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William William ShakespeareShakespeare

The World's The World's Most Most

Famous WriterFamous Writer

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Shakespeare is considered the world's greatest dramatist.

Born – April 23, 1564Died – April 23, 1616

Stratford-upon-Avon, EnglandMiddle-Class parents Shakespeare was 3rd of 8 children

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Great Britain, including England, Shakespeare’s home

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England

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Stratford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and raised

London, where Shakespeare’s reputation was born (and where his was located)

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1571 – Shakespeare probably (records lost) began attending the King's New School, a grammar school of good quality in Stratford

Teachers at the school were graduates of Oxford University and were very strict with students

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1582 – Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway – he was 18, she was 26. She gave birth to a daughter the next year.

Little is known about the next 8-10 years of Shakespeare's life – few records exist (Scholars call this period The Lost Years)

Most likely he was in London trying to succeed in the theatre

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Anne HathawayAnne Hathaway’’s s HomeHome

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1592 – First evidence that Shakespeare had moved to London and was working in the theater

mid-1592-1594 – outbreak of plague closed the London theaters, so…

Shakespeare began to write poetry and

Became well known for a 14 line poem called a sonnet

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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owest;Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet 18

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1594 – Shakespeare was part of a group that founded the company of players called Lord Chamberlain's Men (later called the King's Men)

Lord Chamberlain's Men was a very successful company of players (actors) – by the turn of the century, they had the:– best actor, Richard Burbage– best theater, The Globe– best playwright, W. Shakespeare

Only men were allowed to work as actors at the time, so women’s roles in plays were usually played by boys & young men.

Because of this, playwrights often limited female characters’ lines and stage time as much as possible.

We often overlook this fact when considering Shakespeare’s plays, but it’s something to keep in mind when you imagine the portrayal of his female characters.

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1594-1608 – Shakespeare worked in London as a playwright and actor. (Age 30-45)

This is the period when he solidified himself as the most popular playwright in London.

He did not gain recognition as an unrivaled genius until later generations studied his works more closely.

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1599 – Shakespeare and his partners built a new theater in a suburb of London. It was called The Globe - his 10-12% ownership in this theater helped Shakespeare make his fortune

The Globe was one of the largest in the London area – held 3,000 spectators (for reference, there are about 1,300 students at North)

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The Globe(This is a modern recreation of the theater.)

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The first play ever performed at The Globe was Shakespeare’s own “Julius Caesar”.

The Globe later burned down during a performance of “Henry VIII”.

A cannon was fired for special effect in one of the scenes. Some of the sparks landed on the thatch of the roof and created a monstrous fire.

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1599-1608 – Period in which Shakespeare wrote the plays which made him famous: comedies Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night; the history Henry V, and great tragedies Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello

1608-1616 – Shakespeare most likely split his time between Stratford and London

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Shakespeare wrote only 4 plays during the last 8 years of his life

April 23, 1616 – Shakespeare died and was buried inside the Stratford parish church

Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, which have been divided into comedies, histories, and tragedies

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Trinity Church, burial site of Trinity Church, burial site of ShakespeareShakespeare

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Burial site, inside the church

Shakespeare’s grave reads:

“Good friend for Jesus sake forbear,To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man who spares

these stones,And cursed be he who moves my

bones.”

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Reason for his appeal?

1) understanding of human nature

2) knew people's motivations, desires, fears – still valid 400 years later

 3) had to make great use of language

because of the conditions of the theater at that time: no lights, no scenery

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4) produced characters that have meaning beyond the time and place of his plays (timeless)

 5) created remarkably individual

characters for his plays. Kings, pickpockets, drunks, generals, hired killers, shepherds, and philosophers all mingle in Shakespeare's plays

6) was a master of language and symbolism

Significance today

Shakespeare's plays are still extremely popular today

Many have been made into movies – some several times

– Plays are still read, debated and discussed: 400 years after he wrote them

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Have you seen these Shakespeare movies?

“West Side Story” – (Romeo and Juliet)

“10 Things I Hate About You” – (Taming of the Shrew)

“She’s The Man” – (Twelfth Night)

“Much Ado About Nothing”

“The Lion King” – (Hamlet and Richard III)

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Significance today

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Significance todayShakespeare "invented" many words & phrases that are still used today:lonely academe leapfrog assassin swagger

All that glitters is not gold All's well that ends wellBrave new worldBreak the ice Come what mayFor goodness' sake

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Good riddanceHeart of goldIt was Greek to meKill with kindness Love is blindNaked truthFull circle

Significance today

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