William Shakespeare: Life and Times. The Main Details Born 1564—died 1616 Stratford-upon-Avon...
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Transcript of William Shakespeare: Life and Times. The Main Details Born 1564—died 1616 Stratford-upon-Avon...
The Main Details
• Born 1564—died 1616• Stratford-upon-Avon• Parents: John and Mary Arden
Shakespeare• Mary—daughter of wealthy landowner• John— wealthy merchant (glove maker) and
local politician
Love and Marriage
Married to Anne Hathaway in 1582 Anne was 26, he was 18
3 children: Susannah, then Hamnet and Judith (twins),
The youngest, Hamnet died at the age of 11
Leaving Town...
Went to London at 21
joined a travelling company of actors Worked as an actor, a playwright, and
a director
London Life in the 16th century
Poor sewer system
High crime rate But … 200,000
inhabitants the cultural and
political heart of England
Where the magic happened…• opened in 1599• Was a wooden “O” shape - seated an
audience of 3,000 in the open-air arena. (Today, it only seats 1,500!!!)
Who got to go?
• EVERYONE!!! All classes were welcome.– “Groundlings,” paid a penny for admission,
and stood on three sides of the stage for the entire production.
– The wealthier got to sit in the stalls around the stage
– The wealthiest were allowed to sit ON the stage or almost behind it• That’s where they were most visible
• The “Box” Office
Side view looking at the stallsThe wealthiest sat here, because everyone could see them, and know that they paid enough money to get those seats!!
Roof of the Globe stage
This is a trap door that would open to let in the special effects or angels/ gods
It’s painted like the sky and heavens because that’s what it was supposed to be...not just the roof of a stage.
A rare sunny day look at the “O”
• The only thatched roof building allowed in ALL of London
• It was built the same way it would have been built in Shakespeare’s time: with no electrical devices or technologies
When can we go!?
• Performances were given every day except Sunday– Weather permitting, of course!
• Ran between 2 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon
• A flag flew to signify the type of play being performed that day: black = tragedy, white = comedy, and red = history.
What was the theatre like?
• Vendors offered beer, water, oranges, nuts, gingerbread and apples, all of which were occasionally thrown at the actors.
• No bathrooms…you went where you were standing!!
• If it rained, you got rained on!• The roles of women were played by
men.– The term “dressed in drag” comes from
this
The end of his life
Shakespeare did very well in London His plays brought him
fame and wealth Returned to Stratford
in 1610 Destruction of the
Globe Theatre in 1613 (the Great Fire of London)
In 1616 Shakespeare died on April 23 (his birthday!)
Minor differences
• thou (you)• thine (your, yours)• thee (you)• thyself (yourself)• prithee/pray (please)• verily (very/truly)• fie (a curse)
• aye/yea (yes)• nay (no)• anon (until later)• owes (owns)• morrow (day)• crowkeeper (scarecrow)
Elizabethan Period
• What was the EP?– Age of new ideas and
a new way of thinking– During the reign of
Queen Elizabeth – 1558-1568– Era of new inventions:
The printing Press!
• Also a time of great suspicion due to rising fear of supernatural forces of nature or God
• Witchcraft
Elizabethan Class Structure
• Monarchy• Nobility• Gentry• Merchants• Yeomen• Indigents
• Each class was very specific
• Each class had their own laws
• Each class was identified by the color they wore