Transcript Shakespeare`s London

 1564--Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town a
little less than 100 miles north of London.
 His father was a glover and a middle-class
merchant.
 At 18 years old, he married the 26
year old Anne Hathaway.
At some point, Shakespeare left home to
pursue a career in acting and playwriting in
London.
Shakespeare played mostly minor roles and
sometimes acted as comic relief.
 No records exist regarding Shakespeare’s education, but he
most likely received a basic grammar school education
(heavy in classics).
 Unlike most writers of his day, Shakespeare did not attend
a university.
 One of the foremost writers of the day,
Robert Greene, mocked Shakespeare by
calling him an “upstart wit.” Some writers
were bothered by Shakespeare’s more
common language.
 Shakespeare was most likely introduced to drama by
travelling players: groups that would put on basic plays.
 These plays evolved from the pageantry of the Catholic
mass.
 Plays one generation before Shakespeare used formal
language and mystical/religious characters.
 Writers of Shakespeare’s generation shook up the theatre
world by using common language and even a few lowerclass characters and scenarios.
No scenery or sets were used, only props and costumes.
 Remember, all of the actors
were male.
 Boys or young men played the
female roles, wearing wigs and
dresses.
 Boys were often given only
small parts to play.
 London was an important city of commerce situated on the
river Thames.
 The population was around 200,000 at the time, but varied
due to a few outbreaks of the plague.
 While Queen Elizabeth, and later King James, were
powerful figures, they still had to compromise and work
with local leaders (such as the parliament and the mayor of
London).
 King James loved the theatre so much
that he dubbed Shakespeare’s
company the “King’s Men.”
 People from all castes would attend the plays.
 Rich people often had private plays, but they
would also attend the theatre.
 However, some religious groups found the plays
offensive and the mayor of London banned plays
from the city.
 Because they couldn’t perform inside
city limits, the theatre companies
opened stages just outside the city
across the river Thames (which was then outside the city).
 This area was home to bear fighting, prostitution, and
gambling.
 This area was also a transition point between the urban city
and the rural outskirts. This tension between the urban
and rural is evident in many Shakespeare plays.
 Puritans succeeded in closing the theatres in 1642.
Yes.
Arguments against:
 The plays accurately describe
places Shakespeare never
visited such as Venice.
 Shakespeare did not study literature at Oxford or
Cambridge.
 Shakespeare borrowed extensively from other
sources (including other playwrights!).
 Shakespeare never published his plays.
Counterarguments:
 Shakespeare could read.
Books were readily available
from patrons, shops, and the
acting company, which would have owned its own set
of classics.
 Shakespeare did borrow extensively. But everyone did
this. He took familiar characters and scenarios and
reformed them into his own work.
 Shakespeare did not publish his own work; rather, his
colleagues and fellow actors took it upon themselves to
gather the plays together. At this time, it would be
extremely rare for a playwright to have a printed
collection.
 After he wrote The Tempest,
Shakespeare retired a wealthy
man and moved back to
Stratford-upon-Avon where
he bought one of the biggest
houses in town.
 He commissioned a coat-ofarms and essentially bought
his way into the upper gentry.
Unfortunately, he had no sons
to carry on the coat-of-arms.
 In his will, Shakespeare left
his wife his “second best bed.”