william shakespeare. the exact date of shakespeare’s birth is unknown. father: john shakespeare...

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The exact date of Shakespeares birth is unknown. Father: John Shakespeare a craftsman (grain / gloves) working his way up Stratfords social ladder. Mother: Mary Arden daughter of Richard Arden (a respectable gentleman) has inherited money and land. Mary had given birth to two girls before William but both had died very young. William was baptised on 26 April 1564 at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon. (Babies were usually 3 days old when baptised so we can assume that he was born on 23 April). Siblings: Gilbert, Richard, Joan and Edmund.

Stratford-Upon-Avon was a quiet market town during Shakespeares time with a population of less than 2,000 people. People sold animals and goods at the markets and the town was known for its fairs and malting (beer). 1 in 3 children survived to adulthood during Shakespeares time and 40 was considered old. Stratford was hit with the bubonic plague when Shakespeare was just a few months old and it killed 300 people in the town.

John Shakespeare was elected one of the towns 14 alderman (their job was to ensure laws were upheld). In 1568, he became the towns bailiff (a modern day mayor). He applied for a Coat of Arms which were essential to ones social status. Unfortunately, he had lent money which was against the law. The authorities were informed he stopped attending council meetings. He had to sell some of his land and was slowly going into debt.

School wasnt compulsory during Shakespeares time. Girls werent allowed to attend and the poorer families never went. At 5 years old, Shakespeare attended the local petty school. It is here that he learnt to read and write English and complete simple mathematical problems. At 7 years old he went to the grammar school Kings New School. Shakespeare would have had lessons on Latin, Religious Studies, Grammar, Maths, Greek and Classical History and Rhetoric (Public Speaking an idea left by the Romans). He didnt attend university he was 15 when he left school and he helped with his fathers glove-making business.

Shakespeare was married at age 18. By law, he was still a minor and had to seek permission from his father. His bride, Anne Hathaway aged 26, was already three months pregnant. *NB: 26 was quite old for a lady to still be single. On 27 November 1582 Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married by the Bishop of Worcester. Anne gave birth to their daughter, Susanna, six months after their marriage. She was baptised on 26 May 1583. Two years after Susannas birth, Anne gave birth to twins Judith and Hamnet who were baptised on 2 February 1585.

The Lost Years 1585 1592. In 1592, Shakespeare is recorded as being in London. The population had risen to 200,000 people it was cramped, dirty, smelly and dangerous and yet it was popular with the tourists. The River Thames was vital to the city a source for trade, drinking water and the citys sewer! Popular entertainment in London included: Football, Bear-baiting, Cockfighting, Laughing at loonies, Executions, Theatre.

Theatres in Britain were first built by the Romans, although they collapsed with the Roman Empire. In the medieval period, theatre was performed at fairgrounds, churches, inns and market squares. Mimes and miracle (religious) plays were popular. During the 1500s companies of actors put on plays and travelled across the country. They could tour as they liked until the new Acte for the punishment of Vacabondes was introduced which insisted that travelling actors be under the patronage of a nobleman. James Burbage received patronage from the Earl of Leicester (the Queens cousin) and then two years later, in 1574, by the Queen herself (Elizabeth II)

James Burbage established the first purpose -built theatre in London since Roman times. It was aptly named The Theatre. It was an immediate success when it opened in 1576. Its popularity was followed by other theatres the Curtain in 1577 and ten years later the Rose which opened on Bankside (the time in which Shakespeare arrived in London). In London, plays were performed every day. A silk flag was flown on the theatres roof informing people of the upcoming performance. A trumpet would sound, just before 2oclock to remind people to hurry to their seats. Prices different depending on where you were seated. One penny was charged to be a groundling (standing in the court) and tuppence for a seat in the gallery. Private boxes could be hired by nobles for a shilling. The theatres had no roof and were thus, exposed to the elements. Performances went from April through to October (mainly the summer months) Everyone went to the theatre: It is one place where the rich and poor met on equal terms.

The Puritans disapproved of the theatre. (*NB: Puritans were a part of the English Protestant Church) They particularly disapproved because they felt it made people lazy, warped peoples minds, spread disease (the plague), encouraged crime (robbery), competed with church services and was the work of the Dark Lord Beelzebub. Elizabethan audiences were loud people clapped or cheered the hero and booed the villain! Actors that werent liked were often pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables. Hawkers would sell bottles of beer, wine, fruit, nuts and cakes. Pickpockets were common. Women could watch the plays as part of the audience, however, they could not perform on the stage!

In 1592, Will had left Stratford and his wife behind and was now working as an actor in a company called the Lord Chamberlains Men. He was also already writing plays. The plays were divided up into three categories: Tragedy, Comedy and History. It is believed that the first of Shakespeares plays to be performed was Henry VI, Part 1, 2 and 3.

The theatres were closed in 1593 due to an outbreak of the plague and they remained shut until 1594. Poetry was considered art in Shakespeares day. Making their authors very successful. Shakespeares first poem, Venus and Adonis published in 1593, was 1,125 lines long! In May 1594, Shakespeares much darker poem, The Rape of Lucrece was published. The poem was another instant smash hit! The two poems were dedicated to Shakespeares patron Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Another poem, The Phoenix and the Turtle was published in the next year but it didnt catch on like the others.

Over a period of ten years starting in 1593, Shakespeare wrote sonnets. The format and style of the poem was devised by the Italians in the thirteenth century and were very much the fashion in Elizabethan England in around 1590. Shakespeare ended up writing 154 of them! Sonnets had a format of 14 lines with a strict rhyming scheme. They often changed subject after line 8 and the final two lines were used to make a general comment to the reader. Each line also had to be ten syllables long. Shakespeares sonnets include descriptions of nature, plants and animals. They express the human emotions of love, passion, jealousy and death.

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When the theatres re-opened in 1594, there were two brand new companies: The Lord Admirals Men and The Lord Chamberlains Men (the one Shakespeare joined). There was a great rivalry between these two companies. The Lord Admirals Men were based at the Rose Theatre, south of the River Thames. The Lord Chamberlains Men were based at James Burbages The Theatre. William Shakespeare became their chief playwright with most of his plays being staged there in the 1590s. Shakespeare wrote two plays per year and also appeared as an actor in small roles. THE LORD CHAMBERLAINS MEN When Shakespeare joined the company he became a sharer, meaning he was paid a share of the companys profits. He paid 30 to become a sharer. Each month, half of the profits were distributed amongst the sharers whilst the rest went back into the theatre to purchase costumes and props. Theatre companies stopped touring as they now had permanent homes.

The Theatre had to change plays regularly to maintain audience interest. Shakespeare would have handed over his original manuscripts to the company when complete known as foul papers as they were often foul with crossings out and corrections. A scribe was then hired to make fair copies for the companys actors. Actors were only given their part to learn to save time. Scenes were listed with the characters entrances and exits (called a platt or plot) and displayed backstage.

In the 1590s, Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlains Men performed regularly for the Queen. However, she never went to the theatre the theatre came to her! (Performing for the Queen was the highest honour for an actor and of course playwright) Between 1590 and 1596, Shakespeares status had grown as the most successful playwright in London. He organised to have a family Coat of Arms. The motto Non Sanz Droict meant not without right. William and John Shakespeare were now officially gentlemen. Now financially stable, Shakespeare purchased a house in Stratford- Upon-Avon called New Place.

13 April 1597 the lease on The Theatre where the Lord Chamberlains Men performed ran out. The rent increased from 14 to 24. The landlord then demanded to have the building back after 5 years but Burbage refused. A new site for the Blackfriars was found in the middle of London, but the plan fell apart and Burbage died. The landlord wanted to pull down the building to put the timber to better use. The Lord Chamberlains men took down the theatre and set it up on a new site during their landlords absence.

The Globe was a fitting name for a new theatre as it was an age of discovery. Sailors were now reaching unchartered shores across the... Globe! The logo for The Globe Theatre showed the Greek god Hercules carrying the world on his shoulders. The Burbage family offered leading people shares in not just the company but the building as well and Shakespeare jumped at this opportunity. The theatre which opened in 1599 could seat up to 3,000 people. The new theatre had been built only 50 metres away from the Rose Theatre and The Admirals Men were very unhappy about Shakespeares company taking over their patch. The Globe was new while The Rose was old and damp. The Admirals Men kept on acting for a while before making the decision to built a theatre down the river called The Fortune. They entertained audiences there for 20 years.

There were three levels of gallery seating. Fashion patrons paid to be seen. Rich guests wanting to show off paid extra for seats that were in a gallery behind the actors on stage. Clothes were important as status symbols to the Elizabethans. (the poor people werent allowed to wear ruffs around their necks) Costumes matched the times elaborate and expensive Special effects: bloody sword fights, sound effects The plays would often have a soundtrack of live music.

The Queen died and James, her cousin, becomes king. (James VI of Scotland / James I England). Queen Elizabeth had been on the throne for 45 years. The new King, James I, loved the theatre 1o days after arriving in England he adopted the Lord Chamberlains men and the Kings Men was born. A new outbreak of the plague... again! Chain of Being History Plays. The supernatural many people would have believed in spells, magic and folklore. Shakespeares plays often reflect the belief at the time. Ghosts, witches, spirits and magic are common in his plays as science with its many theories, was only just beginning.

In 1609 Shakespeares company took over the Blackfriars Theatre. As it had no roof, The Globe was only good for summer. The company performed at the Blackfriars in the winter, meaning they could perform all year round. The theatre could only seat 700 people as opposed to The Globes 3000. The company charged more money at this venue. Shakespeare bought into the company. The Blackfriars Theatre made double the profit of The Globe. Plague...again

Shakespeare retired between 1611 and 1613 nearly 50 years old. 1613 the globe burnt down during a performance of Henry VIII. A cannon misfired and set light to the theatres roof. It was decided that they rebuild it to open the next summer for business. This time it had no thatched roof only tiles. The Globe Theatre survived for another 30 years until Oliver Cromwell (a Puritan) shut it down in 1642. The building itself was torn down in 1644

Shakespeares Will in 1616, Shakespeare left his wife the second best bed. After signing the will he fell ill with a fever and on 23 April 1616 (52 nd birthday?), Shakespeare died. Shakespeare was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon- Avon. He wrote the epitaph for his own tombstone : Good friend, for Jesus sake forbear / To dig the dust enclosed here: Blest be the man that spares these stones / And curst be he that removes my bones

Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. John Hemings and Henry Condell (actors with the Kings Men) had 36 of Shakespeares plays published in one leather bound folio. (A folio being a large book). Shakespeares plays had been printed prior to this in unofficial, cheap editions. They were made from notes made during their performances which were taken in secret from scripts or nicked from the theatre. November 1623 The First Folio was printed and it sold for 1. 200 copies still exist today. Hamlet key play in looking at Shakespeares language.

After the puritans had shut Englands theatres in 1642, they were reopened when the monarchy returned in the Restoration (women were now allowed to perform on the stage for the first time, new plays were written and new theatres built). Shakespeares plays were performed on the stage again (he was still very popular) although some writers thought his work could improve and they rewrote and changed them i.e. William Davenant and Nahum Tate who often gave Shakespeares tragedies a happy ending

1800s Nineteenth Century people returned to the original scripts. 1900s Twentieth Century Shakespeare goes to Hollywood. Another Globe Theatre was built on the banks of the Thames. Traditional craftsmen and original materials were used in the new development. Officially reopened in 1997.

william shakespeare. the exact date of shakespeare’s birth is unknown. father: john shakespeare...

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