Shakespeare background

for english background quiz

What is shakespeare called?

The bard

England at the time?

Expansion, conquest, discovery, rising national power

Reigning monarch for most of his time?

Queen Elizabeth 1

Birthday

23 April 1564

Name of town born in

Stratford-upon-avon

His existence is miraculous

Plague hit his town (70% chance of death if you got it)

Father was a

Money lender, glove trader, leather worker, high bailiff of stratford

Names of parents

John and Mary Shakspeare

Education Shakespeare had

Good education; went to the local school and studied Latin and English

Roman writer who was a big influence on him

Ovid

He first saw theater

The traveling players who came to Stratford every year

No university?

Family was badly off financially

Early years are the ‘lost years’

Little Is known about his life at the time

Wife

Anne Hathaway

During his 20s, he could’ve

soldier, sailer, traveled to Italy, schoolmaster

Children?

3: Judith & Hamnet (twins), Suzanna (older)

London in 1592

Wrote his first plays, joined a group of actors

Basically just an actor and playwright

First plays?

Henry VI pt 1, 2 gentleman of verona

What plays written early years?

Poems, sonnets, comediedic plays, historical plays

High society influential member on him

Earl of Southampton (could’ve been lovers)

Other kinds of writing

Sonnets

Dark lady

A women in his last group of sonnets with lots of deep feelings, resented, obsessive love, toxic relationship

Shakspeare in a pub?

For the free light and (not free) food.

Shakspeare could go home when

40 days of lent (when theatre was banned), he could go to Stratford upon Avon

Playwrighting carreer stopped several reasons why?

the plague closed the theatres

Tragedy in 1596?

Son died (Hamnet) of plague when 11

His wealth couldn’t be inherited

He moved the theatre across the river?

The lease wouldn’t be renewed because theatre was seen as ungodly, so it was moved to the bad part of town across thee river

First play at the globe theatre (new theatre)?

William Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar

Language important in plays why

It shows the time and feel of the play (no lighting, minimal props, no speaker music back in the day to show the setting and vibe)

Shakspeares work changed as he aged?

Wrote more profound and disturbing plays, better observer of life

1603 new king

James I

Shakespeare’s acting troupe what happened when King James I was crowned

Became the King’s Men: Official acting troupe for the king

3 tragedies written in his later years (considered his best)

Othello, Macbeth, King Lear

Last play

The Tempest

Globe what happened 1613

Burned down

After globe burned down, shakespear did what

retired to Stratford (end of career)

He left his wife what

Basically nothing except for the second best bed in the house

Last words that he wrote

The words on his tombstone

First folio?

His friends brought a folio together after his death containing 36 plays, 18 of which weren’t published. Ben Johnson helped, and he was his friend and rival playwright.

Elizabeth I reign

1558-1603

Known for theatre and English drama, raised the status of artists

Southwark (where the Globe was)

Seedy area, surrounded by brothels, pubs, gaming houses

Globe was

Circular or octagonal

No central roof

Held 2,500 or 3,000 people

Groundling

Cheapest seat of a play, paid 1 penny to stand in the yard of the globe

Globe today

Rebuilt in 1997 because of Sam Wanamaker

Plays announced (flags)

Flags were flown over the globe

Tragedy—black

History—red

Comedy—white

Elizaabethan era playwright

Plays in constant demand

No copyright laws

Expensive to produce plays

How many plays he write

At least 38 plays, 154 sonnets

Names in ROMEO AND JULIET

Montagues: Romeo

Capulets: Juliet

Romeo and Juliet important work why

Example of Shakespeare’s skill

• Switches between comedy and tragedy, heightening tension

• Expansion of minor characters

• Use of sub plots, embellishing story

Iambic pentameter

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