Life and Times of William Shakespeare and other stuff

What was Shakespeare called?

the Bard

When was Shakespeare baptized?

April 26, 1564

Where was Shakespeare born?

Stratford-upon-Avon, England (small english town)

When is Shakespeare's birthday?

April 23, 1564

When did Shakespeare die?

April 23, 1616

Where did Shakespeare go for education?

He attended King's New School (petty school) at age 4-5 and then transferred to grammar school after 2 years where school began from 6 AM to 5 PM. He did not attend high school or university

What languages did Shakespeare learn?

Latin and Greek

Who were the three major Renaissance English playwrights?

Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Christopher Marlowe

Who was Shakespeare's father, and what did he do?

John Shakespeare; he was a Glover, moneylender, and a dealer of agricultural products

Why did Shakespeare's father lose his position as a mayor?

He supported Catholicism when the ruler at the time supported the church of England (protestantism)

Who did he marry?

At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, prompted by pregnancy

Who were Shakespeare's children?

Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith (Hamnet died at age 11, while Shakespeare was out in London)

Where did Shakespeare start his career?

He went to London to seek an acting career, then a playwright career, for a better job. His family did not go with him because Hathaway was a puritan.

Which company did Shakespeare join?

He joined the Lord Chamberlain's Men (when theaters reopened from the bubonic plague), where actors memorized over 100 lines a day and rehearsed for a very short time, and performed one play for 3- 4 days.

What is the composition of Shakespeare's catalog?

36 plays (consisting of histories, tragedies, and comedies), 154 sonnets, 3 quatrains, and 1 couplet

What was Shakespeare also wise about?

Investing, he purchased theater houses and shared in their profits and acquired wealth and prestige this way as well

What were some of the London theaters at the time?

New Place, The Theater, The Curtain, The Swan, The Rose, and the Globe

Which theater was the most famous one?

The Globe; it was opened in 1599, burned down, and then rebuilt

What were the types of publications of Shakespeare's works?

Quarto (small, inexpensive book used for leisure books such as plays; paper is folded four times)

Folio ( first collected works of Shakespeare, the printer folded each sheet only once, and it is generally reserved for such works as the Holy Bible and other prestigious books)

Conflated (combination of quarto and folio)

What type of language does Shakespeare use?

Early modern English: uses many pronouns - "thou" (you), "thee" and "ye" (object case you), "thy" or "thine" (you/yours); wordplay in the forms of double meanings, called puns; and uses iambic pentameter and blank verse

What period did Shakespeare live in?

English Renaissance during the Elizabethan Era (Queen Elizabeth I, 1558 - 1603) and Jacobean Era (James I, 1603 - 1625)

What was the universal hierarchy?

God, Angels, Men, Women, Animals, Plants, and Rocks

What were the humors?

Blood, Yellow Bile, Phlegm, Black Bile

What does blood correspond with?

light-hearted

What does Yellow Bile correspond with?

irritable

What does Phlegm correspond with?

dull/boring

What does Black Bile correspond with?

sad/depressed

Who did the people of Shakespeare's time believe in for astronomy?

They first believed in Ptolemy, who thought Earth stood at the center of the universe, surrounded by 9 concentric rings. People believed cosmology controlled their lives and destiny; however, in 1610 ( after Romeo and Juliet was written), people started to change their minds, and when Galileo used a telescope to confirm Nicolaus Copernicus' theory that the Sun was in the center and not the Earth, and that planets resolve around it, he created a cosmology uncertainty.

Who started the Reformation?

Martin Luther, a German Monk. He founded a new kind of Christianity

What did reformers reject?

The authority of the pope + the Italian churchmen, and strong feelings of patriotism + national identity, made the English resent the financial burdens imposed on them by the Vatican

What must Renaissance tragedies be based on?

Historical faults

Where did the inspiration of Macbeth come from?

Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland: Real Macbeth ruled through the middle ages for 17 years ( 1040 - 1057)

What was the Gunpowder Plot of 1605?

Failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and other members of parliament by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby on Novermber 5th 1605. The Catholics wanted James' daughter Elizabeth Stuart to reign as she was a confirmed Catholic.

What did Shakespeare want to express when writing Macbeth?

The current events and attitudes of the ,Renaissance so he changed the story of Macbeth to include aspects like a king assassination plot (Gunpowder plot of 1605), which interested King James I

Why was Macbeth so short?

King James I has a very short attention span

Who did King James I claim descendent from?

Banquo

What is Shakespeare more interested in: emotion or historical fact?

emotion

What is a tragedy?

a dramatic work where the main character, usually of noble birth, suffers a downfall due to a fatal flaw (like ambition or jealousy) and fate, leading to a sorrowful or disastrous ending. These plays explore serious themes like betrayal, fate, and the human condition, often ending in death.

What is a comedy?

a light-hearted play that typically involves mistaken identities, love triangles, and clever wordplay, ultimately resolving in a happy ending, usually with marriages or reunions. These comedies often highlight themes of love, confusion, and societal norms being turned upside down.

What is Macbeth timeless for?

The definition of manhood: Lady Macbeth - cruelty and dominance, Macduff - emotional strength and honor, Banquo - integrity and self-control, Malcom - wisdom and responsible leadership, Macbeth - doesn't know (easily manipulated)

What are all of the apparitions in Macbeth?

Armed Head - Warns Macbeth to beware Macduff.

Bloody Child - Tells him no one born of a woman can harm him.

Child Crowned with Tree - Says he won't be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane.

Line of Kings and Banquo's Ghost - Shows that Banquo's descendants will rule, not Macbeth's.

What are soliloquies and asides?

Soliloquy: A long speech where a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud while alone on stage, revealing their true feelings to the audience

Aside: A short comment made by a character directly to the audience, not heard by the other characters on stage, usually to share a quick thought or secret.