William Shakespeare The Bard

Transcription

1 William Shakespeare The Bard

2 Table of Contents & Links 3 13 Shakespeare's Birth, Childhood, and Early Adulthood s in London and the World The Theatres in London The Playwrights Shakespeare in London: The 1590s Early 1600s Shakespeare's Retirement and Death Shakespeare's Literary Legacy Challenges the Writers in Shakespeare's Times Why Study Shakespeare? 104 TERMS Please Read Before Presenting to Class Student Handout for presentation (print front/back) 107 Teacher's Answer Key Photo and information credits 110 Links to resources Presentation created and copyrighted by Tracee Orman, ; updated ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

3 Shakespeare's Birth, Childhood, and Early Adulthood

4 Childhood Born April 23 (we think), 1564 Stratford-upon-Avon, England His father was a local prominent merchant and served as alderman and bailiff for the city (both important roles in the city's government). Shakespeare's baptismal record on April 26, 1564.

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6 Childhood William was the fourth of eight children born to John and Mary (Arden) Shakespeare. William Shakespeare ( ) Joan Shakespeare Hart ( ) Gilbert Shakespeare ( ) Margaret Shakespeare ( ) Joan Shakespeare (1558) Anne Shakespeare ( ) Richard Shakespeare ( ) Edmund Shakespeare ( ) John Shakespeare ( ) Mary Arden Shakespeare (?-1608)

7 Depiction of Shakespeare's grammar school in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

8 Married Ann Hathaway in November of 1582 (he was 18, she was 26) Family Life

9 Family Life The couple had three children: Susanna, born in 1583; Twins Judith and Hamnet, born in 1585

10 Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith Shakespeare

11 The Lost Years We have no records of Shakespeare's life during this time period. It is speculated that he might have been a teacher, a butcher, or an actor to support his family. He also may have fled to London to escape prosecution for deer poaching on Thomas Lucy's estate.

12 During this time, we know Ann and the kids lived in Stratfordupon-Avon while William is in London. Shown above is Ann Hathaway's cottage.

13 IN We know that Shakespeare had already written several plays that were being performed in London by 1592 because he was being criticized by another playwright at the time. Robert Greene published a remark that basically called Shakespeare a hack who could never equivocate the genius of the more schooled playwrights of the time (Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, and Greene himself).

14 1590s in London & the World

15 The Renaissance in the 1590s The Renaissance started later in England (approx. 1520s) and literature and music dominated rather than the visual arts of the Italian Renaissance. Elizabethan madrigals (sung a cappella and usually for three to six voices) were popular. Thomas Morley was popular at the time and is the only known composer to set Shakespeare's work to music. In Italy, Galileo develops the first thermometer and an improved military compass. He played a large role in scientific discovery during this time. Caravaggio is a Baroque artist whose transformative work becomes influential for ushering in a new era in the art world.

16 London, Elizabethan Era Queen Elizabeth I ruled England ( ). Times are tumultuous, as people are accused of being spies, atheists, or witches. Several citizens and groups try to kill and/or overthrow the Queen. English explorers were crossing the ocean to the New World. And travelers coming to England LOVED watching plays...

17 The Theatres in London

18 About the theatres o Performances are banned in London due to the Bubonic Plague, so actors look for places to perform outside the city limits. o Though many authorities in London despised the plays, Queen Elizabeth loved them. o Later, Puritans condemn the plays and deem them immoral.

19 The Theatres... The Theatre The Rose The Swan The Globe The Blackfriars (indoor)

20 The First Theatres o Actor and "joiner" (carpenter) James Burbage built The Theatre, which was London's first permanent dedicated theatre built since Roman times. o The first theatres were on the outskirts of London-- away from the authorities.

21 The Theatre The Blackfriars The Rose The Swan The Globe

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23 The Theatre, built in 1576

24 The Rose, built in London's first "Bankside" theatre

25 The Swan, 1595

26 The Globe, Shakespeare helped construct in

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28 "Jacobean" Theatres The first Blackfriars Theatre, The second Blackfriars Theatre, Were indoor theatres in the nicer part of London Originally, the building was part of a Dominican monastery. The residents nearby did not want performances held there, so they petitioned and won.

29 Richard Burbage (prominent actor) owned the second theater and, beginning in 1609, it was used in the winter to perform many of Shakespeare's plays. "Jacobean" Theatres

30 People who attended the theatres included: -merchants -lawyers -laborers -prostitutes -visitors from other countries -nobility & royalty

31 No lighting No scenery--just a curtain Could hold around 2,000 people

32 The most expensive seats were directly behind the stage, called the gallery.

33 Though the people sitting there could only see the actors from behind, they themselves could be seen by everyone in the audience.

34 The theatres were closed during the Bubonic Plague in 1593, 1596, 1603, and 1608.

35 Theatre owners and acting troupes had little time to advertise and many of the theatregoers couldn't read. Therefore, they used a flag system to let audiences know when a play would be performed. Sometimes they used pictures on the flags, and sometimes just colors. The color of flag outside the theatre would indicate what type of play would be performed. FLAGS: = comedy; black = tragedy; = history

36 The Globe... Where did they get all the wood? Can you guess which play was the first to be performed in The Globe?

37 The Theatre The wood was transported from the Theatre to a storage site nearby the land for the Globe in December of The Globe

38 Burning down the house... The Globe went up in flames on June 29, 1613 during a performance of Henry the VIII when a canon (part of the show) misfired and hit the wooden beams and thatch roof.

39 The Leading Playwrights and Actors in the 1590s- 1600s

40 The London Playwrights... Thomas Kyd Ben Jonson Thomas Nashe Philip Henslowe's ( ) writers included: Robert Greene ( ) Christopher Marlowe ( ) Thomas Kyd ( ) Thomas Nashe ( ) Ben Jonson ( ) James Burbage's ( ) ringer: William Shakespeare ( ), the original "New Kid on the Block."

41 Shakespeare's Contemporaries Christopher Marlowe ( ) He was the first great playwright, paving the way for Shakespeare. He wrote and acted for The Lord Admiral's Company--which was The Lord Chamberlain's Men's arch-rivals. He was possibly Shakespeare's biggest influence. Most Notable Works Include: Tamburlaine the Great (1587), Dr. Faustus (1588), The Jew of Malta (1589), Edward II (1592)

42 Shakespeare's Contemporaries Ben Jonson ( ) Shakespeare was good friends with Jonson (he was the godfather Jonson's son). Jonson left a legacy of some of the most famous and quoted poems. He was with Shakespeare just days before Shakespeare died. Most Notable Works Include: Every man in His Humour (1598), Eastward Ho (1605), The Alchemist (1610), Bartholomew Fair (1614)

43 Who were the Players? The Admiral's Men ( ) The Lord Chamberlain's Men ( ) The Lord Chamberlain's Men performed mostly in The Theatre until Later they performed in the Globe.

44 Richard Burbage ( ) Burbage was Shakespeare's partner and leading actor in many of his plays. He was the star and continued acting until his death in 1619.

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46 Acting Troupes The actors were considered "shareholders" and owned stock or shares in the play texts, costumes, and props. Their pay depended on admission sales.

47 Acting The actors were all men; young boys (age 12-14) played the female parts.

48 You think memorizing a speech is hard? The actors during Shakespeare's time only had about three weeks to practice a new play. In one week, the troupes may perform six different plays (as many as 4,000 lines).

49 Acting troupes would perform plays per year, with the majority of them being brand new plays.

50 Costumes... Richly decorated Didn't always match up to the time period of the play Looking good was more important than being realistic!

51 Costumes...

52 Shakespeare in London: The 1590s - early 1600s

53 Success in London By , Shakespeare has written at least one play: Henry VI, Part One. According to a diary entry by The Rose Theatre owner Phillip Henslowe, the play was performed in March of 1592 and was widely successful; it was performed 15 times and earned more than most plays performed that year.

54 Success in London After being criticized by Robert Greene in 1592, Shakespeare builds a reputation for himself as a writer. In 1593, the theatres close due to the plague, so Shakespeare focuses on writing poetry for the next year.

55 Success in London In April of 1593 Shakespeare publishes Venus and Adonis a long poem dedicated to his patron, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. In 1594 the theatres reopen and Shakespeare's troupe becomes one of the most successful and popular acting troupes in London.

56 Tragedy Shakespeare's son Hamnet dies at age 11; At the time, Shakespeare was writing mainly comedies. Many say Hamnet's death was the influence for writing tragedies, especially Hamlet.

57 By 1597, Shakespeare... Had written several plays: Romeo and Juliet Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream The Taming of the Shrew Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3 Titus Andronicus Richard III

58 In Queen Elizabeth dies Shakespeare's troupe changes their name to The King's Men, becoming the first OFFICIAL theatre company of England's new king, James I

59 King James I

60 Shakespeare's Retirement & Death

61 Shakespeare's Last Years Shakespeare made wise investments and steadily made a name for himself. Because of this, he was able to retire comfortably, profiting from his investment in the Globe Theatre and The King's Men troupe. He purchased the second largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon, called New Place.

62 Shakespeare's Final Plays Shakespeare started collaborating with John Fletcher, a younger replacement playwright, to write his final plays. His last works are believed to be Henry VIII (1613) and The Two Noble Kinsman (possibly written in 1614).

63 Shakespeare's Last Years Between , Shakespeare returns to Stratford to his wife and family.

64 Shakespeare's Last Years His will, which he revised a month before dying, left the bulk of his estate to his oldest daughter, and the second-best bed to his wife. He dies April 23, 1616, of unknown causes, at the age of 53.

65 Shakespeare's Epitaph "Good Friends, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the bones enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones."

66 Shakespeare's Family Legacy Susanna married John Hall, a local physician, in They had one child, Elizabeth, in Shown below is a portrait of Susanna and a portrait of Elizabeth and her husband Thomas Nash.

67 Shakespeare's Family Legacy His younger daughter Judith married Thomas Quiney, who had a lessthan-stellar reputation. The couple had three boys, but the first son, named Shakespeare after his grandfather, died at the age of six months, and the other two died at the ages of 21 and 19 both in early Judith died in 1662.

68 Shakespeare's Family Legacy Elizabeth Hall Nash, Susanna's daughter, was the last living descendent of Shakespeare's after Judith's death. She died February 17, 1670.

69 Shakespeare's Literary Legacy

70 Love of the Language In Shakespeare's time, everyone loved the English language. There were no grammar rules, punctuation keys, OR spelling rules. The language was evolving; everyday new words were being borrowed from other languages, were made up, or used in unique ways. Shakespeare's language reflects this freedom and experimentation.

71 Style of Writing: Iambic Pentameter Is a sound pattern IAMB: one unaccented (or unstressed) syllable with one accented syllable It's like a heartbeat: ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum Five "ba-bum"s in a row make one line of iambic pentameter (10-syllable lines) Example: he WENT to TOWN today to BUY a CAR OR: In SOOTH / I KNOW / not WHY / I AM / so SAD

72 Why go Iambic to Pentameter all the trouble? Using iambic pentameter kept things moving in the play (like a drum beat) It made the words & play more interesting It helped the actors remember their lines (like a song)

73 Iambic Pentameter Where Did It Come From? The Greeks and Romans started combining drama & poetry. The English experimented with it, using verse and prose in their plays. In the 1590s "Blank Verse" (poetry that doesn't rhyme) was the new craze. The English language is harder to rhyme than French or Italian, and English is more heavily accented, making it easier to write in blank verse.

74 When Shakespeare set his words to iambic pentameter it is compared to the birth of rock-n-roll: a mixing of old styles and new sounds.

75 Challenges for Writers in Shakespearean Times

76 What would you do if you just lost your only copy of the paper you wrote?

77 In Shakespeare's time, you only had one copy of a play; there were no photo copies, carbon copies, or auto-saves.

78 In addition, after a playwright wrote it for the acting company, he no longer owned it. Scripts were often thrown out when they were no longer wanted or needed.

79 No copies of Shakespeare's plays in his own handwriting have survived (as far as we know). There are only six known and confirmed signatures in Shakespeare's handwriting; most are from his will. There are, however, many forgeries.

80 The Printing Press Johannes Gutenberg's printing press was developed in 1450 and by the mid- 1500s, was being used to publish poetry and prose; playwrights, however, strongly objected to having their plays published.

81 The belief at the time was that plays were meant to be SEEN and HEARD, not read. Companies may perform plays for years before they became printed. Plays weren't thought of as works of literature. They were "entertainment."

82 Quartos Small books of published plays were called "quartos." The first published works of Shakespeare's vary considerably, making it probable that they were written from actors' memories, or shorthand notes from a scribe working for a publisher, as opposed to Shakespeare himself. Scholars believe these are faulty versions, calling them "bad quartos." Or as we say today, "Pirated" versions.

83 Early Plagiarism... Acting troupes didn't want other acting troupes stealing and performing their plays. It was common that people would go watch the play and write down the lines they remembered, then sell the "quartos" to other acting troupes. Many think that much of Shakespeare's own work was stolen from other playwrights. Remember, back then there were no copyright laws!

84 FIRST FOLIO The first "official" printing of Shakespeare's work by his closest friends to preserve his work for posterity.

85 The first full collection of Shakespeare's work was published in 1623, seven years after his death. It was called "First Folio." It contained 36 plays (compiled by John Heminge and Henry Condell-- friends and fellow actors from Shakespeare's troupe The King's Men)

86 A Case of Bad Editing "First Folio," as well as many other works at that time, contained many errors, due to the fact sometimes the printers could not read the handwriting and had to memorize the lines as they set them on the press. The printers were the ones who decided how a line should be punctuated & spelled (rather than the writers or editors).

87 "First Folio" contained multiple errors--for example, there was no indication where Acts or Scenes began or ended. Today's Act and Scene divisions are based on shrewd "guesses" by generations of editors. There are many uncertainties, so even today's editions have variations in the text.

88 Why Study Shakespeare?

89 Why Study Shakespeare? Shakespeare has had a profound influence on our daily lives. Chances are, you've quoted Shakespeare without even knowing it! Have you ever said the following...

90 "in a pickle" "It's Greek to me." "too much of a good thing" "full circle" "break the ice"

91 "as luck would have it" "good riddance" "dead as a door-nail" "foul play" "up in arms" "wild goose chase"

92 "a laughing stock" "an eyesore" "send me packing" "without rhyme or reason" "flesh and blood" "seen better days"

93 "lie low" "hot-blooded" "heart of hearts" "mum's the word" "kill with kindness" "fight fire with fire"

94 "Once more into the breach." "method to my madness" "leapfrog" or "What the dickens?" If you've said or heard any of these phrases, you're quoting Shakespeare!

95 Even today, Shakespeare lives on. We can relate to Shakespeare's tales of love, hatred, revenge, courage, trust and deception.

96 Even today, Shakespeare lives on. Shakespeare was the first to create a romantic tragedy drama with Romeo and Juliet. To push it even further, he incorporated humor into the play.

97 Even today, Shakespeare lives on. His work is still being performed and adapted...

98 Even today, Shakespeare lives on. A reconstruction of The Globe theatre was spearheaded by lifelong supporter of Shakespearean drama and actor Sam Wanamaker. The new Globe opened in Reconstruction of the Globe

99 The New Globe, 1997 Reconstruction of the Globe

100 Reconstruction of the Blackfriars While the reconstruction of the Globe was underway in the 1990s by supporter Sam Wanamaker, the plans for a new Blackfriars indoor Jacobean theatre began. The new Blackfriars opened in January 2014 and was dedicated the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

101 The New Blackfriars: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 2014

102 Shakespeare continues to inspire art, poetry, drama, literature, vocabulary, and so much more.

103 Presentation T. Orman, , updated 2015

104 Shakespeare's Life and Times (P. 1) DIRECTIONS - Answer the following questions as you view the presentation. 1. Shakespeare's date of birth: Place of birth: Name: Date: 2. How many children did Shakespeare have? 3. Who was the ruler of England in the 1590s? 4. What is the name of the first permanent theatre built in London during Shakespeare's time? 5. What did the different color flags indicate? Why were they used? 6. Which theatre was constructed from the wood of the theatre in question #4? 7. Name two other playwrights and one fact about each one: 8. What was the name of Shakespeare's acting troupe (either before or after they changed their name)? 9. What did the actors pay depend upon? 10. Describe the costumes used in the plays. 11. What does Shakespeare do when the theatres close in 1593?

105 Shakespeare's Life and Times (P. 2) Continued from Page Who did Shakespeare collaborate with on his final plays? Name: Date: 13. Shakespeare's date of death: 14. What is iambic pentameter? How many syllables is in one line of iambic pentameter? 15. Why was iambic pentameter used? 16. What are "quartos"? 17. What was the name of the first printed complete work of Shakespeare's? 18. Give one reason why many mistakes were made in these first printings: 19. What was missing from that first edition (missing from the plays)? 20. Why were playwrights hesitant to publish their plays? (Give at least two reasons.) 21. Write at least two sayings/phrases that Shakespeare coined: 22. Why do we study Shakespeare today?