The English Renaissance and William Shakespeare

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The English Renaissance and William Shakespeare

• How The Great Bard Was Born

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He was not of an age, but for all time Ben
Johnson on William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare circa 1609

• The most famous writer in history was just as
  influenced by the culture he was born into as he
  influences modern culture. In learning about his
  life and reading his works, we learn about
  ourselves and about human nature. It is no
  mistake that every high school student in this
  country studies Shakespeare. He is quite simply
  the best and you are about to experience the
  power of his writings.

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The Renaissance Period
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The Renaissance Period

• Renaissance literally means rebirth
• Rebirth of classical literature and art forms
• A Renaissance occurs when life is good (people
  are not fighting for survival)
• It is a high time for art and literature

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Italian Renaissance

• Occurred from 1300-1550 A.D.
• Marked as high time in art (THINK Teenage Mutant
  Ninja TurtlesMichelangelo, Donatello, Raphael,
  Leonardo)
• Authors Petrarch (sonnets) and Castiglione
  (courtier book)
• Influenced the English Renaissance Period

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English Renaissance

• Occurred between 1400-1600 A.D.
• Began with Henry VIII and ended with King James I
• Highest point occurred during Queen Elizabeth Is
  reign
• High time in literature Sidney, Spencer, Marlow,
  Shakespeare
• Courtiers (professional kiss-ups) were very
  important
• Social classes were strictly enforced
• Theaters thrived but were considered low-class

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Social Mobility

• During this time period, it was nearly impossible
  to rise above your birthif you were born a
  peasant, you died a peasant.
• Family name and nobility were very important
• One way to try and rise above your birth was
  through the practice of patronagethough how far
  you could rise was pre-determined by your family
  name.

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The Tudors

• English Reformation and Renaissance

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Henry Viii

• From the Tudor line
• Had SIX wives Catherine of Aragon(divorced),
  Anne Boleyn(beheaded), Jane Seymore (died), Ann
  of Cleves(divorced), Kathryn Howard (beheaded),
  Katherine Parr (survived)
• Divorced the Catholic Church in order to marry
  his mistress
• Wanted a male heir
• Fathered two daughters (Mary and Elizabeth) and
  one son (Edward)
• Was Catholic, Protestant, Catholic, Protestant .
  . . .

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Prince Edward

• The sole male heir to Henrys throne
• He was Protestant and upheld this faith in the
  country once in power
• Was ill and died shortly after gaining the throne
• Left behind no heir (too young to do so)

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Bloody Mary

• After Edwards short reign and early death, Mary
  took the English throne.
• Devoutly Catholic and looking to vindicate her
  mother (Henrys first wife), Mary vowed to wipe
  out Protestantism.
• Ordered the mass execution of Protestants to
  restore the Catholic faith.
• Died of cancer

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Queen Elizabeth I

• Bastard Queen, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne
  Boleyn
• Was both acknowledged and disowned by her father
  when he was alive
• Devoutly Protestant
• Virgin Queennever married, used her feminine
  wiles to gain and maintain power
• The art of flirtation became a lucrative
  enterprise during her reign
• Encouraged poetry and theater
• Powerful, wise, and important monarch
• Sustained many plots against her life

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King James I

• Was Queen Elizabeths Godson, inherited her
  throne.
• Patron of theaterShakespeares Kings Men were
  his favorite acting troupe.
• Solidified the Protestant faith with the creation
  of the King James Bible

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What does this have to do with Shakespeare????
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(No Transcript)
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Brief Biography of William Shakespeare

• April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616

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The Five Provable Facts About Shakespeare

• He was baptized on April 26, 1564
• There were no such things as birth certificates
  at this time. However, babies were usually
  baptized three days after their birthhence
  Shakespeares birth date of April 23, 1564
• He was married at the age of 18 to 26 year old
  Anne Hathaway (she was pregnant)
• He fathered three children (two girls, one boy)
• His son died young
• He was part owner of the Globe Theater
• He died on April 23, 1616

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It is a Mystery . . .

• Everything else that is known about the worlds
  greatest writer is speculation, best guesses, and
  agreed upon facts.
• Due to the lack of actual evidence of
  Shakespeares life, many people have questioned
  whether he really existed or not.
• The collection of works credited to him are all
  too similar to be the works of more than one
  person.
• Others argue that Shakespeare could not have been
  smart enough to write such important literature.
  
• Pure genius is often misunderstood

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Educated Guesses On The Rest of Shakespeares
Biography

• William Shakespeare was one of seven children
  born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden
• He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon
• His family was respected and wealthybut not
  noble
• He attended grammar school and learned Latin
• There is no evidence of further education beyond
  this
• By the early 1590s Shakespeare had left his wife
  and three children in Stratford-upon-Avon and
  traveled over 100 miles away to London to pursue
  his acting and writing career. He lived there
  for most of his adult life.
• His marriage was not greathe rarely went home to
  visit his wife and upon his death, he willed Anne
  his SECOND-BEST bed. Everything else went to his
  daughters.
• He became VERY wealthy in his life time which
  afforded him the chance to buy his familys coat
  of arms (a sign of nobility) and the largest
  estate in Stratford.
• His patrons included Sir Henry Wriothesley and
  King James I

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Shakespeares Career

• Wrote 37 plays
• Wrote comedies, tragedies, histories, and
  romances (not what you think)
• Also wrote 154 sonnets and several narrative
  poems all dedicated to Sir Henry Wriothesley
• He was an actor, writer, director, and business
  man
• Became known for his imaginative use of language
  and timelessness

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Effects of the Monarchy

• Shakespeare had to adjust his writings based on
  who was in power in England.
• Under Elizabethwomen were portrayed as strong,
  Catholicism was mocked, marriage was not made to
  be the ultimate goal for characters
• Under Jamesthe practice of courtiership was
  mocked and Shakespeare was freer to fully develop
  his characters