1. William Shakespeare

2. Life and Times 4 Born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon 4 No record of whereabouts from 7-18 years of age 4 His marriage certificate was found at 18 years of age 4 His wife Anne was 26 and he was 18. Anne was from a lower class and pregnant before they were married. 4 William makes references of, “Don’t marry older women”, in his plays.

3. The Lost Years 1583-1592 4 Evidence in his plays suggest he may have: 4 been a soldier 4 practiced law 4 taught 4 apothecary 4 actor/writer/commoner

4. Shakespeare the thief? 4 Some think he stole plays from rival authors 4 Shakespeare was a common name and another one may have written some of the plays (possibly women) 4 Adapted some plays from others and made them his own

5. What’s in a name? 4 There are over 16 spellings of the name Shakespeare 4 His name is written three different ways in his last will and testament 4 Died on the day he was born at age 52 4 “Shakespeare was not for an age, but for all time” ---Ben Johnson

6. The Globe 4 1599: The Globe Theatre opens 4 Lord Chamberlain’s Men were the acting group at the Globe 4 Later turned into the King’s Men 4 The Globe burns down during the first performance of Henry VIII 4 After 383 years, The Globe reopens in 1997.

7. Virtual Tour of The Globe 4 http://virtual.clemson.edu/caah/shakespr/V RGLOBE/index.htm http://virtual.clemson.edu/caah/shakespr/V RGLOBE/index.htm

8. Parts of The Globe 4 A flag was flown at the top if there was a play on that day 4 Box seats for the wealthier 4 The “penny knaves” or groundlings stood at the front of the stage ( paid a penny to get in) Rowdy, drank, threw fruit etc. 4 The Hell was located under the stage. Used for prop storage and supernatural scenes 4 Main stage was the primary acting area

9. The Globe cont. 4 The Balcony was used for special scenes 4 The inner-stage was used for storage and costumes

10. Theatre vs. Bear Baiting 4 Shakespeare faced fierce competition for filling The Globe 4 Commoners and groundlings would gamble at places that had cock fights or bear baiting pits

11. Will attracts people by: 4 Graphic fight scenes 4 incest 4 ghosts 4 men playing women parts 4 blood 4 tragedy/comedy