William Shakespeare’sBackground

Who is William Shakespeare? Well let’s start with his stats:

An English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.

Wrote 37 plays Wrote 154 sonnets Invented 1,700 words currently used today Introduced words and phrases into the English

language Shakespeare is the second most quoted writer

in the English language – after the various writers of the Bible.

there are 157 million pages referring to him on Google. There are 132 million for God, 2.7 million for Elvis Presley, and coming up on Shakespeare’s heels, George W Bush with 14.7 million.

William Shakespeare’ is an anagram of ‘I am a weakish speller

No one knows the actual birthday of Shakespeare

Many eminent Authors and Politicians do not believe that Shakespeare wrote his plays...

Shakespeare's family were all illiterate But…Much of Shakespeare’s life was

shrouded in mystery.

Who is Shakespeare: He’s Everywhere in Our World. All that glitters is not gold All's well that ends well Be-all and the end-all Dead as a doornail A dish fit for the gods For goodness' sake Jealousy is the green-eyed

monster In a pickle Something wicked this way

comes There's the rub What's done is done

Kill with kindness Knock knock! Who's there? Laughing stock Love is blind Milk of human kindness Naked truth One fell swoop Star-crossed lovers Parting is such sweet

sorrow Send packing What the dickens Wild-goose chase

Films Inspired by Shakespeare 10 Things I Hate About

You West Side Story She’s the Man O The Lion King Romeo Must Die Scotland, PA Forbidden Planet Ran Shakespeare in Love

Yes, Shakespeare is Everywhere…

Shakespeare is ubiquitous even today

Inspiring Film Music Television Literature Poetry And Fine Art But WHYYYYYYY?

To Understand Shakespeare’s Enduring Nature, Let’s Take a Look at the Man Himself Shakespeare’s

Background

William Shakespeare’sBackground

William Shakespeare, who is often referred to as the Bard, which merely means poet, was born in the year 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is a town in England.

William Shakespeare’s dad John Shakespeare was a merchant (he sold gloves made of goat skin), and dealt a bit in black market merchandising in wool (yep, that’s right, wool). Because of his father’s social standing. William was able to attend Stratford Grammar School until the age of 14 for free.

William Shakespeare’sBackgroundHere he studied Latin and

Greek. Apparently, Shakespeare’s dad shady dealings catch up with the him, and the family had to sell off much of their property. Here, historians loose track of young William until he is 18 when he marries the marries the 26-year old Anne Hathaway.

William Shakespeare’s Background

William Shakespeare eventually leaves his family behind and arrives in London where he joins Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a successful theater company.

William Shakespeare’s BackgroundThis company changes its

name to The King's Men in 1603. Shakespeare stays a member of this company until he retires in 1610. While in the company, Shakespeare made his living three ways:

1. He was part owner of the Globe theatre,

2. He was an actor, and 3. He was a playwright.ALL Very cool

Shakespeare’s Background

During this time very little Scenery was used on stage, but was accomplished by Dialogue or conversation between characters.

William Shakespeare’sBackground

Shakespeare was alive during the late Renaissance, or “rebirth.” In England this period is referred to as the Elizabethan Era, so named after Queen Elizabeth I, Britain's first female and arguably most powerful, monarch.

She was the daughter of Henry VIII, and Ann Boylen, the second of Henry’s six wives. Henry eventually executed Elizabeth’s mother for not producing a male child. Elizabeth was half sister to Mary I, otherwise known as Bloody Mary for the murders of many Protestants.

It’s important to note that England was fast becoming the world’s most powerful nation. It was the rebirth England

This new wealth and rising merchant class fed into the intellectual pool of Elizabethan England. This rising bourgeoisie were interested purchasing tickets for plays, and sponsoring poets, musicians, and the arts.

Elizabeth ADORED the THEATER

William Shakespeare’sBackground 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.

Shakespeare and his fellow theatre colleagues were fortunate that the Queen enjoyed the theatre because the theatres were constantly closed because of the Bubonic Plague.\ which had a tendency to not only cut down on theatre attendance but the population as well

The queen was excellent about having the theatres reopened. Otherwise, some, like the English Puritans, would have liked to have seen these theatres, such as the Globe, which held about 2,500 to 3,000 spectators, closed for good.

Shakespeare’s Theater

•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.•Like all other theatres in Elizabethan England, it had only men perform on stage becausewomen were not allowed to act. Still, the theaters were enormously popular with both sexes and all ages and classes alike.

Shakespeare’s Stage

It didn’t matter who you were, because everyone could afford the theater. Poor patrons, called Groundlings would stand in an area called The Pit, while those with money may be sitting in stands or “galleries” rising above the elevated stage.

Crowds in Shakespeare’s time loved to participate, becoming emotionally involved in the play. They would show their pleasure by cheering wildly or sounding a drum. But if the performance went badly or an actor was “off” that night, he could expect his performance to be met with jeers or a volley of rotten vegetables to his head. Talk about a rough crowd.

Shakespeare’s Theater

In 1613 the theatre burned down during a performance of Henry VIII. Oh the irony

! A canon was accidentally shot into the thatched roof and the whole theatre was set ablaze. The theatre was rebuilt in 1614 without Shakespeare, for he had retired. Shakespeare dies in April 1616 at age 52.

About 30 years later, Puritans assume power in England and have the theatre torn down. The Puritans did not believe in a good time.

William Shakespeare’s Work

When we study William Shakespeare's plays, we categorize them into three genres:

Comedy Tragedy HistoryRomeo and Juliet, which was written

in Shakespeare's early years, is considered a tragedy.

William Shakespeare’sBackground

Romeo and Juliet, is not an original story; Shakespeare retells a story that can be dated back to as early as fourth century Greece.

Shakespeare uses a narrative poem called "Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet," which is written by Arthur Brook, to get most of his information for his play. Shakespeare sets his Romeo and Juliet in Verona, Italy.

Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is one of

Shakespeare’s best known works, which has spawned hundreds of adaptations in the four hundred years since it was first written.

It is the tragic story of the doomed love affair between two teenagers from 2 feuding Italian families

Italy, incidentally, is where the Renaissance began, mainly because it was so close to the trade routes that led to such far off places as Asia , the Middle East and Africa

Another reason Shakespeare set his play in this location was to show the contrast between his people, the very rational Northern Europeans and the hot-blooded Southern Italians, who were known for having long-standing feuds between wealthy and prominent families like the Capulets and Montagues. Elizabeth, like most absolute monarchs, despised dueling and feuding and tried to suppress it.

Shakespeare was especially smart to set his play in a land far away from Elizabeth’s England

Romeo and Juliet

More than any other

Shakespeare play, Romeo

and Juliet has captured

the hearts and imaginations

of generations of people

spawning hundreds of

adaptations.

So….Why Again Do We Still Read Shakespeare? You will answer that

question at the end of the unit.

For now, it is important that you keep an eye out for certain rhetorical elements:

Contrasts/Foils Light and dark Night and day Young and old Love and hate Death and life Tragedy and comedy Characters

Important Rhetorical Elements Pun - A pun is a humorous play on words

Allusion - a reference to a well known work of art, music, literature, or history.

Metaphor - a direct comparison between two unlike things

Personification - an inanimate object or concept is given the qualities of a person or animal

Oxymoron - describes when two juxtaposed words have opposing or very diverse meanings

Paradox - statement or situation with seemingly contradictory or incompatible components.

Foreshadowing - a reference to something that will happen later in the story