William Shakespeare

An Introduction to Understanding “The Bard”

Intro to William Shakespeare

• William Shakespeare b. April 26th, 1564(TODAY: Bill Shakespeare would be 448 years old!)• Parents: John and Mary (Arden) Shakespeare• Place of birth: Stratford-Upon-Avon (named so because the town was on the banks of

the Avon river)• Childhood home: Henley Street (can still be

visited today)

Parents

• John Shakespeare: Married the daughter of his landlord (Mary)

• Held many jobs: glover, money lender, wool and grain dealer

• Prestige: Bailiff (= to mayor)• 1576 – Petitioned town for a coat of arms to

become a gentleman• Petition expired without being granted

Childhood

• Education: father’s prominent position suggests that Shakespeare would have attended:– King’s New School (petty school=preschool): well

respected, taught by Oxford grads– Grammar School (6-7am until 5pm)• Study Latin and some Greek• Read Roman authors Plautus, Ovid, Seneca, and Horace• Traces of these authors in his own later works

– Did NOT attend University (Greek/Latin education)

Wife and Children

• November 1582 (age 18): Married Anne Hathaway (age 26)

• May 1583 (6 mo. later): birth of first child, Susanna

• February 1585: twins Hamnet and Judith• Hamnet would die at the age of 11 while

Shakespeare was living in London away from his family

London and The Stage

• To London after twins’ birth (between 21 and 28 yrs. old)

• (Most likely) went as an actor and slowly gained attention as a playwright

• Jealous Much?– Robert Greene (1592) warned other University

colleagues that the uneducated Shakespeare was trying to parade as a legit playwright

– Shakespeare’s reputation for poetry provoked the envy of a failing competitor

London and The Stage

• 1593: All London theatres closed due to outbreak of the bubonic plague– During this time Shakespeare wrote the poems

Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594)

– Only two of his works that he seemed to have helped into print due to the presence of dedications

• 1594: Theatres reopened; Shakespeare joined the acting company Lord Chamberlain’s Men

London and The StagePlays:• Early years: Histories– 1591-92: Henry VI,

trilogy– 1592-93: Richard III

• 1590s: Romantic Comedies– 1594: The Comedy of Errors– 1594-95: Love’s Labour’s

Lost– 1595: A Midsummer Night’s

Dream– 1598: Much Ado About

Nothing

London and The Stage• Plays (con’t)– Tragedies

• 1595: Romeo and Juliet• 1599: Julius Caesar• 1600-1601: Hamlet• 1606: Macbeth

• Total Plays: 37*– Histories: 10– Comedies: 17– Tragedies: 10

*This number is debated by scholars

The Theatre

• 1597: Success– Secure a coat of arms = gentleman– Purchase of New Place – one of the largest houses

in Stratford• 1597: The boot– Lease expired with Lord Chamberlain’s playhouse

(called The Theatre)– The company had to perform in various

playhouses until 1599

The Globe• 1599: Opening of the Globe Theatre– Built with lumber from The Theatre– Shakespeare just one of the shareholders in the

theatre• 1613: Fire– Thatched roof caught fire during a production of Henry

VIII – entire building demolished– The Second Globe was rebuilt quickly

• 1642: Closed– All theatres closed under Puritan rule– Demolished in 1644 for tenements (apartments)

The Globe

The Globe

The (new) Globe

• 1996: Revival– A replica built near original site– Built with techniques and materials that would

have been used then– Only added details that were required• Exits, illuminated signage, fire retardant materials, etc.

– Go to see plays today!

The (new) Globe

The (new) Globe

Final Days• William Shakespeare died on April 26, 1616 at

the age of 52 (396 years ago today!)• Exact cause of death unknown• Believed to have been celebrating the

marriage of daughter, Judith• Contracted a fever• Death imminent?– Changed his will in March of same year

Publication

• The First Folio– Published • 7 years after his death (posthumous)• By two members from his former company

– First collection published• Printer folded each sheet only once (folio)• Folio was a larger and more prestigious book (usually

reserved for works such as the Bible)• Contained 36 plays

Legacy

• The First Folio was the beginning of the process of constructing Shakespeare as England’s national poet and “The Bard of Avon”– Bard: Gaelic term for a poet

• Contemporary playwright and friend, Ben Jonson wrote:

“He was not of an age, but for all time!”