would continually close the theatre to “control” the disease  It held between 2,500 and 3,000 people  The theatre raised a white flag to indicate a play was being performed  Original foundation was discovered in 1990s and excavation gave clues to it’s history

9. Theatrical Productions  The stage extended into the “pit” and the actors were essentially standing in the crowd  All actors entered the stage from the doors at the back of the stage  The small rooms above and behind the stage were used as dressing and storage rooms  The second level gallery was used as a second stage when needed  The theatre burned down three times

10. Theatrical Productions  The plays had no scenery and limited props  The setting and acts were referenced in the dialogue between the actors or narration  There were no scene breaks  They lasted about two hours  There were five acts  No women were allowed on stage  Although there was no scenery, the actors wore elaborate costumes

11. Shakespeare’s Plays  Not including poetry and sonnets, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven different plays divided into four categories: 12 Comedies 11 Tragedies 10 Histories 4 Romances  His 150 sonnets are titled numerically  Shakespearean sonnets have a specific rhyme/meter