William Shakespeare

1
William Shakespeare

• The man
• The Legend

2
Basics

• Born 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Son of Mary and John
• One of 8 children
• Died 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 in
  Stratford-upon-Avon

3
A Man of Mystery

• Not much is known about Shakespeare
• Between 1587 and 1592 there are no records or
  documents or ANYTHING that tells us what was
  going on The Lost Years
• In 1592, he shows up in London as an actor and a
  writer.

4
The Works of Shakespeare

• 37 plays (between 1590 and 1614)
• Many poems and sonnets. His sonnets are quite
  famous.
• There is a lot of debate currently surrounding
  Shakespeare and his plays.

5
The Setting Playhouses

• Plays were THE places to be
• Catered to all classes
• Poor stood on the floor
• Rich had seating, stadium style
• Indoor halls and outdoor amphitheatres
• Not a ton of scenery (props)

6
The Globe

• Built in 1599
• Open-air amphitheatre
• Owned by Lord Chamberlains Men
• Burned down in 1613 during performance of Henry
  VIII
• Rebuilt and could hold 3,000

7
Companies of Players

• Player Actor
• No women allowed
• Often times, writers would write plays for
  different companies of players
• The Queen, Elizabeth 1 demanded that players be
  licensed
• Examples
• Queens Men
• Admirals Men
• Lord Stranges Men
• Lord Chamberlains Men
• Kings Men

8
Romeo and Juliet

• A tragedy
• Star-Crossed Lovers
• Romeos family hates Juliets familythis is the
  story of how they come together despite that
• Capulets vs. Montagues