1. Shakespeare: His Life and Times Adapted from http://www.public.asu.edu/~muckerrm/English_321_S2005/Introduction.ppt

2. Early Life Born 1564—died 1616 Stratford-upon-Avon Parents: John and Mary Arden Shakespeare Mary—daughter of wealthy landowner John—glovemaker, local politician

3. From: http://www.where-can-i-find.com/tourist-maps.html Location of Stratford-upon-Avon

4. As reproduced in William Rolfe, Shakespeare the Boy (1896). Stratford-on-Avon in Shakespeare’s Time

5. From Stratford’s web site: http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/index.htm Stratford-upon-Avon Today

6. From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/ Shakespeare’s Birthplace

7. Probably attended King’s New School in Stratford Educated in: Rhetoric Logic History Latin Education

8. From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/ King’s New School

9. Married in 1582 to Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time with their first daughter Had twins in 1585 Sometime between 1585-1592, he moved to London and began working in theatre. Married Life

10. The Plays 38 plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare 13 comedies 10 histories 10 tragedies 4 romances Possibly wrote three others Collaborated on several others His works rival the King James Bible (also produced in the 1600s) as a source of oft- quoted English phrases.

11. Two major poems Venus and Adonis Rape of Lucrece 154 Sonnets Numerous other poems The Poetry

12. Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare did NOT write in “Old English.” Old English is the language of Beowulf: Hwaet! We Gardena in geardagum Þeodcyninga Þrym gefrunon Hu ða æÞelingas ellen fremedon! (Hey! We have heard of the glory of the Spear- Danes in the old days, the kings of tribes, how noble princes showed great courage!)

13. Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare did not write in “Middle English.” Middle English is the language of Chaucer, the Gawain-poet, and Malory: We redeth oft and findeth y-write— And this clerkes wele it wite— Layes that ben in harping Ben y-founde of ferli thing… (Sir Orfeo)

14. Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English.” EME was not very different from “Modern English,” except that it had some old holdovers.

15. Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare coined many words we still use today: Critical Majestic Dwindle And quite a few phrases as well: One fell swoop Flesh and blood Vanish into thin air See http://www.wordorigins.org/histeng.htm

16. Shakespeare’s Language A mix of old and very new Rural and urban words/images Understandable by the lowest peasant and the highest noble

17. Elizabethan Era Known for theater, but Elizabethans considered drama a lower form of literature than poetry. English Renaissance called Elizabethan Age (1485-1660), after Queen Elizabeth I (reigned from 1558-1603). Elizabeth – shrewd and charismatic Controlled religious conflict, helped the nation from foreign enemies, helped the economy grow

18. Elizabethan Era English women had limited rights. Commoners suffered from poor diet and crowded living conditions. The people were vulnerable to outbreaks of the bubonic plague. In 1564, the plague killed nearly a third of the people in Shakespeare’s hometown. Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, and King James of Scotland assumed the English throne. He was a supporter of the arts and literature. He renamed Shakespeare’s theater company to the King’s Men.

19. Theatre in London Theatre in London Traveling troupes of actors performed in courtyards of inns The Theatre-first public theater-1576 Daytime/open air Limited set design Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description

20. The Globe Theatre Built in 1599 Across the Thames River- “Wrong side of town” King’s Men - Shakespeare’s company

21. The Globe Theatre Capacity 2,000- 3,000 spectators The theatre stood until the 29 of June, 1613. The thatched roof was set ablaze by a cannon firing during Henry VIII;1614 reconstructed, shut down in 1642, and torn down in 1644

23. Admission 1 shilling to stand 2 shillings to sit in the balcony 3 shillings to sit in the Lord’s Rooms 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income Broadway today: $85 Orchestra $60 Balcony 10% of a teacher’s weekly salary

24. The Groundlings Poor audience members Stood around stage in “the pit” Theatre was open-air; pit became mud when it rained Women not allowed (had to dress up as men to attend) Threw rotten vegetables at bad performances

25. Actors All men; theatre/acting considered too “dangerous” for women Actors looked down upon in society Female parts played by young boys who had not yet hit puberty No actual kissing or hugging on stage

26. Elizabethan Theatrical Conventions

27. A theatrical convention is a suspension of reality.  No electricity  Women forbidden to act on stage  Minimal, contemporary costumes  Minimal scenery These control the dialogue.

28. Audience loves to be scared.  Soliloquy  Aside Types of speech  Blood and gore  Use of supernatural

29.  Use of disguises/ mistaken identity  Multiple marriages (in comedies)  Multiple murders (in tragedies)  Last speaker—highest in rank (in tragedies)

30. Tragedies End in the death of one or more of the main characters. Most of Shakespeare’s tragedies involve historical individuals and events

31. Tragic Hero Often a man of high rank, such as a king or prince Creates, or is put into, a difficult situation which he must try to resolve.

32. Tragic Hero A combination of bad luck and bad decisions lead to his death. Often a relatively sympathetic figure. His soliloquies show his feelings and motives, and show the audience how easy it would be to make similar mistakes.

33. Doom and Destiny Many people believed in fate, or destiny, and in the power of the stars to foretell the future. Shakespeare uses the idea of fate or destiny to add excitement and anticipation to the tragedies –Uses a prophecy as a way of holding the audience’s interest, because everyone wants to see if it will be fulfilled.

34. Tragic Endings Tragedies give a very bleak view of the world. At the end, the hero (and usually several other characters) are dead, and the survivors are left to start again without them. Although most tragic heroes are partly to blame for their own fates, death can be a very high price to pay for what may have seemed initially like a small failing.

35. Tragic Endings In most tragedies, there is also a feeling that some good may have come out of the terrible suffering. -At the end of Romeo and Juliet, because the families’ fighting has partly caused the tragedy, they finally resolve to end their feud.