William Shakespeare

1
William Shakespeare

• Background Information

2
William Shakespeare

• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England
• April 23, 1564
• Married Anne Hathaway (1582)
• He was 18, she was 26.
• three children
• Susanna
• Hamnet
• Judith
• Died on April 23, 1616
• his 52nd birthday

3
Shakespeare The Lost Years

• After Shakespeares twins were born, he left
  Stratford. This began what is known as
  Shakespeares Lost Years (1585-1592 there is
  not much documented about him during this time
  period).
• There is speculation that William might have
  offended Sir Richard Lucy by poaching a deer on
  his grounds and had to leave Stratford to avoid
  prosecution ( No documented evidence supports
  this theory).
• But it is reasonable to assume that there must
  have been a strong reason to leave his wife,
  children and family to follow the life of an
  actor in London ( In Elizabethan times actors
  were classed as low-lives )
• There are many mysteries which surround the life
  of William Shakespeare - the Lost Years are the
  first of many!
• http//www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/william-shak
  espeare-lost-years.htm

4
Shakespeare, cont.

• Shakespeare was in the acting company, Lord
• Chamberlain's Men (later called the Kings Men)
• He wrote
• 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long poems
• His work was not published during his lifetime
• but four years later in the "First Folio" book
  
• Shakespeare is considered a "man for all
• seasons" because his plays appeal to everyone
• (all ages and across time)
• Many of Shakespeares manuscripts were lost due
  to the burning of theaters by the Puritans.

5
The Shakespeare Debate

• There is much speculation as to whether or not
  there was an actual Shakespeare.
• Many historians claim that Shakespeare is
  actually a collection of several poets and
  playwrights works, while others claim that it
  was a pseudonym for another writer.
• The three men most associated with the
  Shakespeare Debate are Edward De Vere, Francis
  Bacon, and Christopher Marlow.

6
The Shakespeare Debate

• The reasoning behind the controversy seems to lie
  in the fact that many people find it difficult to
  accept that a man of poor education and
  upbringing could write such eloquent masterpieces
  and have such a strong command of the English
  language.
• It is important not to focus on whether or not
  he was real, but instead we should focus on the
  great pieces of literature that we have
  attributed to him.

7
How Many New Words Did Shakespeare Coin?

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary all
  the bold-faced words below (and some 500 more)
  are attributed to Shakespeare
• from the spectacled pedant to the schoolboy,
  all gentlefolk recognize Shakespeare as a
  fathomless fount of coinages. The honey-tongued
  Bard had no rival, nor could he sate his
  never-ending addiction to madcap, flowery (or
  foul-mouthed!) neologisms. Even time-honored
  exposure cannot besmirch our amazement at the
  countless and useful words that lend radiance to
  our lackluster lives. All in a days work!
• http//www.folger.edu/template.crm?cid862

8
Shakespearean InsultsCombine one word from each
of the columns below. Add Thou to the
beginning to create the perfect insult

• Example Thou rank rump-fed hedge-pig!
• Column A Column B Column C
• peevish clay-brained canker
  blossom
• grizzled dog-hearted clot pole
• greasy evil-eyed hedge-pig
• jaded
  lily-livered dogfish
• waggish mad-bred egg-shell
• purpled onion-eyed
  nut-hook
• rank paper-faced pantaloon
• saucy rump-fed
  rabbit-sucker
• vacant shag-eared snipe
• yeasty
  whit-livered younker

9
Shakespearean ComplimentsCombine one word from
each of the columns below. Add Thou to the
beginning to create the perfect insult

• Example Thou precious young-eyed wafer-cake!
• Column A Column B Column C
• rare honey-tongued
  smilet
• sweet well-wishing toast
• fruitful fair-faced
  cukoo-bud
• brave
  best-tempered nose-herb
• sugared tender-hearted
  wafer-cake
• flowering tiger-booted
  pigeon-egg
• precious smooth-faced welsh
  cheese
• gallant thunder-darting
  song
• celestial sweet-suggesting
  true-penny
• delicate young-eyed valentine

10
Parts of the Globe

• Tiring-House- The important backstage area which
  provided space for storage and business offices.
• Stairs- Ascending to the first level, theatre
  goers reached the galleries by wooden staircases
  enclosed by stairwells.
• Trap Door- Leading down to the Hell area where
  equipment included the winch elevator that raised
  and lowered actors or properties.