William Shakespeare. The Life and Times of Shakespeare! Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon...
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Transcript of William Shakespeare. The Life and Times of Shakespeare! Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon...
The Life and Times of Shakespeare!
• Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon (in England), died April 23, 1616
• Never gave a single interview or wrote an autobiography
• Father was a prominent mayor• Joined a famous acting group (Lord
Chamberlain’s Men): wrote Romeo and Juliet for this group
Family Life
• 1582: married Anne Hathaway at age 18; she was 26!
• 1585: Couple had twins (in addition to older sister Susanna), Judith and Hamnet (Hamnet died before reaching adulthood
• Between 1585 and 1592, Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an actor and playwright
Career
• He was not concerned with making books-wanted his plays to be performances
• Wrote his plays fast (he wrote 2 plays a year)• Only got paid once for each play-no royalties• Queen Elizabeth I loved Shakespeare’s plays.
He wrote and performed several just for her.• Romeo and Juliet was written in the mid-
1590s
Career
• Shakespeare started an acting company called The King’s Men, which performed for King James I.
• Unlike many theater people, Shakespeare earned a good living; by 1599, he owned part of the Globe Theatre, one of the newest, trendiest theaters in London
Theatre Life
• Early Theatre– Being an actor was illegal– Noble men would employ men to be actors who
traveled on a wagon– Could not be arrested because they were servants
of the noble men
The Globe
• 1 penny=standing spot slightly below the stage, no roof (groundlings)
• 2 pennies=gallery seat with a roof• 3 pennies gets you a seat with a cushion!
The Globe Actors
• Leading men• No women
– Boys who did not hit puberty…got fired after voice changed
– Women had less lines because the children played the roles
Play types-Comedy• The thinking person’s response to an
experience• About social groups and types-characters
should not develop• When the funny runs out, or a character
changes, he usually dies• Popular trends-mistaken identity,
randomness, surprise• Greek comedies end happily• English comedies end in marriage
Play types-Tragedy
• Records the responses of a person with feelings
• Shows great strength, high degree of character development
• Focuses on one character, usually named in the title
• English tradition says they must end in death
Play types-Historical
• Contain elements of comedy and tragedy• 10 total history plays• Covers English history from the 12th -16th
centuries– Each one is named after and focuses on the
reigning monarch of the time
Shakespeare today
The Lion King
10 Things I Hate about You
Romeo and Juliet
Twelfth Night
O (Othello)
Gnomeo and Juliet
Life in the 1500s
• Daily Life– Bathing was considered a health risk. (May=yearly bath)– Most houses had thatched roofs and dirt floors– Common foods=vegetables, porridge, and bread. Meat
was a delicacy
• Religion– Almost everyone was Christian– Official state religion=Church of England– Everyone was required to go to church at least once a
month
Life in the 1500s
• Marriage and Dating:– Boys could marry at age 14, girls at 12 (Romeo: 14, Juliet:
13)– Considered foolish to marry for love (arranged marriages)– Children were considered property of their parents
• School– Only boys went to school (7a.m.-5p.m.)
• Entertainment– Gossip, tennis, attending the theatre, singing, dancing,
embroidery, taking lessons…
Romeo and Juliet Background
• Setting: Verona, Italy (14th century)Montagues Capulets Lord and Lady Montague Lord and Lady Capulet Romeo-Montague’s son Juliet-Capulet’s
daughter Benvolio-Romeo’s cousin Tybalt-Juliet’s cousin Balthasar-servant to Romeo Nurse-Juliet’s nanny Abram-servant to Montague Peter-Nurse’s servant
Character List (con’t.)
Apothecary-druggistCount Paris-young nobleman related to the
Prince, sometimes called Paris or the CountyFriar John-local priestMercutio-Romeo’s friend, related to the PrincePrince Escalus-ruler of Verona
Romeo and Juliet Background
• The Montagues and Capulets are deadly enemies; engage in bloody duels
• Fate plays a role • Story begins with Romeo pining for Rosaline• Themes to look for:
– Search for identity– Forcefulness of love– Individual vs. society– Inevitability of fate