WilliamShakespeare-ClassNotesPERSONALLIFE:§ BornApril23,1564inStratford-on-Avon,NWofLondon

o Verylittledocumentationofhislifeexistso ChurchdocumentedhisbaptismasApril26th,andsinceitwascustomarytobaptize3

daysafterbirth,wecanspeculatethathewasbornonthe23rd.§ Mysterysurroundinglife;the“lostyears”(1585-1592)§ Parents–JohnandMaryShakespeare§ Educationendedat14-15;$$$obligationstofamily§ MarriedAnneHathawayin1582(hewas18;shewas26)§ Children–Susanna,HamnetandJudith(twins);Hamnetdied(age11)§ DiedApril23,1616(onhis52ndbirthday)inStratford-on-AvonCAREER:§ RegardedasthegreatestwriterintheEnglishlanguage§ Actor,playwright,andpoet§ Leftfamilyinmid-1580s;movedtoLondon(“lostyears”)§ By1594,partownerandprincipalplaywrightoftheLordChamberlain’sMen,oneofthe

mostsuccessfultheatrecompaniesinLondon§ 1592-1594–Plagueclosedtheatres;forcedtowritepoetry§ 1594–1608mostproductiveyears§ 1599-TheGlobeTheatrewasbuilt§ 1599-WroteTheTragedyofJuliusCaesar§ 1603–KingJamesIbecamekingafterdeathofQueenElizabethI;theatrecompany

renamedTheKing’sMen;Shakespearecontinuedtowriteandact§ Drama-Wrotetragedies,histories,andcomedies§ Plays-37plays(avg.1-3playsperyear)§ Poems-154sonnets,2narrativepoems§ 1610–returnedtofamilyawealthymanSIDENOTES:§ Writersfreelyborrowedfromoneanotherandoftenadaptedclassicalworksintotheir

own.§ RomeoandJulietwascloselyadaptedfromanearlierversionofwhatisbelieveda

truestoryof2actualfamiliesinVerona,Italy.ShakespearediscoveredthistragiclovestoryinArthurBrooke's1562poementitled"TheTragicalHistoryeofRomeusandJuliet.”

§ SomescholarssuggestthatShakespeareisnotthesoleauthor;howeveritispurespeculationwithoutproof.

§ Conspiracy?ThreeElizabethanwriterswhowerewritingatthesametimehavebeenconsideredbysometobepotential“ghostwriters”.

• ChristopherMarlowe–Diedinatavernbrawlin1594?Rumorscirculatedthathemayhavesurvivedandwrotesomeoftheworks.

• FrancisBacon–Scientist,philosopher,writerthoughttohavebeenembarrassedtoadmittowritingfrivolousmaterialasplaysandarrangedtocreditthemtoShakespearetoprotecthisacademicreputation.

• LordOxford–NoblemaninQueenElizabethI’scourtthoughttohavedeemedplaywritingbeneathhisdignityandsoughtoutalower-bornpersontotakecreditsuchasShakespeare.

RENAISSANCEENGLAND:§ QueenElizabethI–ruledfor45years

o Hencetheterm“ElizabethanEra”§ Elizabeth=greatsupporterofthetheatre§ “Renaissance”=Rebirth-growthinart,literature,science,language,etc.§ Elizabethanswerefanaticalaboutmaintaininghierarchyandorder.Animals,planets,

socialclasses,religion,education,andpoliticsallorganizedaccordingtorigidrulesofrankandclassification

• Anybreakinthenatural,social,religious,orpoliticalorderwasunthinkable• Abreakinorderwasbelievedtosetoffviolentdisturbancesinthe

heavens/nature.Stormsandunusualeventswereperceivedasomens/signsfromthegodsthatthepeoplehaddonesomethingwrong!

• Elizabethanswerehighlysuperstitious.• Soothsayers(fortunetellers/prophets)weretakenveryseriously.

§ Entertainment–Falconry,archery,bear-bating,etc.• Crowdslovedbloodyviolence/executions

§ Theplague–BubonicPlagueor“blackdeath”• Approx.1/4thofEurope’spop.died• In1592,15,000peopleinLondonalonedied• In1625,1/5thofEngland’spop.died• Pain,boils,whitecoatingontongue,bleeding• Remedies–Verydrastic;snakevenom,leeches• 1666–GreatFireofLondonendedplague

THEGLOBETHEATRE:§ 1599–BuiltW.ofLondonwithTheTheatre’smaterials§ Audience:Capacityofupto3,000§ “WoodenO”;20-sidedoctagon;3stories;openair§ Audienceswererudeandnoisyifnotentertained§ “Groundlings”–stoodintheopenpit;paid1¢§ Wealthytheatre-goerssatinthegallerysections–2¢§ Nocurtains;littlescenery/props;noelectricity(ofcourse!)

§ Elaborateclothingandcarefully-crafteddialoguewerereliedupontoestablishsetting,tone,etc.

§ Daytimeperformancesonly(needednaturallight!)§ Flags:Black=tragedy;red=history;white=comedy§ Actorsnotwellrespected;lowsocialstatusforactors§ Boysplayedfemaleroles(untillate17thcentury)§ 10%ofLondonattendedoneormoreplaysperweek§ 1613–GlobeburnedfromcannonduringHenryVIII§ 1614–Globerebuilt§ 1644–Globedismantled(Puritanicalentertainmentban)§ Forover300years,thetheatreofoneofthemostinfluentialplaywrightsofalltime

existedonlyinhistoricaldocumentsandmemory§ 1988–(onwhatwouldhavebeenShakespeare’s424thbday)Reconstructionbeganusing

traditional16thcenturycarpentryandmaterialstoreplicateoriginal§ 1996–Reconstructioncompleted;QueenElizabethIIattendeddedicationevent;Henry

Vperformedfirst§ ItstandstodayinitsoriginallocationandhostsseveralofShakespeare’splayseachyear