William Shakespeare

The Renaissance

• Some consider this period a continuation of the culture and achievements before this time.

• The Renaissance lasted from about 1300 –1650 A.D.

• Began in Italy and moved its way to England.

• The word means “rebirth”- or a return to ancient Greek and Roman ideas.

Science

• The study of anatomy, especially, had been taboo before, many considering it against the beliefs of the Church.

• Major changes and innovations were coming about during the Renaissance.

• The study of the universe, anatomy, disease and mechanics became prevalent.

Science

• Copernicus• Leonardo Da Vinci• Scientia + Philosophia = knowledge and

love of wisdom• Human reason

Humanism

• This period allowed for the expression of the individual as a person, not just as a messenger of God. It allowed a new intellectual freedom from the medieval traditions.

• By Shakespeare’s time (16th Century), this thinking had reached England.

Erasmus - Humanism

• Belief in developing the “whole man” – the body and spirit

• Belief in the “perfectibility” of man, the pleasures of the world here and now, and in personal freedom.

• Emphasis was placed on free inquiry, rational examination of religious practices and a critical attitude toward the church.

Elizabethan Life• There is a set social order, and people know their

places.• Large households would have servants:

Grooms/serving men

Serving maids/ladies’ maids• Sense of dignity: master does not “fetch and

carry”, servant does not allow the master to fetch and carry.

• A good master is paternalistic but stern (displaying honorable behavior toward servants).

Country Life• Very difficult life, like slaves to their landowners• Could not marry or travel without their landlord’s

permission• Required to pay a percentage of earnings or profits

back to the landlord• Lived only to their 30s• Many diseases, little medicine• Babies and children often died

Elizabethan Entertainment

• Drinking in pubs/gambling (bear baiting/dog fighting)• Town fairs, contests, sports and games• (peasants needed their masters’ permission to attend).• Minstrels, jugglers, acrobats were popular• Sunday afternoons: bladder ball (soccer), rounders (kind of

like baseball), archery, wrestling• Nobles: played at tennis (an indoor sport), battledores,

shuttlecocks (badminton), fencing and horse riding (jousts)

Elizabethans and Strangers

• England was wary of strangers or outsiders.• Black: worked in brothels or were hired as “exotic

servants”. They were regarded with curiosity and suspicion.

• Black color was associated with ugliness, savagery and sin.

• Jews: In 1290, England deported the Jews en masse to France. It was another 430 years before they could establish Jewish communities. Many stayed but hid their beliefs.

• Amsterdam and Venice flourished at this time, however, because of their open communities of Jews.

• Money lending was the only job they were legally able to do.

King Henry and His Wives

• Catherine of Aragon – Divorced– Mary (Bloody Mary)

• Anne Boleyn – Beheaded– Elizabeth I

• Jane Seymour – Died– King Edward

• Anne of Cleves - Divorced• Catherine Howard - Beheaded• Catherine Parr - Survived

The Tudor Monarchy

•

During Shakespeare’s time, Queen Elizabeth I was queen. She was a controversial queen in many ways, primarily because her father had gained a divorce and broke with the Catholic Church in order to marry her mother, Anne Boleyn. She was also controversial because she never married nor did she produce an heir.

Henry VIII – 1509-1547

Edward – 1547-1553

Mary – 1553 -1558

Elizabeth I – 1558-1603

James I

Shakespeare’s Life

• Very enigmatic – not very reliable or detailed records kept about his life.

• Born on April 23rd (guess) 1564 – died April 23, 1616• Baptized April 26th (usually done 3 days after a baby’s

birth). • Notion was common at the time that great men were

born and died on the same day.• Questions exist about the actual spelling of his last

name: Shakespeare, Shackerpeare, Shaxpeare?

Shakespeare’s Life

•

b. 1564 – d. 1616

• Grew up in Stratford-on-Avon, a market town of about 1500 inhabitants

• Son of a well to do tradesman

• Had only a grammar school education

• Marries Anne Hathaway at 18 (she was 26) in November 1582. Their first child was born in May 1583.

• By 21, he had a wife and three children.

• There is no record of him from 1585-1592. In 1592 he appeared as an actor on the London stage.

His Plays

• Shakespeare wrote 37 plays that spanned a career of about 20 years.

• He also wrote many long poems and was well known for his sonnets.

• His most mature plays came after 1598 – including As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Othello, Macbeth,Hamlet and King Lear.

Comedy• Shakespeare wrote many comedies. • In comedy, the protagonist does not die• Main characters usually end up married.• The comedy arises from the situations the

characters are placed in.• Most of the comedies are love stories and deal in

confusion.• Very often, the comedies involved identity

swapping and gender disguises.

Tragedy• Protagonist dies

• Ideals of the “tragic hero” apply

• There is always a villain, usually who takes advantage of the hero’s flaw and brings it out into the open

• Villains are almost always caught and punished.

• There is a belief in “Divine Justice” – In other words, God would punish them.

The Plots• Shakespeare stole most of his plots from other

sources and then added and changed them. He borrowed from well known myths, other plays and stories, often of Italian origin.

• Though the plots were often known, it was his use of language that kept the audience coming back for more.

• His focus was always on the development of his characters.

Main Themes• Main themes include were about the human

condition, showing all sides of people. Shakespeare believed in discussing people and their problems.

• Love – forbidden, misguided, disguised and unrequited

• Revenge• Fate and destiny

The Playhouse• Outdoor, plays were done

during daylight hours.• 3000 person capacity• No lights, mics or electricity.• Round theatre.• No real scenery, curtained

back.• Lots of great costumes – often

donated by the Royal Family

The Playhouse• Playhouses (not theaters), were located outside the city

walls (where people went to do “bad things”) on the other side of the river.

• First theater was called “The Theater” owned by James Burbage. It opened in 1576.

• Shakespeare’s theater was called “The Globe.” It opened in 1599.

• It burned down in 1613, but was rebuilt in 1614.• All theaters in England were demolished in the 1640s by

the Puritans, because acting/theaters were considered sinful.

Actors• In 1572, Queen Elizabeth branded all actors

as vagrants and delinquents.• The only way you could “legally” act was

to have a “noble patron.” This is how Shakespeare’s troupe came to be known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

Actors• Acting companies had a maximum of two

weeks to prepare a brand new play.• Most actors played several roles.• All actors were male, even for female parts.• There were no copyright laws, so there was

almost never a full printed copy of the script.

• Cue scripts were used. (A rolled up script with just your part and the line before it.)

The Playhouse• The wealthy sat in the balcony.

• The poor or working class stood for the entire performance (3 hours – no intermissions). They were called “Groundlings.”

• Refreshments were served before the show. Usually people bought beer, nuts and oranges. These were often thrown at the actors if the performance was bad.

• No bathrooms!

Shakespeare in Film

Shakespeare for Teens