ENGLAND

London

Boyhood in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Born April 23, 1564 in

Stratford-Upon-Avon Parents John and Mary Arden

Shakespeare Seven brothers and sisters Grammar School from age 7 to 13

William Shakespeare’s Home

Marriage and Life in London 1582 at age 18 married Anne

Hathaway 1583-1592 ??? 1592 (28 years old) went to

London actor and playwright first accused of borrowing from

other playwrights 1592-1594 Plague

Shakespeare begins to prosper

1598 built Globe Theatre Owned shares in it

Father granted a coat-of-arms Became a “Gentleman”

Recognized as a genius in his own time

The Globe Theatre today

Drama in the Elizabethan Age

After defeating the Spanish Armada, England became intensely interested in the past. (Patriotic) Historical plays thrived.

Playwrights were practical men, bent on making a living All parts were played by men

Plays were written to be acted, not read. Once a playwright sold his play, he had

no personal right to it.

The Elizabethan Theater Round, wooden, roofless building Three galleries of seats Pit (no seats) cost a penny “groundlings” Main stage

40 feet wide 27 feet projection into the pit

Recessed inner stage (curtains and balcony)

Shakespeare’s Plots and Characters

Written for people to read twice First reading = quick Second reading = more detailed and for enjoyment

Plots = romantic, poetic, imaginative, supernatural Characters = realistic, alive, three-dimensional,

powerful and true

The Stage Influences on Shakespeare’s Methods

Open, free stage = quick changes, rapid action

Encourages speechmaking No women actors Closeness of different classes

Shakespeare as a Dramatist

Objective of Plays= give enjoyment

Fanciful, imaginative plays Audience= everyday people,

uneducated, wanted to escape Wrote in verse=free use of words

Critics Rank the Plays Tragedies-Hamlet, Macbeth, King

Lear, Othello Comedies- The Tempest, As You

Like It, The Winter’s Tale, The Merchants of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Histories- Henry IV, Henry V, Richard II, Richard III, Henry VIII

Death and Burial at Stratford 1610 retired from theatre

1613 Globe theatre burns downlost much money but still

wealthyhelps rebuild Globe theatre

Died on April 23, 1616 at age 52

Shakespeare’s Grave

Comedy A drama or narrative with

a happy ending or non-tragic theme.

Literary Terms

TragedyTragic HeroComedy

Tragedy A serious play or drama

dealing with the problems of a central character, leading to an unhappy or disastrous ending

Tragic Hero

A person of high rank who is brought to eventual ruin by a flaw in his/her character.

Plot The sequence of events that create and then resolve a conflict.

Plot movement:

Exposition

Rising action

Climax (peak tension) or Crisis (dramatic turning point)

Falling action (fall of tragic hero)

Resolution (Point at which conflict ends and outcome is made clear)

Web cites for pictures and additional information on William Shakespeare

http://daphe.palomar.edu/ shakespeare/timeline/genealogy. htm

http://www.shakespeare.com/link. Htm www.stratford.co.uk/birthplace/ www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/Data-Base/

Images/NewGlobe.htm www.legends.dm.net/shakespeare/

macbeth.htm/ www.britishliterature.com