Shakespeare

1
Shakespeare

• The Greatest Playwright
• in History

2
His Life

• Grew up in Stratford, on the Avon River
• Christened on April 26, 1564. His birthday is
  celebrated as April 23rd.
• Died April 23, 1616
• 3rd of 8 children of John Shakespeare and Mary
  Arden.
• Married Anne Hathaway in November of 1582
• He had 3 kids Susanna, Judith and Hamnet
• We dont know much else about his life

3
His Career

• First surfaced as an actor and playwright in
  London in 1592
• He didnt make his money from writing plays. It
  came from his share of the ticket sales.
• He was part owner of the theatre company and the
  theatreThe Globe Theatre

4
The Globe Theatre

• Not much is known about The Globe. The most
  famous description comes from Shakespeare himself
  in the prologue of King Henry V.
• In 1989, construction workers discovered the site
  of the original Globe Theatre
• Two were built. The first burned down in 1613.
  The second was built in the same spot. It was
  eventually torn down.

5
The Globe Theatre Cont.

• The Globe was shaped like a wooden O
• The stage was about 50 x 25 feet and jutted out
  into the audience, so the audience sat on three
  sides
• Spectators stood to watch the play. The
  spectators on the ground were called groundlings,
  who paid the least.
• For extra, you could sit in the galleries that
  formed the walls of the theatre.
• Special box seats cost more.
• The Globe admitted about 3,000 attendees

6
The Globe Theatre Cont.

• They we dont know what sets and costumes looked
  like
• There was no intermission or scene changes.
  Instead, one scene followed another without
  stopping
• We know they spent a lot on costumeswe have the
  receipts to prove it

7
The Blackfriars Theatre

• Shakespeare used the Blackfriars Theatre also.
• It was an indoor theatre and was much smaller
  than The Globe
• Ticket prices were more expensive
• Actors used The Globe during the summer and the
  Blackfriar during the rest of the year

8
It doesnt sound like English

• Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago. English has
  changed a lot since then.
• Shakespeare wrote in verse iambic pentameter.
  It didnt always rhyme but did have a rhythm
• Shakespeare did not use Old English. Scholars
  call his work Modern English.
• Words dont have the same meaning today as they
  did in Shakespeares time
• Shakespeare invented over 2,000 words

9
His Works

• Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets
• He wrote Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories
• Revenge was a popular theme in Shakespeares
  plays
• He also had many of his characters fall in love
  at first sight

10
Characters

• Kings and QueensRoyalty
• Common peopleShakespeare had roots with the
  common folk
• Fools and ClownsShakespeare used these
  characters to entertain
• Fairies, Witches and MagicVery popular in his
  plays
• Lovers and WarriorsRomeo and Juliet are his most
  well-known lovers

11
Some of the Comedies

• As You Like It
• The Comedy of Errors
• Cymbeline
• A Midsummer Nights Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• The Taming of the Shrew
• The Tempest
• Twelfth Night
• The Winters Tale

12
Some of the Histories

• King John
• King Richard II
• King Henry IV, Part 1
• King Henry IV, Part 2
• King Henry V
• King Richard III

13
Some of the Tragedies

• Antony and Cleopatra
• Hamlet
• Julius Caesar
• King Lear
• Macbeth
• Othello
• Romeo and Juliet

14
Shakespeares Sonnets

• He didnt invent it, but he perfected it
• Final couplet at the endlast two lines rhyme
• Sonnets are not titled, but numbered
• Sonnets are mostly in blank versemeaning they
  dont rhyme
• Shakespeares sonnets tell a story