William Shakespeare A brief introduction

William ShakespeareThe Bard

1564-1616

ChildhoodBorn April 23, 1564Stratford-upon Avon, EnglandFather was a local prominent merchant, and also had several government positions

Exposure to TheatreAs a child he watched several pageants and shows during the holidays and enjoyed traveling companies of actors that would perform there.

Family lifeMarried Ann Hathaway 1583 ( he was 19, she was 26)

He had three children; Susanna born in 1583, and twins in 1585.

The big moveShakespeare moved to London with the hope of becoming an actor. He became a shareholder in the acting company The Lord Chamberalin’s Men as wellas the primary playwright and an actor.

PerformancesHe would often perform for Queen Elizabeth I

He lived during the plague

During the years of the plague, he would write poetry since the theaters were often closed. It was considered by the Elizabethans to be more considered by the Elizabethans to be more important to write poetry than to write plays.

The Globe TheaterIn 1959 he became the co-owner of the Globe Theater

About the theaters Protestants condemned the playsTheaters were on the outskirts of London away from the authoritiesPeople who attended the theaters included:

MerchantsLawyersLaborersProstitutesVisitors from other countriesNobility and Royality

How the stage typically looked

No lightingNo scenery-just a curtainCould hold around 2,000 people

CostumesRichly decoratedDidn’t always match up the to time period of the playLooking good was more important than being realistic

The ActingThe actors were all men; young boys (age 12-14) played the female parts

They were considered “shareholders” and owned stock or shares in the play texts, costumes, and props

Their pay depended on admission sales

Actors only had about 3 weeks to practice a new play

In one week, the troupes may perform 6 different plays (as many as 4,000 lines!)

Shakespeare’s Last Days

Between 1611-1612, Shakespeare returns to Stratford to his wife and family.

Dies April 23, 1616 at the age of 53

His will, which he revised a month before dying, left the bulk of his estate to his oldest daughter, and the bed to his wife.

Iambic PentameterIs a sound pattern

IAMB: one unaccented (or unstressed) syllable with one accented syllable

It’s like a heartbeat: ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum

Five “ba-bum”s in a row make one line of iambic pentameter (10-syllable lines)

Example: he WENT to TOWN toDAY to BUY a CAR

OR: In SOOTH / I KNOW /

Hip Hop & Shakespeare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ucYtOk_8Qo

Insults by Shakespeare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdCjKH5IKJ8

Practice! Use the Insults by Shakespeare sheet to help you. You will have 5 minutes to come up with your own listAfter five minutes we will have a riff off… The winning side will gain 10 extra credit points!

Insult Reflection How do Shakespeare’s insults compare to todays insults? Which insult was the best and why? What words on that list have you heard used before? What did you think of this activity?

Character Tea PartyEach person will receive a sheet of paper with one role on it. After you have received your role you will:

Create a name tag for yourself that you feel best represents your character

EXAMPLE:

Mrs. Schmalz

Character Tea PartyStep 2:

Try and memorize your role

Step 3:Circulate the room and introduce

yourself to others, and listen to who they say they are. You must meet at LEAST 13 different people and record their names and your impressions of them.

Step 4: Once you have done this be seated,

and ready to go on to the next part