Lived 1564 -1616

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• Shakespeare Background

• Lived 1564 -1616
• Wrote 37 plays
• Romeo and Juliet
• Julius Caesar
• Hamlet
• Othello
• King Lear
• Macbeth
• about 154 sonnets
• Started out performing with
• The Lord Chamberlains Men

Guess which one is the movie version!?!?
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• Background

• Most quoted author (alluded to), other than the
  Bible
• Called The Bard of Avon

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Shakespeares Birthplace

• ? Born in Stratford-on-Avon (about 100 miles
  outside of London)
• ? Family was considered affluent by social
  standards.
• Father was a glove-maker and leather tanner.
• Father was eventually appointed to an office
  equivalent to mayor in 1568,
• but fell to misfortune in 1576 because of debt
  he owed.

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Shakespeares Grammar School
This is the Guild Church and Grammar School where
Shakespeare attended school with other boys his
age to learn Latin, Greek, drama, poetry and
history. Girls did not attend grammar school
during this time.
Shakespeare began attending public Grammar School
at age seven. He already knew how to read and
write Englishwhich is amazing since both of his
parents were illiterate. Grammar school involved
mostly the study of Latin. The typical school day
was from 630 a.m. - 1100 a.m.a two-hour
mid-day breakand then back to school from 100
p.m. - 530 p.m. There were only forty days off
per school year.
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Shakespeares Marriage and Children
Anne Hathaway shared a house with her brother
following the death of both her parents. In a
rural community such as this, women tended to
marry earlier, and it is likely that the village
gossip machine would have been gearing up to turn
her unmarried state into an issue when Will came
along, and, in 1582, Anne subsequently became
pregnant. William was 18 and Anne was 26. They
married in November, before the pregnancy was too
advanced, in what was probably a Catholic service.
Six months after they wed, Anne gave birth to
their daughter Susanna. In 1585, twins Judith
and Hamnet were born, but Hamnet died at age 11.
After William turned 21, there would be no more
children for Anne and him.
Anne Hathaway died in 1623, having lived just
long enough to see a monument built to her late
husband at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
She is buried in the chancel (the space around
the alter at the front of a church) next to him.
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Shakespeares Coat of Arms Got to Get Paid, Son
The Shakespeare family had long sought armorial
bearings and the status of gentleman. William's
father was eligible for a coat of arms and
applied to the College of Heralds, but his
worsening financial status prevented him from
obtaining it. The application was successfully
renewed in 1596, when William himself became
prosperous at the time. The motto "Non sanz
droict" ("Not without right") was attached to the
application. The theme of social status and
restoration runs deep through the plots of many
of Shakespeares plays.
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Shakespeares Burial Place
Written on Shakespeares tombstone
Good friend for Jesus sake forbear, to dig the
dust enclosed here. Blessed by the man that
spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves
my bones.
Shakespeare's death at the age of 52 will almost
surely remain a mystery. We do know, however,
that in a world where plague, syphilis, typhus,
scurvy, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria,
dysentery and toothaches shortened a Londoners
life expectancy to 35 years, Shakespeare fared
quite well, leading a relatively long and healthy
life.
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The Age of Shakespeare

• Elizabethan Era (1485-1660)
• Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
• Economy grew quickly
• London largest city in Europe
• Great supporters of the arts
• Drama considered lowest form of literature

Judi Dench plays Queen Elizabeth I in the movie
Shakespeare In Love
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Rise of Prestigious Playhouses

• Change in English Theatre
• Traveling theatre company
• Met with resistance because of crowds
• James Burbage built Englands 1st playhouse
• Failed lease negotiation resulted in The Globe
  Theatre

James Burbage
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• The Globe

• Many playwrights with nowhere to play
• Barn turned into theatre
• Original Globe was 3 stories tall and held about
  3000 people.
• Although most of Shakespeares plays were held
  there, he only owned 12 of the theatre.

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THE GLOBE
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• The Globe

• All classes of people attended plays there.
• No roof so they had to use sunlight for lighting.
• Plays had to be performed during the dayno night
  performances.
• People often skipped work to go.
• The Globe was not allowed to be built in the city
  of London because crowds often became too rowdy.

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THE GLOBE
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• Types of Plays

• Comedies light and amusing, usually with a happy
  ending
• Tragedies serious dramas with disastrous endings
• Histories involve events or persons from history

The color of flag flying at The Globe informed
the public which type of play was being performed
that day.
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• Costumes were often the companys most valuable
  asset
• Costumes were either made by the company, bought
  in London, or donated by courtiers, which were
  people in the upper class.

• The Elements of the Theatre and Plays
• Costumes

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• Only men were permitted to perform
• Boys or effeminate men were used to play the
  women
• It would have been indecent for a woman to appear
  on stage

• Acting

The Double Switch! Girl is Boy and Boy is Girl!
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• Wealthy people got to sit on benches
• Groundlings, poor people, had to stand and watch
  from the courtyard
• Women not allowed (They had to dress up as men to
  attend)
• Threw rotten vegetables at bad performance
• There was much more audience participation than
  what there is today

• Spectators

Will Ferrell is the most famous alumnus of the
comedy improvisational group called The
Groundling based in Los Angeles
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• London During Elizabethan Era
• Personal hygiene/health

• Poor Sewer System
• Bathing was considered dangerous to health
• Body odor was strong!

The way of life was pretty unhygienic during
Elizabethan period by today's standards. There
was no running water, you did not have indoor
toilets, and there was no toilet paper. Instead
of toilet paper, people would typically use
clumps of grass or hay for cleaning. To top it
off, London and other places were overly crowded
and this made for a huge mess all the time. The
unhygienic conditions along with overpopulation
is probably what caused the Bubonic plague and
other problems to spread so easily from one
person to another.
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London During Elizabethan Era
gtgt Smallpox Even Queen Elizabeth caught
smallpox, but recovered. The scars from the
disease were covered with heavy white makeup
which was fashionable at the time.
gtgt Bubonic Plague Caused by flea bites. This
disease killed an estimated 75 million people,
30-60 of the European population.

• Diseases

• Many childhood diseases
• Children often died before reaching
• 5 years old

Any pictures of Physicians of the Elizabethan era
look very strange and quite frightening.
Elizabethan Physicians adopted protective
costumes against the disease  in the 16th
century. Elizabethan Physicians wore long dark
robes with pointed hoods, leather gloves, boots,
and the most bizarre masks featuring long beaks
which were filled with bergamot oil. Amulets of
dried blood and ground-up toads were worn at the
waists of the Elizabethan Physicians. It was
their custom to douse themselves with vinegar and
chew angelica before approaching a
victim. Although this might sound pointless
today, these precautions would have protected the
Elizabethan Physician. The bizarre and gruesome
Physician masks would have acted as protection
against contracting the disease through breathing
the same air as the victim. The cover-all
clothing would have protected the Elizabethan
Physician from fleas and therefore the Black
Death / Bubonic Plague. 
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London During Elizabethan Era

• Bear-baiting
• A post would be set in the ground towards the
  edge of the pit and the bear chained to it,
  either by the leg or neck. A number of
  well-trained hunting dogs would then be set on
  it, being replaced as they tired or were wounded
  or killed. In some cases the bear was let loose,
  allowing it to chase after animals or people.
• Races
• Gambling
• Music
• Drinking/socializing

• Entertainment

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London During Elizabethan Era

• One set of clothing used all year long, rarely
  washed
• Underclothing was slept in, infrequently changed
• Clothes handed down from rich to poor

• Clothing