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