Shakespeare: Background to the the Bard

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ShakespeareBackground to the the Bard

• By Sean DeLuca

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The Man

• William Shakespeare was born in Strafford on
  Avon, England. Our best guess was that he was
  born on April 23rd,1564, but we cant be sure. He
  died on that same date in 1616.
• His father was a successful leatherworker/ glove
  maker who later became a politician. He
  eventually became the mayor of his home town.

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More on the Man

• Shakespeare attended Strafford Grammar
  School,(true) where he was the captain of the
  basketball team and was voted most likely to make
  a great play! (NOT!)
• There are many unanswered questions about his
  early life. It is believed he had a modest
  education, yet he wrote from a broad base of
  knowledge and his vocabulary was larger than any
  other Elizabethan writer.
• Source http//shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/ti
  meline.htm

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Money Makers
This chart explains the breakdown of
Shakespeares financial revenue sources.
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The Man the Marriage

• In 1582, at the age of 18, he married Ann
  Hathaway who was 26. She was three months
  pregnant at the time.
• The had three children, one of whom Hamnet, died
  at the age of 11.
• We do not know if their marriage was happy. In
  his Will (er- will) he left her his second best
  bed. It was possibly out of a romantic memory,
  but some say it was slight to his wife.

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The Man on the Move

• Sometime between 1582 and 1589, Shakespeare moved
  to London to further his career as an actor and a
  playwright.
• Little is known about his early years in London,
  but critics were generally unimpressed with is
  ability.

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Moving on Up

• Even with the tepid reviews, by 1585 Shakespeare
  was able to make a living as a playwright, and
  was soon a member of The Lord Chamberlain's
  Men, one of the more popular group of actors and
  playwrights in London

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Making a Name

• In 1589 he had his first play, Henry VI
  performed. This was followed by Richard III.
• His popularity was growing steadily until the
  plagues that ravaged Europe closed the theaters
  for most of 1593 and 1594.

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Continued

• It was during this time that he started writing
  most of his poetry. His famous sonnets were
  written for Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of
  Southampton, who was his patron.
• This kept him employed while the theaters were
  closed.
• The money he made from Wriothesley enabled him to
  buy shares in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a
  financial move that paid off significantly in the
  years to come.

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Making the Money

• Due to the success of his plays, sonnets and some
  wise investments in Strafford, in 1599
  Shakespeare was able to become a part owner of
  the Globe theater, the most successful theater in
  all of London.

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The Making of a Monarch

• In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died, ending the
  Elizabethan era. She left no direct heir to the
  throne, which caused fighting, plotting and
  scheming. Eventually her cousin James VI from
  Scotland became King James I of England.
• Because James translated into Latin is Jacob,
  this era was called the Jacobean period in both
  English history and in Shakespeares plays.

In with the new!
Out with the old,
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• King James became a patron of Shakespeares
  acting company and they renamed themselves The
  Kings Men.
• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to please his patron
  and keep the money coming.

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King James Connection to Macbeth

• Shakespeare demonstrates a direct line from
  Banquo (a noble warrior in Macbeth) to James.
  James enjoyed this because of the questions about
  his right to rule.
• The play is set in Scotland and portrays the
  people (except the Macbeths)as noble and brave.

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Continued

• Along with the usual bloodshed,murder, and
  beheadings, the play features witches, prophesy
  and magic.
• These were topics that James found especially
  fascinating. He was responsible for King James
  translation of Bible and wrote Demonology about
  identification of witches.

Double, double Toil and Trouble
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• Where theres a Will, theres a play!

Out, Out brief candle!