ShakespeareLife, Times, and Works

Quick WriteRespond to one or several of the following questions:• Have you ever pondered your place in society or the universe?

Is this position static or dynamic?• Can you remember any situations in which a family member

attempted to seize power for themselves? What was the result?• Have you ever been tempted to seek revenge for something

someone has done to you? What were your emotions leading up to your ultimate decision?

• Have you ever felt yourself fearing outsiders or people who are different than yourself? Why?

• Do you know anyone who can bring humor to even the darkest situations? What about their personality allows them to do this?

Shakespeare’s Life• April 23rd, 1564- April 23rd, 1616• Stratford on Avon, England• Son of a glovemaker (whittawer)

– Also a local politician• Attended the Stratford grammar school where he

received instruction in the classics and Latin.• Married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years

old.• Spent most of his adult life in London but retired

to Stratford in 1613.• Very few records of Shakespeare’s private life

exist and there is much speculation over his sexuality, physical appearance, and religious beliefs.

• Came to be known as “The Bard”.

Shakespeare’s Theatre and Plays• Owned the Lord

Chamberlain’s Men.• Became the King’s Men

later in his career.• This company owned two

theatres – The Globe and Black Friars.

• Produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613.

• First Folio was published in 1623.

• “Titus Andronicus” was his first play to be published.

Shakespeare’s Theatre and Plays• Wrote comedies, histories, romances, and

tragedies.• Used no scenery but employed props such

as furniture and beds.• The Globe was an amphitheater so all plays

were performed in daylight.• Amphitheater- outside with stadium

seating.• Built in 1599, burned down 1613.• Situated outside the city limits of London.• Held 3,000 spectators.• Groundlings could gain admission for a

single penny.• Much more expensive to attend Black Friars• Costumes were not culturally accurate,

Elizabethans were far more concerned with the magnificence of the costumes.

Elizabethan England• “Elizabethan” refers to the cultural and political

atmosphere during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.• Life (1533 - 1603)• Reign (1558 – 1603)• Ardently supported the arts and artists in a time of

political instability.• Pushed for religious solidarity in the form of

Protestantism.– Followed the bloody reign of her sister Mary, Queen of

Scots.• Faced staunch opposition from Puritan and Roman

Catholic factions.• Culture:

– Great Chain of Being- a theoretical concept that God created everything to have a place and hierarchy.

– Structured class system with royalty and nobles situated at the top, tradesman in the middle class, and peasants at the bottom.

– Extremely recognizable fashion.– Xenophobia- dislike or fear of foreigners.

Shakespeare’s Language

• Wrote in iambic pentameter.– Stressed, unstressed pair of syllables. – 5 iambs per line (10 syllables).– Employed blank verse because it mirrors human speech.

• Shakespeare loved puns and expresses a firm understanding of the duality of language in his writing.

• The goal of Shakespeare’s writing is to create catharsis in his audience.– An emotional purging brought on by the aesthetic.

Authorship Controversy• One important thing to keep in mind is the fact that

“authorship” was very loosely termed during Shakespeare’s day.– Many of the plots Shakespeare employed had existed for

quite sometime before he produced them.• Many scholars argue that due to Shakespeare’s class and

where he lived, he would not be capable of writing the plays he did.

• Also argue that he would never had had the political influence necessary to travel within such important circles.

• Many argue that he was not the individual and transcendent genius that romance and hindsight has presented us.

• Have adopted a much broader, cultural view of authorship.– Forced to be responsive to the history, politics, and literature

of the time.– In a sense, Queen Elizabeth I can be view as the author

because of her cultural presence in the plays.• However, many theories exist that attribute authorship to

other individuals, including Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman.