William Shakespeare

The Life and Times of Shakespeare!

• Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon (in England), died April 23, 1616

• Never gave a single interview or wrote an autobiography

• Father was a prominent mayor• Joined a famous acting group (Lord

Chamberlain’s Men): wrote Romeo and Juliet for this group

Family Life

• 1582: married Anne Hathaway at age 18; she was 26!

• 1585: Couple had twins (in addition to older sister Susanna), Judith and Hamnet (Hamnet died before reaching adulthood

• Between 1585 and 1592, Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an actor and playwright

Career

• He was not concerned with making books-wanted his plays to be performances

• Wrote his plays fast (he wrote 2 plays a year)• Only got paid once for each play-no royalties• Queen Elizabeth I loved Shakespeare’s plays.

He wrote and performed several just for her.• Romeo and Juliet was written in the mid-

1590s

Career

• Shakespeare started an acting company called The King’s Men, which performed for King James I.

• Unlike many theater people, Shakespeare earned a good living; by 1599, he owned part of the Globe Theatre, one of the newest, trendiest theaters in London

Theatre Life

• Early Theatre– Being an actor was illegal– Noble men would employ men to be actors who

traveled on a wagon– Could not be arrested because they were servants

of the noble men

The Globe

• 1 penny=standing spot slightly below the stage, no roof (groundlings)

• 2 pennies=gallery seat with a roof• 3 pennies gets you a seat with a cushion!

The Globe Actors

• Leading men• No women

– Boys who did not hit puberty…got fired after voice changed

– Women had less lines because the children played the roles

Play types-Comedy• The thinking person’s response to an

experience• About social groups and types-characters

should not develop• When the funny runs out, or a character

changes, he usually dies• Popular trends-mistaken identity,

randomness, surprise• Greek comedies end happily• English comedies end in marriage

Play types-Tragedy

• Records the responses of a person with feelings

• Shows great strength, high degree of character development

• Focuses on one character, usually named in the title

• English tradition says they must end in death

Play types-Historical

• Contain elements of comedy and tragedy• 10 total history plays• Covers English history from the 12th -16th

centuries– Each one is named after and focuses on the

reigning monarch of the time

Shakespeare today

The Lion King

10 Things I Hate about You

Romeo and Juliet

Twelfth Night

O (Othello)

Gnomeo and Juliet

Life in the 1500s

• Daily Life– Bathing was considered a health risk. (May=yearly bath)– Most houses had thatched roofs and dirt floors– Common foods=vegetables, porridge, and bread. Meat

was a delicacy

• Religion– Almost everyone was Christian– Official state religion=Church of England– Everyone was required to go to church at least once a

month

Life in the 1500s

• Marriage and Dating:– Boys could marry at age 14, girls at 12 (Romeo: 14, Juliet:

13)– Considered foolish to marry for love (arranged marriages)– Children were considered property of their parents

• School– Only boys went to school (7a.m.-5p.m.)

• Entertainment– Gossip, tennis, attending the theatre, singing, dancing,

embroidery, taking lessons…

Romeo and Juliet Background

• Setting: Verona, Italy (14th century)Montagues Capulets Lord and Lady Montague Lord and Lady Capulet Romeo-Montague’s son Juliet-Capulet’s

daughter Benvolio-Romeo’s cousin Tybalt-Juliet’s cousin Balthasar-servant to Romeo Nurse-Juliet’s nanny Abram-servant to Montague Peter-Nurse’s servant

Character List (con’t.)

Apothecary-druggistCount Paris-young nobleman related to the

Prince, sometimes called Paris or the CountyFriar John-local priestMercutio-Romeo’s friend, related to the PrincePrince Escalus-ruler of Verona

Romeo and Juliet Background

• The Montagues and Capulets are deadly enemies; engage in bloody duels

• Fate plays a role • Story begins with Romeo pining for Rosaline• Themes to look for:

– Search for identity– Forcefulness of love– Individual vs. society– Inevitability of fate

Romeo and Juliet Background

Freytag’s Triangle/the plot line for ALL

Shakespeare plays!

Exposition: Act I

Ris

ing

Act

ion:

Act

II

Climax: Act III

Falling Action : A

ct IV

Resolution: Act V