A Midsummer Night

1
A Midsummer Nights Dream

• By
• William Shakespeare

2
Before We Read The Play

• We need to learn about Shakespeares time, the
  Elizabethan Era.

3
Meet the Elizabethans

• Are they all named Elizabeth?

4
Named After Elizabeth I

• Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603
• Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
• Protestant Queen
• Longest reigning English monarch in two centuries
• Called Glorianna and Good Queen Bess
• Defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588

5
Who is Bloody Marys father?

• Henry VIII was Bloody Marys father
• Had 6 wives
• Often executed his wives when he did not want to
  be married to them anymore
• Her mother was Catherine of Aragon
• Catholic
• She is Elizabeths half-sister

• She inherited the crown in 1553.
• Her cousin was Mary Queen of Scots
• Beheaded by Elizabeth for helping in plots to
  dethrone Elizabeth
• Mother of Elizabeths successor, James I

6
In what year did England and Spain fight a famous
sea battle?

• The British Navy defeated the mighty Spanish
  Armada in 1588.
• Main causes of the battle included religious
  differences and English attacks on Spanish
  shipping. King Philip II of Spain invaded
  England.
• The defeat made the British Navy the strongest
  and most powerful in the world.

7
How old was Shakespeare when he got married?

• He was 18 years old.
• Young enough to need his fathers permission.
• His bride, Anne Hathaway, was 26 years old.
• Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford,
  England.
• He died in 1616.

• He moved to London, without his family, to pursue
  his acting and playwriting career.
• He owned a share of the Globe Theatre
• This eventually made him wealthy enough to build
  a large retirement house in Stratford.

8
How many children did Shakespeare have? What were
their names? Which one had a name similar to a
character in one of Shakespeares plays? ?

• Shakespeare had three children.
• Two daughters
• One son

• Two daughters
• Judith
• Susanna
• One son
• Hamnet
• Similar to the main character in the play Hamlet

9
How old was Hamnet when he died?

• He died when he was 11 years old.
• His twin sister lived to age 77.
• Most Elizabethans died before they reached 40
  years old.

10
In 1601, why did all of Londons theaters close
down?

• There was a highly contagious and deadly disease
  spreading through England and Europe the PLAGUE
• It is believed that rats and their fleas were the
  culprits of the plague.
• 50,000 people killed in England and Ireland
• By putting large groups of people in close
  quarters, theaters hastened its spread.

11
Romeo and Juliet was first performed at the Rose
Theatre. Where was Hamlet first performed?

• Hamlet was first performed in the Globe Theatre.
• The Globe Theatre is the theater most associated
  with Shakespeare.
• Shakespeare owned a share in the Globe.
• The Globe burned down in 1613.

12
How is the Globe different from todays theaters?

• Food/drink were on sale during the show
• Audience was very rowdy
• Open air
• Lit only by sunshine
• Bare stage
• Seats onstage

• Other differences
• No bathrooms
• No intermissions
• No seats for some attendees
• No women actors
• Female parts were played by boys
• Players needed govt permission to join a company

13
A group called the Puritans sought religious
freedom in 1620. Where did they go?

• The Puritans left England on the ship the
  Mayflower.
• They landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.
• There they met the Indians and had the first
  Thanksgiving.