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Okay, maybe not, but. . .
• . . . we are going to have fun with it.
• . . .you will learn a lot of new things.
• . . . .you will be completing a rite of passage of sorts.
William Shakespeare: His Life
• Born April 23, 1564 baptized Apr. 26• Died April 23, 1616
Born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare in Stratford-on-Avon
Shakespeare’s Early Life Cont’d.
His father was a glover by trade
Shakespeare was educated at the local grammar school in Stratford until age 14
At that point he was likely apprenticed; maybe to a butcher, maybe to his father
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway.
He was 18.
She was 26.
Their daughter Suzanna was born 6 months later.
Hmmmm. . . .
• Shakespeare and Hathaway would have had to have a special licensure and admitted their sins before the church leaders
• Twins Judith and Hamnet were born in 1584
• HamNET, not HamLET
“The Lost Years”
“The Lost Years” refers to the years following the children’s baptisms and prior to his emergence in theater. What was he doing? Where did he live? Some theories include: schoolteacher, training for a law career, sailor, unhappy marriage, working in London. Who knows?
Shakespeare in London
Emerged in London as an actor first, then playwright, then theater owner
1592-1594 Outbreak of the plague• Theaters were closed• London was filthy, rat infested, dangerous• Shakespeare wrote poetry, traveled in
country• Plagues subsided, he returned to London
Originally, inspired by the Black Death:
Ring a ring of rosy
Pockets full of posy
Achoo
Achoo
We all fall down!
Shakespeare enjoyed a rich and rewarding career. He was a major stakeholder in the Globe Theater; he had many friends and colleagues, and he enjoyed renown and success before his retirement.
What’s a stakeholder?
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men
1594-1595 Part of prestigious acting company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men who were frequently called to perform before the Queen
Later, they were renamed, The King’s Men ----King James was Queen Eliz. successor
The End of Shakespeare’s Life
• 1596 Hamnet died at age 11 from the plague.
Shakespeare’s writing was thereafter different.
• 1610 Shakespeare moved home to Stratford and retired at New Place
• He died in 1616
Interior of Holy Trinity Church
• A lovely church in Stratford.
• Shakespeare is buried inside.
• His epitaph is up above the board, can you read it?
• What does it mean?
Shakespeare: His Works• Great time to be an artist! (Thanks to the
Queen)
* Comedies* Histories
* Tragedies
*poetry--lyric and
sonnets
Shakespeare’s Themes
• Universal subjects and themes: love, revenge, jealousy, ambition, betrayal, courage, justice
• He blended supernatural with the natural
• Action packed plays and often bloody (ie Titus Andronicus)
Shakespeare: The Globe
Structure
octagonal, huts, heaven, hell, flag, balcony, galleries, the pit, inner stage, no curtain, sound effects scenery
Shakespeare: The Globe
The Crowd:
Groundlings were raucous, drinking, heckling, eating, up against or on edge of stage
People with more $ sat in the galleries, away from the groundlings
The Globe: The Company
• Leading men
• Hirelings
• Boys
• Necessary qualities or skills: swordplay, stunts, singing, dancing, memory skills, expressive voices
Some common phrases from Shakespeare:
• “To eat one out of house and home.”• “Pomp and circumstance.”• “All the world’s a stage”• “It’s Greek to me!”• “Food fit for the gods”• “Parting is such sweet sorrow”• “If music be the food of love, play on”