The Life and Times of William Shakespeare

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The Life and Times of William Shakespeare
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K.W.L.

• Make a burrito out of your paper
• Lets do a KWL

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ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE was born on April 23, 1564 in
the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, England to Mary
Arden and John Shakespeare. His dad made some
money in the glove business, eventually opened a
general store and over the years bought some
property. Will was the third of eight children
and received a free boyhood education because of
his father's position as alderman. Indications in
his later writing suggest that as a kid
Shakespeare enjoyed football, field sports and
arguing with the referees. The Shakespeare's were
comfortable, but not aristocrats by any means. By
the time William was fifteen the family's
fortunes were in decline. Business was bad. This
just meant that when Will came of age, he had to
work for a living.
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Obviously, there were not a lot of entertainment
options at the time. Books were not in wide
circulation and anyone with half a brain could
only take so much of that crappy re-order music
and those inane puppet shows - so Shakespeare had
the brilliant idea of becoming an actor.
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Shakespeares history

• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England
• Birth date unknown, but baptismal date April 26,
  1564
• Date of Death April 23, 1616
• First Folio published in 1623
• The Lost Years 1585 to 1592

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(No Transcript)
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THE FAMILY

• Married Anne Hathaway November 29, 1582- shes 26
• Father John Shakespeare
• Mother Mary Arden
• Kids-
• Susanna (66) 1583
• twins Judith (77) and Hamnet (11)- 1585

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Write an Inference!

• Based on the evidence in the previous slide, what
  can we infer about William Shakespeare . . Fast
  Willy?

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(No Transcript)
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Education and theater

• Attended Stratford Grammar school until age 14
• Studied Latin and Greek
• Leaves family in England, goes to London
• Joins Lord Chamberlains Men
• Later known as The Kings Men

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Shakespeares career

• Made a living as actor, part owner in Globe
  theater, playwright
• Writes three types of plays
• Retires in 1610

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The time period

• The English Renaissance or Elizabethan Era
• Named after Queen Elizabeth I, first female
  monarch
• She was the daughter of Henry VIII
• Bubonic Plague was a major cause of death and
  illness, affected Globe sales in 1592 1608-1610
• King James succeeded her

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THE GLOBE THEATER

• Held 2,500 to 3,000 people
• Built in 1599
• Shakespeare owned 10
• Had a flag on top to signaled that a play was
  happening that day
• Performed in afternoon because of sunlight

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Picture of the Globe theater

• http//www.argo217.k12.il.us/departs/english/blett
  iere/globe.pdf

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Globe Continued

• Only men acting, women were not allowed to act
• Burned down in 1613
• Rebuilt in 1614, but Shakespeare has retired from
  the Globe

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Shakespeare's Language

• Blank Verse unrhymed iambic pentameter verse
• Meter recurrence in a poetic line of a regular
  rhythmic unit
• Foot combination of stressed and unstressed
  syllables which constitutes the meter.
• Iambic- an unstressed followed by a stressed
  syllable
• e.g. re-call . . .
• Heroic couplets 2 rhyming lines to finish a
  passage of verse
• Soliloquy an extended speech in which a
  character is alone on stage
• Aside A statement said out loud but can only be
  heard by the speaker and the audience. Other
  characters onstage cannot hear it

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Shakespearean Play types- 39 total

• History used to generate funds and appease the
  benefactor (King James), slightly accurate
  historically speaking
• Henry IVs, Ricahrd II, Richard III, Julius
  Caesar, Henry V, Henry VIII
• Tragedy a serious play dealing with the problems
  of a central usually noble character that end
  with calamitous events and death.
• Romeo Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, MacBeth,
  Othello
• Romance/ Comedy a lighthearted play dealing with
  redemption stories and love plots/ triangles,
  often mystical and fantastic
• The Tempest, Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer
  Nights Dream, The Winters Tale

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5 acts of fun- Tragedy

• Act I Introduction- introduces the complication
  (plot) that is to stir the protagonist from the
  regular path includes a moral conflict in most
  tragedies. When s/he chooses incorrectly/ evil
  and defies foreshadowing, it is called a tragic
  flaw the element that leads to a heros
  unfolding.
• Act II Dramatic Action Increases- more
  difficulties are added to the plot to compound
  the conflict

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5 Acts of Fun cont

• Act III Turning Point (climax)- Protagonist
  makes a mistake and cannot turn back. His fate
  is sealed and the dramatic irony builds because
  the audience can perceive what will ultimately
  happen.
• Act IV Tease of Success- In the 4th acts the
  protagonist generates a plan, sometimes with help
  from other characters or foils (characters in
  contrast to the protagonists), that will
  successfully resolve the conflict. This builds
  tension because it contrasts with the
  foreshadowing.
• Act V Catastrophe- The final predicted
  resolution is enacted and many people die
  including the protagonist. The Catharsis is
  sometimes fulfilling but typically leaves crowd
  saddened and awakened through their sympathy.

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Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vAU1zJofOY60

• We will be reading Shakespeares Play Romeo and
  Juliet. What can you tell me about this play?
  Write a K.W.L about what you know about the play
  Romeo and Juliet.

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What do you know about this play?
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Romeo and Juliet the history of the play

• Categorized as a tragedy
• Not an Original Story
• Story set in Verona, Italy
• Story is about 2 feuding families
• Montagues- Romeo
• Capulets- Juliet
• Retellings-
• West Side Story, The Adventures of Huckleberry
  Finn,