William Shakespeare

Life & Legacy

Early Life

• William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare of Snitterfield and Mary Arden, daughter of a wealthy man named Robert Arden of Wikmencote, in Stratford.

• The Holy Trinity Church identifies his birth date as April 23rd, 1564, but it is more commonly observed on April 26th of that same year.

Siblings

• John and Mary had other children besides William.

• Joan and Margaret both died within a year of their birth.

• Three others, Anne, Richard and Edmund all died a few years into their lives.

• One of their sons lived into adulthood, his name was Gilbert.

• They named another one of their daughters Joan, who ended up outliving all of her siblings– she lived until age 77.

Education

• He is said to have attended Stratford Grammar school around age 6 or 7, but there is no official record.

• By using a horn-book to learn his basic alphabet, he developed a knack for writing.

The Lost Years• There is a period of time considered

the “lost years”. This is because there aren’t many records or documents that give us detail about that time.

• After he left school at 18 is when the “lost years” began.

• He studied to become a professional actor around this time.

• He married an older woman, 26 years of age, named Anne Hathaway.

Family Life

• William and Anne had a few children of their own throughout their marriage.

• There was the eldest daughter, Susanna.

• They also had twins, a boy, Hamnet, and a girl, Judith. Unfortunately, Hamnet died at age 11.

The Elizabethan Era

• This was also known as England’s “Golden Age”; Queen Elizabeth I ruled at this time.

• Historian John Guy says of The Elizabethan Era, “England was economically healthier, more expansive, more optimistic under the Tudors”.

• Many say this is when the true English Renaissance began due to the increasing popularity of poetry, music and literature.

Shakespeare During the Elizabethan Era

• During this time, William Shakespeare was undeniably at his peak.

• One of the most popular genres for theatrical productions were histories.

• One of his most famous history pieces, Henry V, was created and performed during this era.

• It is said that he wrote about the former English rulers and all of its glory to find favor with the public.

Humor

• Popular topics of humor for the people during this era involved things such as medicine and psychology.

• Although Hamlet was a tragedy, people believed he had a “screw loose” due to his humorous bone being out of place. It was a very flawed belief, but people still followed it.

His Sayings….

• All of a sudden (The Taming of the Shrew)

• All that glitters is not gold (The Merchant of Venice)

• Love is blind (Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice)

• Star-crossed lovers (Romeo and Juliet)

• Wear your heart on your sleeve (Othello)

Romeo and Juliet

• Romeo and Juliet was one of Shakespeare’s most popular works.

• It is considered a tragedy, which means it begins in order and ends in chaos. (A comedy is the exact opposite.)

• It also is one of his most frequently performed pieces.

Romeo and Juliet (Continued)

• The setting of this story is Verona, Italy.

• It’s characters consist of two main feuding families, the Montagues’ and the Capulets’.

• The cause of their feud is quite unknown, but dates back to years before any of them were born.

• Also, even the townspeople are involved (taking sides), due to the intensity of it all.

Romeo and Juliet (Continued)

• One of the main characters, Count Paris, wishes to marry the Capulet daughter, Juliet.

• Of course, she does not have any interest in him and refuses to marry the man.

• Juliet meets Romeo, a Montague, at a party.

• They get married secretly.

Romeo and Juliet (Continued)

• In the end, Juliet drinks a poison that will only put her into a deep sleep for a short while, so that everyone assumes she is dead.

• Romeo hears of this before the plan of their elope can be explained, and goes to see his bride.

• He assumes that she is dead and then kills himself.

• Juliet then stabs herself with his dagger.

Theme

• There are a few main themes in this theatrical story, they are love, fate and time. All of which play a crucial role in the development of the characters and plot.

• Also, as a final note, the premier of this was likely at The Theater in Shoreditch, which is modern day Hackney (a borough of London).

Hamlet

• Much like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet is considered a tragedy.

• This is also one of his most popular works as well as the longest and most powerful.

Hamlet (continued)

• The setting is in the kingdom of Denmark. Hamlet is the son of the former king.

• Hamlet figures out that his uncle, Claudius (the current king of Denmark), had murdered his father to gain the throne for himself.

• As follows, Hamlet goes on a journey of revenge against his uncle Claudius.

Hamlet (continued)

• Shakespeare had an actor in mind specifically for this role, Richard Burbage. He was the leader of the theater troop known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

• The premier of Hamlet was likely at the Globe Theater, which was a popular theater in London.

Hamlet (continued)

• During the Interregnum, better known as the Commonwealth of England, the Puritans banned all theater productions.

• Actors would perform in illegal plays called ‘drolls’, and scenes from Hamlet were popular to use.

Midsummer Night’s Dream

• This play is considered a comedy, due to it beginning in chaos and ending in order.

• This story incorporates elements of romance, humor, fate and even fantasy.

• It is one of the most widely performed of Shakespeare’s works.

Midsummer Night’s Dream (con.)

• This story is about one big circle of love.

• Hermia is a beautiful young lady who has been ordered to marry Demitrius per her father.

• The trouble is, she loves Lysander, but Demitrius loves Hermia.

• Her cousin, Helena loves Demitrius.

Hermia

Lysander Demitrius

Helena

Much Ado About Nothing

• This is comedy (like A Midsummer Night’s Dream), beginning in chaos and ending in order.

• This is also another one of Shakespeare’s most popular works.

• It was also made into a star-studded blockbuster film.

Much Ado About Nothing (con.)

• The story focuses on a few different main characters.

• Hero is the daughter of Leonato, who allows her to marrry her true love, Claudio.

• There is also Benedict and Beatrice, who act like they hate each other, even though they are truly in love.

• Don Perdro, a family friend, has a vengeful half-brother, Don Jon, who messes around with everyone to stir up trouble.

MacBeth

• MacBeth is considered one of his most powerful and darkest stories.

• It is for sure considered a tragedy.

• It deals with many topics, including witchcraft, supernatural, jealousy, greed and death (murder).

MacBeth (con.)

• General MacBeth returns home from a victorious battle and is confronted by a group of 3 witches who tell him the he will be king.

• In order to get there, he kills his friend to get to the top, framing the guards to make them look guilty.

Macbeth (con.)

• The story, which takes place in Scotland, continues on with Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself feeling guilt over their wrong-doing.

• Lady Macbeth ends up committing suicide and Macbeth gets murdered by a nobleman, Macduff.

Macbeth (Theme)

• The big themes of this theatrical story are as follows, fate, deception and treachery.

• Shakespeare tends to use fate in a number of his play-writes because it always seemed to fit in so well.

His Legacy…

Shakespeare left behind many things in his legacy, including his plays, ideas, puns and even some new words. The thing about Shakespeare is, everyone knows of at least one amazing thing he created during his lifetime. Here are a few examples…

His Words

• Shakespeare created many words that some of us may not know about.

• Nouns such as ‘accused’ and ‘mimic’…

• adjectives like ‘fashionable’ and ‘majestic’, were all his.

• Also, verbs such as dwindle and secure

Were all his creation; these were words used in his many plays.

Movies…

• Many of his plays have turned into Hollywood movies throughout the years, some just made to be similar and some follow his script exactly.

• One of the ones that did not, however, follow his exact script was “10 Things I Hate About You”, which starred the late Heath Ledger.

• This was very loosely based off of, “The Taming of the Shrew”.

Movies …(con.)

• Also, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was made into a famous film, with actors that included Stanley Tucci and Michelle Pfeiffer.

• It very closely followed the script, making it more like Shakespeare had intended.

The End

Finally, something that people have found interesting was that he used Biblical references in a few of his shows to properly get across his message. This and the many other things that he accomplished prove that he is a living legend and his works will live on for the rest of eternity. Shakespeare may just be immortal.

William Shakespeare

Life & Legacy