William Shakespeare

1564-1616
Stratford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and grew up
He was the 3rd of 8 children
Because of his father's social standing, he was able to attend Stratford Grammar School until the age of 14 for free.
In Stratford-Upon Avon, he watched pageants and shows during holidays.
He enjoyed fairs twice a year and enjoyed watching actors that would perform there.

Life in the Grammar School

began schooling in 1571 at the King's New School (approximate date due to records lost)
teachers at the school were graduates of Oxford University and were very strict
By modern standards, school would have been routine and dull.
School was taught year-round, except for 3 brief holidays
Studies were mainly in Latin

Life with Theatre

1575 - The Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth I, visited a nearby town.
He might have seen her walk through the street la scene very similar to this appeared in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Stratford was a popular spot for traveling acting troupes.
Kettleworth Castle hosted a huge play festival very near Stratford while Shakespeare was a child.
It can be assumed Shakespeare was exposed to theater at a young age.

William Shakespeare

1582 - Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway - he was 18, she was 26.
He had a daughter Susanna and wins named Hamnet and Judith.
In London - he became a shareholder in The Lord Chamberlain's Men (primary playwright and an actor).
Mid 1592-1594 - plague outbreak closed the London theaters, so he began to write poetry.
He became well known for a 14-line poem called a sonnet
He wrote 154 sonnets during "a time when sonneteering was in vogue in London."
After the plague, he wrote about 2 plays a year.
He wrote a total of 37 plays divided into comedies, histories, and tragedies.
This made him a wealthy man.

The Lost Years

Little is known about the next 8-10 years of Shakespeare's life - few records exist
Most likely he was in London trying to succeed in the theatre.

Life in the Globe Theatre

In 1599, the Burbage brothers (the first male actors) built the Globe Theatre - which Shakespeare owned 10%.
Plays were performed in the afternoon took advantage of sunlight
open air design.
The round shape - all spectators were facing the stage
It was one of the largest in the London area (max. 3000 spectators).
People called "groundlings" stand in pits.
Wealthy people got benches.

Only men perform on stage because women were not allowed to act.

Female roles = played by adolescent boys.

Shakespeare’s first play at the globe theater was Julius Caesar

The Globe would later burn down during a performance of "Henry VIII".

After the death of Elizabeth I, her successor

King James I licensed Shakespeare and his acting group to be called "The King's Men".

•He left London when he was about 50 years old town.

April 23, 1616 - Shakespeare died and was buried inside the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

He did not want to be buried in Westminster's

Abbey (where England's famous artists are buried, in London.

Good friend for Jesus' sake forebear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blest be the man who spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.

Reasons for his appeal:

Understanding of human nature
Knew people's motivations, desires, fears - still valid 400 years later
Had to make great use of language because of the conditions of the theater at that time: no lights, no scenery
Produced characters that have meaning beyond the time and place (timeless)
Created remarkably individual characters for his plays - Kings, pickpockets, drunks, generals, hired killers, shepherds, and philosophers

Why study Shakespeare?

• His plays are still extremely popular today.

some several times.

• Many of his plays have been made into movies -

• Shakespeare "invented" many words that are still used today: lonely; academe; leapfrog; assassin actor.

• Most serious actors still consider performing

Shakespearean plays to be the toughest test of an

• Plays are still read, debated, discussed, made into movies: 400 years after he wrote them.