William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Life

• Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon• Wrote 37 plays, a group of 154 sonnets, and

several narrative poems.• 1582 – he married Anne Hathaway– 3 children: Susanna,. and twins Hamlet and Judith.

• 1592 – He is an actor and playwright.

Elizabethan Era• Known for theater, but Elizabethans considered drama a lower form of literature

than poetry.• English Renaissance called Elizabethan Age (1485-1660), after Queen Elizabeth I

(reigned from 1558-1603).• Elizabeth – shrewd and charismatic

– Controlled religious conflict, helped the nation from foreign enemies, helped the economy grow

• English women had limited rights.• Commoners suffered from poor diet and crowded living conditions.• The people were vulnerable to outbreaks of the bubonic plague.

– In 1564, the plague killed nearly a third of the people in Shakespeare’s hometown.• Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, and King James of Scotland assumed the English

throne.– He was a supporter of the arts and literature. He renamed Shakespeare’s theater

company to the King’s Men.