Shakespeare OverviewShakespeare OverviewElizabethan England and the Bard

• The Church of England was fully established (rules were not as rigid)

• Elizabeth is loved by the people

• Elizabeth loved the arts. Major art accomplishments during this time.

• She particularly enjoyed William Shakespeare’s plays.

• London becomes a leading center of culture and commerce.

• England becomes the dominant power in the world.

Elizabethan EnglandElizabethan England Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

Elizabethan TheatreElizabethan Theatre• Theatre was for the masses—not just the wealthy

• Groundlings: poorer people who stood in the front during the performance.

• Women were not allowed to perform.

• The Globe Theatre was built by Shakespeare’s company in 1598.

• The Globe was 3 stories high and seated 3,000

• The Globe burned in 1613 when a cannon shot in a performance caught the roof on fire.

• It was reponed and continued operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down

The New Globe TheatreThe New Globe TheatreThe Globe was gone for

352 years.

The foundation of the Globe was discovered and a new Globe completed in 1996

A close reproduction to the original

Born in Stratford

The 3rd of 8 kids

Married at age 18 (she was 26)

Worked as an actor

Lived through the Black Plague that killed 33,000 in London

By 1594 at least 6 plays had been published

38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare 1564-1616

• Shakespeare introduced nearly 3,000 words into the language

• His vocabulary was 17,000 words (an average, well- educated person had roughly 4500).

• His language was accessible to all

• He is the most quoted writer of all time

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare "Shakespeare was so facile in employing words that he was able to use

over 7,000 of them—more than occur in the whole King James version of

the Bible—only once and never again.“ -Louis Marder

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare • 154 sonnets 38 Plays 2 epic poems

Comedies Histories TragediesAll's Well That Ends WellAs You Like It The Comedy of ErrorsCymbelineLove's Labours LostMeasure for MeasureThe Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merchant of VeniceA Midsummer Night's DreamMuch Ado About NothingPericles, Prince of TyreTaming of the ShrewThe TempestTroilus and CressidaTwelfth NightTwo Gentlemen of VeronaWinter's Tale 

Henry IV, Part IHenry IV, Part IIHenry VHenry VI, Part IHenry VI, Part IIHenry VI, Part IIIHenry VIIIKing JohnRichard IIRichard III

Antony and CleopatraCoriolanusHamletJulius CaesarKing LearMacbethOthelloRomeo and JulietTimon of AthensTitus Andronicus

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare The Authorship Debate

Suggests that Shakespeare did not write all the plays. The top three men who are claimed as possible candidates:

Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Francis Bacon

Christopher Marlowe

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare • 400 years later, Shakespeare’s influence is still present today

• Over 250 film adaptations have been made from his 37 plays.

• Pay attention to the references to Shakespeare in everything from advertisements to entertainment to products.