William Shakespeare

The man…the myth…the legend…

•Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, on April 23rd, 1564

•He attendedthe local school,learning Greek, Latin, & myths

•Will married Anne Hathaway on November 28th, 1582...their daughter was born May 26th

“The Lost Years”•Not much is known of Will between 1582 and 1592, when Will turns up in London

•It is thought that he was banished from Stratford for various crimes, including poaching

•In leaving Stratford he leaves his wife and children behind…

London Years

•In London, Will began writing plays and earned both praise and condemnation for his work….

•The first mention of his work is by Robert Greene, who calls him an “upstart crow”

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men

•Acting troupes existed as self-contained groups that traveled and performed in different towns

•Will wrote and acted for them•Roles were specialized for a certain actor, like Will Kempe the comedian or Richard Burbage the tragedian with an enormous memory

•Will wrote four kinds of plays: comedy, tragedy, history, and tragicomedy

•He wrote for the average, working-class person: his jokes were off-color and honest

•We continue to read them because they address common, unchanging themes of humanity: love, loss, hope, achievement, and betrayal

Familiar Words:• Accused• Addiction• Advertising• Amazement• Assassination• Bandit• Bedroom• Beached• Blanket• Bump• Champion

• Countless• Generous• Hint• Lonely• Mimic• Negotiate• Obscene• Rant• Torture• Worthless• Holla

Familiar Phrases • “Every dog has

it’s day…”• “Eaten out of

house and home…”

• “For goodness sake…”

• “A fool’s paradise…”

• “Dead as a doornail…”

• “Elbow room..”• “I have not slept

a wink…”

• “Love is blind…”• “Laughing-

stock..”• “Work like a

dog…”• “Not a mouse

stirring..”• “Too much of a

good thing…”• “We have seen

better days..”• “Tower of

strength…”

The Elizabethan Age

•Ruled from 1558-1603•This became England’s Renaissance and Golden Age

•Will became extremely popular in the royal court and became a favorite of the Queen

Themes of Elizabethan Society

•Primogeniture•Social Classes•The Bubonic Plague •Health and Sanitation•Food•Religion•“The Great Chain of Being”

“Jack of all trades, master of none…”

• Actors also needed to be writers, singers, carpenters, tailors, doctors, businessmen, etc.

• Men played female roles• Theatres located outside the city• Theatre-goers were notified by

announcement of performance, perhaps only hours before the show

• Shows took place on Sunday afternoons

The Globe Theatre•Shakespeare

became so successful that he, with the Burbages, founded his own theatre

• http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/virtualtour/stage/

“To each its right and proper name..”

•Pit•Groundling•Heavens•Tiring House•Trap Door

•Will retired to Stratford in 1611 and bought the biggest house in town, New Place

“Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing

thee to thy rest…”•Will died on either April 23rd

or 25th, 1616•He left most of his property

to his eldest daughter, Susanna…

•To his wife, Anne, he left his “second-best bed”

“There is method in the madness…”• Iambic pentameter- 5 poetic “feet”

= approx. 10 beats per line• Blank verse– unrhymed iambic

pentameter• Aside- A character says something

directly to the audience (others can’t hear)

• Couplet- a pair of end-rhymed lines• Enjambment- don’t stop speaking

at the end of a line– obey punctuation!

•Sonnet- a poem with 14 lines in iambic pentameter

•Comic Relief- a comic scene at a point of high tension

•Monologue- one person delivers a long speech with others present

•Soliloquy- one person delivers a long speech alone on stage