Exploring Love, Loyalty, &

Relationships

Your Task:

Each student will choose a song about love, loyalty, violence, or hate to share with the class. We will play one song at the beginning of each class.

You will provide the name of the artist and song, explain why you chose it, and how it relates to the theme(s).

Journal:

How do you develop and keep relationships with your friends,

family, and with someone special?

William Shakespeare1564 - 1616“Romeo and Juliet”

William Shakespeare’s Snitterville childhood home, near Stratford, England. Paternal grandfather, Richard Shakespeare

cared for him and was a tenant farmer.

Family• Shakespeare's other grandfather was Robert Arden of

Wilmecote. • The Ardens were Catholic, and Robert had married more

than once. • This would have been looked down upon. • The name of his second wife was Agnes Hill. • Together they had at least eight daughters. • Robert Arden collected many properties. Before he died,

he gave control of his lands to his daughter Mary. • She was only 16 years old.

Mother• In 1556, John Shakespeare married Mary Arden

(daughter of Robert Arden of Wilmecote). Her family’s house is below.

Father• Around 1532, John Shakespeare (William’s

father) moved to Stratford from Snitterfield. • He worked as a glover.• John Shakespeare was quite successful and

eventually began businesses in farming and wool.

• In 1552, he purchased his house and more property. Because John Shakespeare owned more than one house, the exact location of William's birth is not known.

• John Shakespeare was very active in local politics and was elected to many important town positions.

• In 1570, he applied to the College of Heralds for a coat of arms. His application was unexpectedly withdrawn. In the next few years, John Shakespeare went from wealthy business owner to debtor.

• In 1579, he had to mortgage his wife’s land to pay off his debts.

• In 1586, the town removed him from the town council because of lack of attendance.

• By 1590, the only thing he owned was his house.• Near the very end of John Shakespeare's life, his social and

economic position began to grow again. Again, he applied for a coat of arms. This time he received one.

• Many think this was due to the success of his son William Shakespeare.

William ShakespeareEducation

• William Shakespeare probably began his education at the age of six or seven at the Stratford grammar school.

MarriageAnne Hathaway

• At age 18, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. She was twenty-six years old and several months pregnant.

• Before she married, Anne lived in her childhood home. This home is known today as Hathaway Cottage.

• After their marriage, the couple moved into John Shakespeare’s home. This was customary for the time.

Children• William and Anne’s first child was a daughter, Susannah,

born in 1583.• In January 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith arrived but died

of an unknown cause in 1596. • By this time, William Shakespeare moved to London to

realize his dreams on the English stage

Family Tree

Career and Plays• Mysteriously, there are

two chunks of time in Shakespeare’s life that are unaccounted for.

• These include his early years after grammar school, and from 1585 to 1592.

• It has been suggested that during these later years William was doing research for his plays and perfecting his art.

• Many of his plays involve history so it would have been necessary to research this information.

• Shakespeare was also an actor who performed in other people’s play. As his plays became more famous, he acted less and less.

10 Famous Plays1. Hamlet2. Romeo and Juliet3. Henry V4. Midsummer Night’s Dream5. Macbeth6. Richard III7. Julius Caesar8. Twelfth Night9. The Taming of the Shrew10. Othello, Moore of Venice

Shakespeare’s Death• Some people think he developed a fever and never

recovered. • Others think he had a deadly, internal bleeding in

his brain. • We do know that diseases like plague, syphilis,

typhus, scurvy, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, dysentery, and even toothaches shortened the average life expectancy to 35 years.

• Shakespeare lived a relatively long and healthy life when he died at the age of 52.