William Shakespearea.k.a. “Shakeybaby.”

1564-1616

“All the world 's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.” - As You Like It

Born in StratfordApril 23rd, 1564 The 3rd of 8 kidsMarried at age 18

• (his wife was 26)

Worked as an actorBy 1594 at least 6 plays had been published

Perhaps the most brilliant author in the English language.Incredibly well-developed characters. He was tremendously perceptive in creating complex character with a full range of emotions and internal conflicts, intensely, deeply rich in psychological reality.Exquisite use of poetic language.

Shakespeare’s Life

Plays are phenomenally well-crafted, and structurally, nearly flawless.Thematically, Shakespeare is unmatched in his ability to touch the human soul, and to speak lucidly and profoundly to human lives.Most quoted, most translated of any author on earth.

Shakespeare’s Life

He left London when he was about 50 years old, and went back to Stratford-upon-Avon, after investing in real estate, and buying the best house in town. He died in 1616, near his birthday, April 23rd, at age 52. He is buried in Stratford, in Holy Trinity Church. He did not want to be buried in Westminster’s Abbey, in London, where many of England’s famous artists are buried. On his tombstone is the following verse:*

Good friend for Jesus’ sake forebearTo dig the dust enclosed hereBlest be the man who spares these stonesAnd curst be he that moves my bones

Shakespeare’s Life

In his will, he mysteriously left his wife his “second best bed.” His property largely went to his eldest daughter, Susanna.Shakespeare did not think of himself as an intellectual, and during his life didn’t go out of his way to have his plays published. Although during his life some of the plays were published as quartos, individual versions of plays that folks could buy and read. He did publish—with great success—his longer poems, and he published his sonnets in 1609; some believe they are autobiographical, although there is no concrete support for this, as Shakespeare left almost no personal correspondence or diaries. Only seven known signatures exist and five are on land deeds. For the most part, Shakespeare felt that plays were meant to be performed rather than read. After his death, his more intellectual friends did publish his plays in folio versions—something like a modern collection.* Had three children in total. His oldest Susanna, as well as twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died at a very young age, which was around the time Shakespeare wrote his darker plays, such as, you guessed it, Hamlet.

Shakespeare’s Life

Queen Elizabeth

What do you think she was like?

Elizabethan Fashion

"She must be stifling in that thing"

Shakespeare’s life straddles the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I of England. This was England’s Renaissance.The word renaissance means “rebirth.” During this time in Europe, there was a rebirth of humanism, or the classical ideal that humans were heroic, although certainly below the gods.England, in a battle with Spain, had sunk the Spanish Armada in 1588, and had established itself as a world power. To control the seas meant control of world power, for there was an enormous economic expansion based largely on maritime trade.This was a time of prosperity in Europe. Individual countries were gaining autonomy and power. They were actively trading with each other, with Russia, the New World, and the Far East and India. It was a time of nationalism, exploration and discovery.

Elizabethan England

Elizabethan EnglandThe Elizabethan Age is the time that she ruled,1558-1603. Elizabeth was known as “The Virgin Queen,” although she did have many admirers. The state of Virginia is named for her. Before she reached menopause, she was pressed to marry. She refused, although there were efforts to wed her to princes of France and Spain. When these and other suitors failed to win her, and she passed the age of childbearing, the spin doctors of the time hailed her virginity. She never publicly discussed her choice.*

Why did Elizabeth I refuse to marry? (partner talk)

Women were raised to believe they were subservient and inferior to the male members of their family.All of her immediate male relatives were dead; unmarried, she answered to no oneHad she married a ruler of another country, England would technically be under his dominion.

James I, who succeeded her in 1603, was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, a distant cousin of Elizabeth, whom Elizabeth also had executed for treason. James had been King of Scotland, and his coronation united the two countries, ending centuries of strive between them.During his reign, he commissioned the King James Bible, which is why this translation of the Bible sounds so much like Shakespearean English. Prior to Henry VIII and the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church had forbidden translation of the Bible into the vernacular. This was why, although no longer spoken, Latin was taught at the elementary school level—in order to read the Holy Scriptures. Although James’ reign is relatively peaceful, he is not a man of the people, as was Elizabeth. He also advocates the absolute power of kings, which will not help his heir, Charles I, who will lose his head for such notions.*

Elizabethan England

Life in London during Elizabethan times was pretty dirty. The city contained around 400 thousand people by Shakespeare’s time, who crowded into a very small part of the present day city. People rarely bathed, and there was no indoor plumbing. When the water supply became tainted, typhus and cholera spread mercilessly through the town.London was also hit by recurrences of the Black Plague, and when there were outbreaks, the theaters would close down. Smallpox, sexually transmitted disease, and malaria were also popular killers.People used chamber pots for toilets, and would toss the contents out the window into the streets, occasionally on top of people below!Beer was the drink of choice, for the water was far too polluted to consider drinking! Beer was very popular in Southwark, and was sold in the theaters, along with nuts and other snacks.

Elizabethan England

There was no refrigeration, and you had to watch what you bought in the market, especially since there were chronic food shortages in London, due to a series of bad harvests and an increase in population.London had its share of wealthy royal people, since the royal family lived there, but there was also a new, rising merchant class, a rising middle class of artisans, who were members of guilds, and many lower class folks who might be poor farmers or salespeople.Education was improving. Towns frequently had church run grammar schools, and upper class members of the society went to Oxford and Cambridge University.Still, literacy rates were fairly low, although this was changing. Books were published and sold to support poets and playwrights alike. St. Paul’s was a popular place to buy these small texts.

Elizabethan England

Aside from attending executions, many, many people amused themselves by attending the theater.London’s famous theaters, the Globe, the Rose, and the Swan, were located in the seedy side of town, along the south bank of the Thames River.This section of town, known as Bankside or Southwark, could be reached by crossing the London Bridge, the only bridge across the Thames, or by taking a boat across the river.

Elizabethan England

The neighborhood was also the place to place bets on animal sports such as cockfighting, bear baiting and bull baiting. Other gambling, on cards and dice, was also common. There were many pubs and taverns, where people could drink strong beers, and there were many thieves and prostitutes as well. This was the wrong side of the river!*Since there was no electricity, the Globe and Rose theaters were open air theaters. Plays were performed only during the day, and if the weather was bad, the show was cancelled. A flag at the top of the theater would indicate if a play was performing that day.These theaters did operate during the winter, although the Globe closed, since in the winter Shakespeare’s company moved to the Blackfriars Theater, which was enclosed.

Elizabethan England

Elizabethan EnglandWomen wore long dresses, and covered their arms and legs. Men, on the other hand, wore leggings and short pants. Women were not allowed to perform on stage, and all of Shakespeare’s female characters were acted by young men or boys.Often, the audience who went to the theater, and stood in the “yard” in front of the stage were pretty rowdy, and would throw offal and other foul things at actors they didn’t care for. These folks were called, “groundlings” or “stinkards.”*Shakespeare didn’t shy away from pleasing this crowd. In sword fights, the combatants would carry sacks of animal blood and guts that would add realism when a character was wounded or killed.

The Globe Theater 1599

Burned in 1613

The New Globe Theater 1999

Performances

The players were all men; the women's parts were played by boys.

--Shakespeare in LoveSpecific parts were written for specific actors.

So how do we have Shakespeare’s work today?

Published work comes from a variety of sourcesClean copy- copied by the scribe from Shakespeare’s original manuscript (kept in the playhouse)Quarto- printed editions sold to the public after the play was popularFolio- published by Shakespeare’s friends after his deathEverything is basically owed to the copied market, much like DVD’s here.

Book Sizes

1. Folio: Sheet folded in half to make 4 sides2. Quarto: Sheet folded twice so as to make 4 leaves or 8 pages, (9 1/2" x 12") 3. Octavo: Sheet folded so as to make 8 leaves or 16 pages (6 x 9" )

4. Duodecimo: Sheet folded so as to make 12 leaves or 24 pages (about 5 x 7")

The Plays

ComedyTragedyHistory

Comedies

The Taming of the ShrewMuch Ado About NothingAs You Like ItTwelfth NightMidsummer Night’s Dream

Features of a Comedy

Light and humorous tone.Deception, disguises and cases of mistaken identity.Multiple plots and family drama.Comedies are supposed to mirror ridiculous human behaviour that audiences SHOULD NOT copy

Tragedies

HamletRomeo and JulietOthelloKing LearMacbeth

Don’t be fooled by the excellence of the language! This is Modern English! It is, however, about 400 years old, and things do change over time.The most obvious of changes is the use of distinct second person familiar pronouns. Today, we call this “you, singular.” But once this was not the same as “you, plural.” These singular pronouns are: Thou, Thee, Thy and Thine. See your grammar notes on usage!Another change is obvious in the conjugation of certain verbs: hadst; wouldst; and the like.Verbs occasionally took inflected endings in the past participle: closèd, blessèd, loathèd

Why is Shakespeare’s English so weird?

Shakespeare often inverts the syntax of his sentences for poetic reasons, and this sometimes confuses students: Make sure you can tell where the subject and verb of the sentence are. Think about what the pronouns refer to. This will help a bit in understanding the sentence.Shakespeare also uses many, many words, and is credited with creating many that are now in common usage. He is also good at making one word serve two purposes by using more than one meaning of a word at a clip! (Double entendres, or puns.) You will need a good dictionary when reading Shakespeare!

Why is Shakespeare’s English so weird?

Sigon þa to slæpe. Sum sare angealdæfen-ræste, swa him ful oft gelalmpsiþðan gold-sele Grendel warode,unriht æfnde, oþþæt ende becwom,swylt æfter synnum. þæt gesyne wearþ,wid-cup werum, þætte wrecend þa gytlifde æfter laþum, lange þrage,æfter guð-ceare. Grendles modor,ides, aglæc-wif yrmþe gemunde,se þe wæter-egesan wunian scolde,cealde streamas, siþðan Cain wearðto ecg-banan angan breþer,fæderen-mæge; he þa fag gewat,

Example of Old English (from Beowulf)

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soteThe droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,And bathed every veyne in swich licourOf which vertu engendred is the flour;Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breethInspired hath in every holt and heethThe tendre croppes, and the yonge sonneHath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,And smale fowles maken melodye,

Example of Middle English,from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

The Sonnets

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets (poems). These sonnets were all written the EXACT same way.They are written in three four-line stanzas (called quatrains) with a final couplet, all composed in iambic pentameter.

The sonnets followed the rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg.The sonnets are addressed to three separate people.The fair youth (1 – 126) Relationship?The rival poet (78 – 86) Christopher Marlowe?The dark lady (127 – 152) Shakebaby’s little three?

Sonnet 130My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

Conspiracies

Was Shakespeare one person? Was Shakespeare gay?Was Shakespeare a womanizer?

The Taming of the Shrew

It is one of Shakespeare’s first comedies.Written between 1590 – 1592. Main characters are two sisters named Katherina (Kate) and Bianca. Many film versions (rejoice!).

What’s up with the title?

Define Shrew

Define taming