Shakespeare background

Most famous playwright in the world (The Bard)

William Shakespeare

Places from which we get information about his life

Church and legal documents

Place of birth

Stratford-upon-Avon

Birth date

April 23, 1564

Age of death

52

Date of death

April 23, 1616

Place of burial

Holy Trinity Church in Stratford

Number of siblings he had

7

His father's name and occupation

John; shop keeper

His wife and their age difference

Anne Hathaway, 8 yrs older

Number and names of his children

3, Susanna, Hamnet+Judith

Date by which he had become an actor & playwright

1592

Name of his acting company and the name to which it changed

Lord Chamberlain's Men (changed to King's Men)

The two English monarchs who supported Shakespeare

King James and Queen Elizabeth

Number of plays he wrote before retiring

37

Date he returned to his home to retire

1612

Verse carved on his grave stone

"Good friend, for Jesus' sake, forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones. And cursed be he that moves my bones."

His business partner

Richard Burbage

The name of the first permanent theater in London

theatre

Place where touring acting companies usually rented space to perform

courtyards of inns

Manner in which theater was set up

Stage on one end of the yard with audience surrounding on 3 sides

Place where Shakespeare's theater got its timbers

The theatre (built by James Burbage)

Name of Shakespeare's theater

The Globe Theater

It's nickname and description

"The Wooden O", thrust stage

time of day when the plays were performed and why?

in the afternoon for natural lighting

What did the flag mean?

The flag color let theater goers know the theme/type of play: black for tragedy, white for comedy, red for history

Describe the costumes

elaborate

Describe the lighting

None needed/natural

Describe the sets

Minimal, imagination

What are groundlings?

those who stood on the ground of the theater shoulder by shoulder

Price of admission for groundlings

1 penny

Which religious group did not like plays?

Puritans

Gender of all Shakespearean actors?

male

Name the type of stage we use today

proscenium stage

Describe a proscenium stage

The action is through a picture frame, no outer stage just inner, large curtain

Describe a thrust stage

Stage where the audience sits on 3 sides of the stage

What does archaic mean?

very old/not used

Define tragedies

Sad

Define histories

Informal

Define comedies

Humorous

Prose

Any writing that is not poetry/lower class speak

Soliloquy

A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Aside

a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

dramatic foil

a character who provides a contrast to another character