ELIZABETHAN THEATRE

LIFE IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIMETHE ELIZABETHAN AGE

Queen Elizabeth ruled England during much of Shakespeare’s time.

LIFE IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIMEHYGIENE

How often did people bathe?

a) Once a day b) Once a week c) Once a year (Answer)

LIFE IN THE SHAKESPEARE’S TIMEENTERTAINMENT

People sang, played musical instruments, and danced.

People would also enjoy hangings, bear baitings, and cockfights.

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE Until the mid-16th century, most plays

were performed outside London.

SHAKESPEARE’S THEATERTHE ARCHITECTURE

Some theaters were round with a covered stage. Most of the area had no roof.

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE The first London theatre was called The

Theatre, built in 1576.

ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

The Theatres in London were not on the “better” side of the River Thames.

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE In London, plays were

put on by theatre companies.

Shakespeare’s Theater• The seats in the balconies cost more than the “pit,” where the

crowd would stand on a dirt floor.

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE The audience

Because of the crowds, theatres were popular with thieves and pickpockets.

THEATRE: A COMMERCIAL VENTURE

They announced what kind of play was showing with flags: Black-Tragedy, White-comedy, Red-History

• Theaters in London closed from 1593-1594 due to the Plague

THEATER

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE Plague and Players

Theatre were closed during severe outbreaks of plague – they thought it spread more quickly in crowds

THEATRE

Theatres used:

• trapdoors and wires

• elaborate costumes

• singing, swordplay, and acrobatics

THEATRE

Wordplay, bawdy jokes, and lofty language appealed to Elizabethan audiences.

THE GLOBE THEATRE• Globe built in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,

THE GLOBE THEATRE

Had three sides.

THE REBUILT GLOBE THEATER, LONDON

THE GLOBE THEATER

THE GLOBE THEATER 1599

Burned in 1613

GLOBE CONT. Stage was 43 feet

wide

GLOBE CONT.

The Globe held about 3000 people

THE NEW GLOBE THEATER 1999

TO BE OR NOT TO BE…..

The Globe theatre was burned to the ground in 1613

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1564-1616

“All the world 's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.”——

SHAKESPEARE

The 3rd of 8 kids

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Educated at Stratford-on-Avon.

From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/

KING’S NEW SCHOOL – SHAKESPEARE’S SCHOOL

  

SHAKESPEARE

He was christened April 26, 1564.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Father John Shakespeare was a

glove maker and trader Married Anne Hathaway 1582.She

was 26.He was 18

• Anne was pregnant at the time• First daughter Susanna born in

May, 1583

MARRIED LIFE

From: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/danielle.esposito/

ANNE HATHAWAY’S COTTAGE

THE KING’S MEN He regularly performed for the

aristocracy, including Queen Elizabeth.

THE KING’S MEN Shakespeare prospered even more

under Elizabeth’s successor, King James of Scotland who ruled England during Shakespeare’s later career.

THE KING’S MEN

Became King’s Men when James I became king in 1603.

Shakespeare’s Company was given royal patent.

• Two major poems• Venus and Adonis• Rape of Lucrece

• 154 Sonnets

THE POETRY

SONNETS OF SHAKESPEARE Shakespeare’s Sonnets were

Written between 1593-1600, and printed in 1609

WHAT KIND OF PLAYS? During Shakespeare’s career, fashions

and tastes in drama changed.

THE PLAYS

plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare 14 comedies – ends in marriage 10 histories – 10 tragedies – ends in death 4 romances –

WHAT KIND OF PLAYS? Tragicomedy

A mixture of tragedy and comedy

Seems to move toward a tragic ending but a twist in the plot saves the characters.

WHAT KIND OF PLAYS? History plays

Usually tell the stories of great leaders and kings.

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.

DOOM AND DESTINY Many people believed in fate, or

destiny, and in the power of the stars to foretell the future.

SHAKESPEARE’S LANGUAGE• Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English”

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

SHAKESPEARE IN LANGUAGE

Elizabethan theatre has had a very important effect on today’s theatre, and other parts of every day life. For example:

Shakespeare coined over 1600 words still used today including: countless, critical, excellent, lonely, majestic, obscene and its.

SHAKESPEARE AS A MUSICAL?

Many of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted into other forms

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

His plays are now performed all over the world in hundreds of languages.

SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS Some experts have even said that

“Shakespeare’s” plays are really the work of other writers.

WHY IS HIS WORK SO POPULAR?

Shakespeare wrote about human nature and how people behave.

The End

* Actor

* Playwright

* Poet

Died April 23, 1652