I. William Shakespeare

A. Birth and Early Life

1. April 23, 1564

2. Stratford-upon-Avon

3. Parents: John Shakespeare and Mary Arden

B. Young Adulthood

1. Age 18 – marries Anne Hathaway (26)

2. 3 children (Susanna, and twins Judith and Hamnet(died at age 11)

3. “Lost Years” – from the birth of the twins to around age 28, there are no records of Shakespeare’s life. We have nothing to indicate to us how he became involved in the theatre and writing.

I. William ShakespeareC. Career

1. Lord Chamberlain’s Men/King’s Men1. Records show that at 28, Shakespeare was a shareholder

of the theater troupe The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later

named The King’s Men due to the king’s enjoyment of the

company’s plays)

2. Wrote 38 plays

i. Tragedy (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet)

ii. Comedy (Taming of the Shrew)

iii. History (Richard II)

iv. Tragicomedy (The Merchant of Venice)

*Julius Caesar is a tragedy based on historical events.

The Globe Theater

- Also called the “Wooden O”

- Admission:

- Groundlings paid one penny to

stand in the open area of the

theater (the pit)

- Others paid up to six cents to sit

in one of the covered levels.

- Flags few above the theater to

announce the types of plays

- Black = Tragedy

- White = Comedy

- Red = History

I. William Shakespeare1. Theatre Production

1. Sets and Costuming

- Costumes were clothes typical of the Elizabethan era (leotards, tunics)

- Scene was set using dialogue and props

2. Gender Roles

- Women were not permitted to act onstage, so female roles were played by boys or young men.

- The theater was considered an inappropriate place for a later

3. Perception of Theatre

- Many considered the theater to be immoral

- Acting was not considered to be the illustrious career that it is today

1. Shakespeare’s Later Life1. Retirement

- Shakespeare retired in his home at Stratford-

upon-Avon

2. Death and Will

- He died on April 23, 1616 (age 52)

- Principal bequests were left to his daughters

- Curiously, he left Anne the second best bed

II. Julius CaesarEarly Life

- born July (hence our calendar month) 13, 100 B.C.

- educated to be a politician

- endured physical beatings

- father died and he became the head of the family at age 15

- age 16 he married to secure a match with a high ranking political family (his first wife dies young, and Caesar marries Pompeia, again for political connection)

Caesar’s Curious Personality

1. Caesar was incredibly vain. He was particular about his appearance and even removed his body hair.

2. He also suffered from epilepsy (we will see

this play a role within the play)

Caesar was well loved by the ordinary citizens of Rome because he hosted lavish parties and introduced exotic games such as mock naval battles and gladiator fights.

Caesar worked so hard to flatter the common man because he was NOT accepted by the aristocracy.

II. Julius CaesarEarly Political Career

1. Administrator of Spain

2. Senate

3. Campaigning

- Age 36 - He began campaigning for election as supreme priest of Rome

- He sought the alliance of Crassius and Pompey to improve his image with the aristocracy

- Crassius and Pompey only support Caesar because they fear what he will do if they do not join him.

**Caesar, Crassius, and Pompey = 1st Triumvirate of Rome (see Roman terms)

II. Julius Caesar1. Gallic Wars

1. As a general, Caesar was ruthless

2. Defeated Helvetti and invaded Gaul (modern day

France) without permission of Rome

2. Civil War

1. Caesar goes after his ally – Pompey.

2. Caesar defeated Pompey’s troops, and Pompey

fled to Egypt.

3. Egypt’s king gives Caesar Pompey’s head.

4. Caesar takes Cleopatra as a mistress

II. Julius Caesar

1. Dictatorship1. 46 BCE (age 54) – elected Dictator for 10 years

2. Actions and Perception

- Caesar promotes himself declaring he does everything for the good of Rome, so the citizens love him, but

aristocrats fear him.

3. He marries his 3rd wife, Calpurnia

4. 44 BCE – elected Dictator for Life

2. Assassination

- March 15, 44 BC

- Caesar began acting more like a king and was ruining the democracy of Rome.

- Stabbed 23 times (in the play it’s 33; heads up, 3 is a motif)

•CONSUL:

Either of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic,

elected for a term of one year.

•FEAST OF LUPERCAL:

A Roman festival supervised by priests on February 15th

celebrating the god of fertility. The festival included a race

in which men dressed in sacrificial goat skins would

run through spectators in the streets,

and their touch was thought to cure sterility.

•FORUM:

The public square or marketplace of an ancient Roman city

that was the assembly place for judicial activity and

public business.

•IDES:

In the ancient Roman calendar, the fifteenth day of March,

May, July, or October, and the thirteenth day of

the other months.

Roman Terms to Know

•PATRICIAN:

A member of one of the noble families of the ancient Roman Republic, which

before the 3rd century B.C. had exclusive rights to the Senate and the

magistracies (a position where one has the power to enforce or create laws)

•PLEBEIAN:

Of or relating to the common people of ancient Rome

•PROVINCE:

Any of various lands outside Italy conquered by the Romans and administered as

self-contained units.

•SENATE:

The supreme council of state of the ancient Roman Republic and later the Roman

Empire

•TRIBUNE:

(A) An officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians to protect their rights from

arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates.

(B) a protector or champion of the people.

•TRIUMVIRATE:

A government of three officers or magistrates functioning jointly

Roman Terms to Know

•STOICISM

A philosophy that focuses on

•Duty, self-discipline, and subjection to the natural order of things

•Civic obligations; duty BEFORE self!

•Repressing all emotions—do not outwardly show happiness, sadness, etc.

•Speaking in a calm and emotionless manner

•EPICUREAN

A philosophy that focuses on

•Human freedom; “I am the center of my universe” attitude

•being good only to increase one’s own happiness; self BEFORE duty!

Eliminating fear from life, especially fear of death and the fear of the

supernatural (the gods live in their own world and are too busy to bother with us

on earth).

Speaking in a vibrant and emotional manner

Roman Terms to Know

III. Reading & Analytical Focus

What to Watch Out For The Story

Organization and Development

Literary Elements and How They Develop Meaning

Elements of Rhetoric!!!

Motifs and Themes

How You Will Be Assessed AP-Style Multiple Choice Questions

A Rhetorical Analysis Timed Writing

Literary Analysis Essay (AP Lit QR)

Test over Play (with Cold Reads and all that good stuff!)

What is the line between persuasion

and manipulation?

Does every man have a good and an

evil side? (Duality of man?)

Can an act that is “morally wrong” be

committed with an “honorable” cause?

Anticipation Questions