Transcript William Shakespeare – some biographical notes

Facts about William Shakespeare
• Famous writer from
England
• His work was
translated into many
languages
• He was successful
during his lifetime
• Most quoted, other
than the Bible
Lesser-known Facts
• He became a father at the
age of 18
• He was a poor father
leaving his wife and kids
for a performers life in
London
• Father of 3 children
Shakespeare‘s Life
1. Born in April 1564
in Stratford on-Avon
2. His father was a fairly
rich merchant
3. He was one of eight
children
Stratford on Avon
Career in London
2. He went to London
in his 20‘s
3. He joined a
travelling company of
actors
4. He worked both as
an actor and a writer
5. He joined The King’s Men
6. He wrote Romeo &Juliet and A Midsummer
Night’s Dream for these men in 1595.
Later Life and Death
William Shakespeare retired to Stratfordon-Avon(1610) and died on April 23,
1616.
What would you be doing on a
Friday night if you lived in
Shakespeare’s day?
Shakespeare had to be a good writer,
because he had competition in the
entertainment business…
The Competition
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Bear-baiting
Races
Gambling
Music
Drinking/socializing
Prostitution
Public executions and
hangings
Social / Living Conditions
The living conditions in London
were POOR!
• Thames River
polluted with raw
sewage
• Trees used up for fuel
• Poverty
• Great gap between
the rich and the poor
Personal hygiene/health
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Bathing considered dangerous
Body odor strong
Childhood diseases
Children often died before 5 years
Small Pox
Bubonic Plague / Black Plague
– kills 33,000 people in London in 1603
• Halitosis (crude dental care)
• Few hospitals or shelters to care for the old
Living Conditions
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No running water
Chamber Pots
Open Sewers
Crowded
Tea and coffee
considered luxury
• Ale: beverage of
choice because water
was often unclean
Clothing
• One set used all year
long, rarely washed
• Underclothing slept in,
infrequently changed
• Clothes handed down
from rich to poor
Education
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Many people could
not read
The printing press
had been invented in
the late 1400’s
The Bible was the
most popular book
in the nation.
Historical Era:
• 1500-1650
• “Rebirth” of arts,
culture, science
• Discovery of “New
World”
• Humanism philosophy
• Emphasis on
education
16th Century Theatre in London
• Resembled an open
courtyard
• No Roof
• Daytime/open air (no
artificial lighting)
• Limited set design and few
props
• Relied on music, sound,
costumes, props and great
description
• Flags flown on performance
days
Actors had to…
• be MALE! (female parts usually
played by young boys)
• be skilled in sword fight, dance,
and have much stamina for a
long fight or dance.
• have a powerful set of lungs.
• speak quickly and be very
entertaining… or rotten fruit
would be flying their way!
Audience Members…
• Audiences demanded action and
excitement, liked gore, puns, word games,
crass humor, poetry, and music/rhythm of
language.
• People from every walk of life attended the
theatre.
• Wealthy sat in covered galleries
– The more you paid, the higher up you sat (think
skyboxes)
• Groundlings (lower class) stood for 2-3
hours
The Groundling
• Poor audience
members stood around
the stage in “the pit”
• Women not allowed
(had to dress up as
men to attend)
• Threw rotten
vegetables at bad
performances
The Globe
• Built in 1599
• Across the Thames- “Wrong
side of town”
• King’s Men home theater Shakespeare’s company
• Penny admission
The Globe Theater 1599
Burned in 1613
The Globe Theatre today!
The New Globe Theater 1999
The Plays
Q: Why were plays often pirated?
A: No copyright or literary laws.
• Comedy
• Tragedy
• Historical
Comedies
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The Taming of the Shrew
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
Twelfth Night
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tragedies
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Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Historical
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Julius Caesar
Richard II
Richard III
Henry VI
Henry V
Henry IV
King John
“Romeo and Juliet”
• Tragedy
• Written in 1595
• Themes: The powerful
nature of love,
individual versus
society
Looking back
 Shakespeare wrote 36
full-length plays …
 … and 154 sonnets…
 … and a number of long
epic poems
 His phrases are
common part of our
language still today!
"All‘s well that ends well"