Shakespeare!

I can’t understand

him!?!?

Shakespeare’s writing is OLD!

Passus I (bold text is original, then a translation)

SIÞEN þe sege and þe assaut watz sesed at Troye,When the siege and assault were ended at Troy,Þe borȝ brittened and brent to brondeȝ and askez,The city laid waste and reduced to ashes,Þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wroȝtThe man who had plotted the treacherous schemeWatz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erthe:Was tried for the wickedest trickery ever:Hit watz Ennias þe athel, and his highe kynde,It was princely Aeneas and his noble kin,Þat siþen depreced prouinces, and patrounes

bicomeWho then subdued kingdoms, and came to be lordsWelneȝe of al þe wele in þe west iles.Of almost all the riches of the western isles.

MYTH – Shakespeare’s writing is NOT old!Take a look at this excerpt from the story “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” This story is estimated to have been written sometime in the 1100s – pre-dating Shakespeare by about 400 years – and it’s considered MIDDLE English, not old!

Shakespeare’s writing is OLD!

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, Once, as old histories tell us

Ther was a duc that highte Theseus; There was a duke who was called Theseus;

Of Atthenes he was lord and governour, He was lord and governor of Athens,

And in his tyme swich a conquerour And in his time such a conqueror

That gretter was ther noon under the sonne. That there was no one greater under the sun.

Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne; Very many a powerful country had he won;

What with his wysdom and his chivalrie, What with his wisdom and his chivalry,

He conquered al the regne of Femenye, He conquered all the land of the Amazons,

That whilom was ycleped Scithia, That once was called Scithia,

And weddede the queene Ypolita... And wedded the queen Ypolita...

Here is an excerpt from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “A Knight’s Tale.” Although 1340 is customarily given as Chaucer's birth date, 1342 or 1343 is probably a closer guess, and he died in 1400. He wrote the Canterbury Tales, from which this tale is taken, in the 1390s, pre-dating Shakespeare by about 200 years. The bold type is the original text, and the regular type is a line-by-line translation of it. This too is considered MIDDLE English.

Old EnglishThe Lord’s Prayer from the 10th Century (i.e. The 900s)...fæder, þu þe on heofonum eardast,

geweorðad wuldres dreame. Sy þinum weorcum halgadnoma niþþa bearnum; þu eart nergend wera.Cyme þin rice wide, ond þin rædfæst willaaræred under rodores hrofe, eac þon on rumre foldan.Syle us to dæge domfæstne blæd,hlaf userne, helpend wera,8 þone singalan, soðfæst meotod.Ne læt usic costunga cnyssan to swiðe,ac þu us freodom gief, folca waldend,from yfla gewham, a to widan feore.

The Lord’s Prayer from the 11th Century (i.e. the 1000s)Fæder ure þu þe eart on

heofonum; Si þin nama gehalgod to becume þin rice gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice.

Middle English – Early Modern EnglishA 1380 translation of The Lord’s Prayer...

Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halewid be thi name; thi kyndoom come to; be thi wille don in erthe as in heuene: gyue to us this dai oure breed ouer othir substaunce; and forgyue to us oure dettis, as we forgyuen to oure gettouris; and lede us not in to temptacioun, but delyuere us fro yuel.

A 1559 translation of the prayer...Our Father which art in

heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Early Modern English–Modern EnglishThe King James Bible version - 1611 - Shakespeare’s time!Our father which art in

heauen, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdome come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heauen.Giue vs this day our daily bread.And forgiue vs our debts, as we forgiue our debters.And lead vs not into temptation, but deliuer vs from euill: For thine is the kingdome, and the power, and the glory, for euer, Amen.

The final translation comes from 1928 = late modern.Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

SONNET 18Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owest;Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

William ShakespeareThis is Shakespeare as he is most commonly portrayed – Elizabethan collar and all!

A portrait of Shakespeare done just after he died – it is said to be an accurate portrayal of him, though many people doubt that it is even Shakespeare at all ... ?

Anonymous, Portrait of William Shakespeare, ca. 1610

In 2009, researchers confirmed what they believe to be a painting of Shakespeare done within his lifetime. This is that portrait...

Stratford-Upon-Avon London

He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England

Stratford-Upon-Avon today

Shakespeare’s Birth•Shakespeare was born around April 23, 1564, in the house you see here.•His actual birth date is approximate because in Shakespeare’s time, babies were born at home, usually to illiterate parents who had neither the means nor the ability to record births.•Instead, baptisms were recorded by the one literate social group = priests and ministers.•Shakespeare’s baptism is recorded on April 26, 1564, and baptisms usually occurred within three days of birth.•There was a hurry to baptize newborns in this time because very few babies actually survived infancy, and almost everyone was VERY religious = they believed that if a baby died unbaptized, he/she would not be able to enter heaven despite being without sin. Baptisms occurred quickly to help ensure a baby could enter heaven even if it didn’t live very long.

Shakespeare’s Family Tree

Shakespeare…Did you Know?His father was a glovemaker, a one-time mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, and the town’s official beer taster. This is what his father’s work area looked like …

Shakespeare’s SchoolShakespeare attended Grammar School until he was about 15, which was a lot of schooling in that time, but he was not university educated.

The interior of a classroom as it would have appeared in Shakespeare’s time…

Shakespeare’s MarriageShakespeare courted Anne Hathaway from her home just outside of Stratford. Little is known about Anne, and there are no known portraits of her.

We know they married in November 1582 when Shakespeare was 18, and Anne was 26 – very rare for that time! Their first child was born in May 1583 = 6 months later!

Shakespeare’s Writing Days – 36 plays are attributed to him, but he may not be the sole author of

some pieces

This is one folio cover for King Lear as it appeared in print in 1608. It was written between 1603-1605.

Macbeth was first performed in 1606 – here is a picture of the front page of the first folio

Shakespeare’s Plays• Shakespeare’s plays were written for the

masses, not for an educated elite.• He was an actor in his own plays his whole life.• In Shakespeare’s time, young boys played

female roles.• Actors used a sheep’s blood in a pig’s bladder

to stage stabbings (a pig’s blood was too thick).

• They used animal innards and intestines to depict hangings and drawing and quartering.

• A pregnant woman in the audience was once shot during a performance, evidence of the unpredictable “special effects” at that time.

• The Globe Theatre was once burned down when a cannonball was fired into the audience during a performance of Henry V.

Shakespeare’s RetirementSometime between 1611 and 1613, he retired to Stratford and

purchased a home called New PlaceAn artist’s rendition of New Place as it would have appeared in Shakespeare’s time...

A view of the foundation of New Place after it was torn down – that’s Nash’s House in the background.

Shakespeare’s Death – April 23, 1616 (yes, that’s his supposed birthday!)

Shakespeare is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

The church is surrounded by a VERY old cemetery.

Shakespeare’s GraveGood friend for Jesus’ sake forbeare,To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones,And cursed be he that moves my bones

Shakespeare’s funerary monument on the wall in the church…

Two more Stratford houses linked to Shakespeare... Nash’s House (located right next door to New Place) - named after Thomas Nash, first husband of Shakespeare's granddaughter and wealthy local property owner

Hall’s Croft was owned by Shakespeare's daughter, Susannah, and her husband Dr John Hall whom she married in 1607.

Shakespeare is EVERYWHERE in Stratford!In Stratford’s main park, a collection of statues makes up the Gower Memorial.

A close-up of the centre statue of Shakespeare

Close-ups of two statues from the Gower Memorial in Stratford’s main park

Lady Macbeth washing her hands...

Hamlet examining the skull of his former jester, Yorick...

Stratford theatres dedicated to Shakespeare and his works...

Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre

The Swan Theatre (named after the Swan Theatre in London where Shakespeare staged some of his plays)

Shakespeare is respected world-wide. In Washington, D.C., the Folger Shakespeare Library is dedicated to preserving and

promoting Shakespeare’s works.

Shakespeare around the world...In 1864, a large statue of Shakespeare was placed in Central Park in NYC to commemorate his birthday.

He is also memorialized in Westminster Abbey, London, England in the church’s Poets’ Corner.

The Globe TheatreAn artist’s rendition of The Globe from Shakespeare’s time...

The Globe rebuilt today...

The Interior of The GlobeA sketch of the interior in Shakespeare’s time...

A photo of the interior today...

The Interior of The GlobeThe galleries, stage, and groundlings...

The ceiling over the stage...

The Interior of The GlobeA close-up of the stage...

A play in progress...

What the actors see while on stage...

A Day at The Globe...Most audience members were poor and uneducated. A trip to the theatre was a major event and may have been their only entertainment for the month or the year. They were generally a “rough” bunch! Most people lived on the other side of the Thames River from the Globe theatre, and there was only one bridge across the river at that time. Many paid rowers to take them across at various points although that was often a dangerous idea!

This is the Tower Bridge NOT London Bridge

This is London BridgeIt’s boring – sorry! It was themain bridge across the Thames at the time.

This is what the bridge looked like in Shakespeare’s time.

A Day at The GlobeA flag was flown atop the theatre to indicate the

genre of the play being performed – tragedy, comedy, history, etc.

A Day at The Globe• Most performances were held in the afternoon because

there was no easy way to light the theatre at night.• People arrived early so they could watch bear baiting and

other barbaric forms of entertainment in addition to drinking, gambling, and socializing.

• At the time, the Thames River was “London’s toilet,” so everyone drank beer – a milder version of today’s beer but beer nonetheless.

• Most spectators were “groundlings” who paid approximately one penny to stand (yes, stand, for an entire Shakespeare play!) on the dirt floor of The Globe with 200-300 others. The theatre was an open-air building, and since it rains a LOT in England, you can assume the dirt floor was often mud. The wealthy sat in the covered seats around the outer ring of the theatre.

• People stood shoulder-to-shoulder with unwashed, drunk spectators, and the ensuing troubles were as you would expect...

• If the play was boring, the actors were often pelted with fruit, vegetables, nuts, dirt, etc.

A Day at The GlobeImagine the atmosphere on the floor of The Globe...• People having their one day out in a VERY long

time• People excited by watching bear baiting,

gambling, etc.• People who had consumed various kinds and large

quantities of alcohol• People who had to stand for upwards of 3+ hours,

much of time in the rain and mud• People for whom hygiene was somewhat

questionable at the best of times• No indoor plumbing (i.e. no bathrooms!)• People who may have found themselves either

bored or overly excited with events in the play• People who met up with friends (and enemies!)

they had not seen in a long time, spending time getting reacquainted (or settling old scores!) while the play was being performed.

Going to a Shakespeare play at that time was VERY different from going to a Shakespeare play today!

The Great Chain of BeingAn early diagram of the Chain done in 1579…

The Chain is sometimes represented as a ladder.

The Great Chain of Being is also depicted as a pyramid because it shows a breakdown of levels, and the more you travel down

the diagram, the more populous each level becomes.

God

Angels

King

Nobility

Peasants

Animals

Plants

Rocks, Stones, Dirt

Fortune’s WheelDame Fortune is a mythological goddess who could bring success or disaster. She continuously spins her wheel, on which all humans have a place, as a reminder that neither good luck nor bad luck is ever permanent. While a person’s luck could always change, it was never within their own power to change it.She is often portrayed as blind to indicate that she cannot see the fates that she spins, so she does not show favouritism.In Shakespeare’s time, the belief in gods and goddesses was considered anti-Christian, but people still believed their fate/fortune was determined by Dame Fortune who was often seen as an instrument of God’s will.She is likely portrayed as a woman because females were considered inconstant, fickle-minded, overly emotional, and unpredictable, and her constant turning of the wheel highlights those qualities.

Depictions of Fortune’s Wheel