William Shakespeare
1564-1616
“All the world 's a stage, /
And all the men and women
merely players.”——
Born in Stratford
The 3rd of 8 kids
Married at age 18
• (his wife was 26)
Worked as an actor
By 1594 at least 6
plays had been
published
Shakespeare’s Life
Perhaps the most brilliant author in the
English language.
Incredibly well-developed characters.
He was tremendously perceptive in
creating complex character with a full
range of emotions and internal conflicts,
intensely, deeply rich in psychological
reality.
Exquisite use of poetic language.
Shakespeare’s Life
Plays are phenomenally well-crafted,
and structurally, nearly flawless.
Thematically, Shakespeare is
unmatched in his ability to touch the
human soul, and to speak lucidly and
profoundly to human lives.
Most quoted, most translated of any
author on earth.
Shakespeare’s Life
He left London when he was about 50 years old, and went back
to Stratford-upon-Avon, after investing in real estate, and
buying the best house in town. He died in 1616, near his
birthday, April 23rd, at age 52. He is buried in Stratford, in Holy
Trinity Church.
He did not want to be buried in Westminster’s Abbey, in London,
where many of England’s famous artists are buried. On his
tombstone is the following verse:*
Good friend for Jesus’ sake forebear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blest be the man who spares these stones
And curst be he that moves my bones
Shakespeare’s Life
In his will, he mysteriously left his wife his “second best bed.” His
property largely went to his eldest daughter, Susanna.
Shakespeare did not think of himself as an intellectual, and during
his life didn’t go out of his way to have his plays published. Although
during his life some of the plays were published as quartos,
individual versions of plays that folks could buy and read.
He did publish—with great success—his longer poems, and he
published his sonnets in 1609; some believe they are
autobiographical, although there is no concrete support for this, as
Shakespeare left almost no personal correspondence or diaries.
For the most part, Shakespeare felt that plays were meant to be
performed rather than read. After his death, his more intellectual
friends did publish his plays in folio versions—something like a
modern collection.*
Queen Elizabeth
What do you think she was like?
Elizabethan Fashion
"She must be stifling in that thing"
Elizabethan England
Shakespeare’s life straddles the reigns of Elizabeth I and James
I of England. This was England’s Renaissance.
The word renaissance means “rebirth.” During this time in
Europe, there was a rebirth of humanism, or the classical ideal
that humans were heroic, although certainly below the gods.
England, in a battle with Spain, had sunk the Spanish Armada in
1588, and had established itself as a world power. To control
the seas meant control of world power, for there was an
enormous economic expansion based largely on maritime trade.
This was a time of prosperity in Europe. Individual countries
were gaining autonomy and power. They were actively trading
with each other, with Russia, the New World, and the Far East
and India. It was a time of nationalism, exploration and
discovery.
Elizabethan England
During this time, England became the most powerful country in
the Western world, and would remain so until the end of the
19th century.
England was beginning to colonize the new world. The
discovery of America and the presence of inhabitants very
different from themselves in other parts of the world was a
wonder to Europeans.
Elizabeth commissioned Sir Francis Drake (1577-1580) to
circumnavigate the world, which he does in a really tiny little
boat, The Golden Hind. He reportedly landed in San Francisco,
and crossed the Pacific to return to England and glory.
Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, was inspired by a shipwreck
bound for Jamestown colony in 1610.
This new wealth and rising merchant class fed into the
intellectual pool of Elizabethan England. This rising bourgeoisie
were interested purchasing tickets for plays, and sponsoring
poets, musicians, and the arts.*
Elizabethan England
The discoveries were not only of new continents and new
wealth.
The Protestant Reformation had come about in 1517, and the
authority of the Roman Catholic church was eroded. Kings and
nations were making decisions on their own.
Henry VIII, Elizabeth’s father, was instrumental in dismantling
the control of the Church over everyday affairs in England. He
established the Church of England, and placed himself at the
head of it, destroying all relics of Catholicism in churches, and
ending ecclesiastic courts.
He seized all lands and property of the clergy, greatly increasing
his own personal wealth, but also adding to the overall economy
of England.
The door was now open to question Church teachings in areas
of science as well as theology.*
Elizabethan England
The world was opening up to new ideas, and in Shakespeare’s
plays you see some of the old concepts questioned:
The Divine Right of Kings
Chain of Being
Divine Providence
More and more, the individual human being was seen as taking
a more active role in his or her own life.
In theater, especially notable in Shakespeare’s plays, was a new
depth of characterization, requiring a new type of acting style.
Now, actors had to embody the character, rather than simply
orate lines.
This was reflected in Renaissance art as well as literature,
where the human figure is more prominent, more realistically
portrayed, and more powerfully depicted than ever before.*
Elizabethan England
Henry VIII had six wives. He divorced two,
executed two, one died, and one outlived
him. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Anne
Boleyn, whom Henry had executed. No
wonder Elizabeth never married!
Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 after
her half-brother Edward VI and half-sister
Mary I (Bloody Mary) died, and a usurper to
the throne, Lady Jane Grey (granddaughter
to Henry’s sister) is executed. Elizabeth’s
reign, remarkably, would be irenic.
Elizabethan England
The Elizabethan Age is the time that she ruled,15581603. Elizabeth was known as “The Virgin Queen,”
although she did have many admirers. The state of
Virginia is named for her.
Before she reached menopause, she was pressed to
marry. She refused, although there were efforts to
wed her to princes of France and Spain. When these
and other suitors failed to win her, and she passed
the age of childbearing, the spin doctors of the time
hailed her virginity. She never publicly discussed her
choice.*
Elizabethan England
James I, who succeeded her in 1603, was the son of Mary,
Queen of Scots, a distant cousin of Elizabeth, whom Elizabeth
also had executed for treason. James had been King of
Scotland, and his coronation united the two countries, ending
centuries of strive between them.
During his reign, he commissioned the King James Bible, which
is why this translation of the Bible sounds so much like
Shakespearean English. Prior to Henry VIII and the Protestant
Reformation, the Catholic Church had forbidden translation of
the Bible into the vernacular. This was why, although no longer
spoken, Latin was taught at the elementary school level—in
order to read the Holy Scriptures.
Although James’ reign is relatively peaceful, he is not a man of
the people, as was Elizabeth. He also advocates the absolute
power of kings, which will not help his heir, Charles I, who will
lose his head for such notions.*
Elizabethan England
Life in London during Elizabethan times was pretty dirty. The
city contained around 400 thousand people by Shakespeare’s
time, who crowded into a very small part of the present day
city. People rarely bathed, and there was no indoor plumbing.
When the water supply became tainted, typhus and cholera
spread mercilessly through the town.
London was also hit by recurrences of the Black Plague, and
when there were outbreaks, the theaters would close down.
Smallpox, sexually transmitted disease, and malaria were also
popular killers.
People used chamber pots for toilets, and would toss the
contents out the window into the streets, occasionally on top of
people below!
Beer was the drink of choice, for the water was far too polluted
to consider drinking! Beer was very popular in Southwark, and
was sold in the theaters, along with nuts and other snacks.
Elizabethan England
There was no refrigeration, and you had to watch what you
bought in the market, especially since there were chronic food
shortages in London, due to a series of bad harvests and an
increase in population.
London had its share of wealthy royal people, since the royal
family lived there, but there was also a new, rising merchant
class, a rising middle class of artisans, who were members of
guilds, and many lower class folks who might be poor farmers
or salespeople.
Education was improving. Towns frequently had church run
grammar schools, and upper class members of the society went
to Oxford and Cambridge University.
Still, literacy rates were fairly low, although this was changing.
Books were published and sold to support poets and playwrights
alike. St. Paul’s was a popular place to buy these small texts.
Elizabethan England
Aside from attending executions, many, many
people amused themselves by attending the
theater.
London’s famous theaters, the Globe, the Rose,
and the Swan, were located in the seedy side
of town, along the south bank of the Thames
River.
This section of town, known as Bankside or
Southwark, could be reached by crossing the
London Bridge, the only bridge across the
Thames, or by taking a boat across the river.
Elizabethan England
The neighborhood was also the place to place bets on animal
sports such as cockfighting, bear baiting and bull baiting. Other
gambling, on cards and dice, was also common. There were
many pubs and taverns, where people could drink strong beers,
and there were many thieves and prostitutes as well. This was
the wrong side of the river!*
Since there was no electricity, the Globe and Rose theaters were
open air theaters. Plays were performed only during the day,
and if the weather was bad, the show was cancelled. A flag at
the top of the theater would indicate if a play was performing
that day.
These theaters did operate during the winter, although the
Globe closed, since in the winter Shakespeare’s company moved
to the Blackfriars Theater, which was enclosed.
Elizabethan England
Women wore long dresses, and covered their arms
and legs. Men, on the other hand, wore leggings and
short pants. Women were not allowed to perform on
stage, and all of Shakespeare’s female characters
were acted by young men or boys.
Often, the audience who went to the theater, and
stood in the “yard” in front of the stage were pretty
rowdy, and would throw offal and other foul things at
actors they didn’t care for. These folks were called,
“groundlings” or “stinkards.”*
Shakespeare didn’t shy away from pleasing this
crowd. In sword fights, the combatants would carry
sacks of animal blood and guts that would add
realism when a character was wounded or killed.
Elizabethan England
The Blackfriars theater was an enclosed theater that was lit by
candles. It had been originally part of a Dominican medieval
monastery. It was located on the north side of the Thames, and
its admission fees were high, the audience wealthier and better
educated than the average playgoer. Shakespeare’s players
performed here during the winter, and for special occasions.
Shakespeare also, notably, performed for Queen Elizabeth in the
Temple Court, which was where the Knights Templar had once
been housed in London. Today, you can still visit this large
room where the Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed Twelfth
Night for the Queen!
The Lord Chamberlain’s men had originally performed at a
theater called, the Theater, which was built by the famous
theater family, the Burbages, on the north side of the Thames.*
The Globe Theater 1599
Burned in 1613
The New Globe Theater 1999
Performances
The players were all men; the
women's parts were played by boys.
--Shakespeare in Love
Specific parts were written for
specific actors.
Conventions of Shakespearean
Drama
For Greek and Latin classical playwrights, the
drama turned on how the protagonist would
act, in the face of inexorable doom.
In Shakespeare, there is a real balance
between fate and human choices, based on
character flaws: Humans being are depicted
as being in control of their own destiny.
(Somewhat. Fate always plays a role!)
Renaissance playwrights also included many
sub plots, and included scenes of comic relief
in tragedies.
Conventions of Shakespearean
Drama
In classical tragedy, the action is limited to one place
and one day. There are limits to the numbers of
characters, as well. Shakespeare freely breaks these
rules in his plays, while neoclassical playwrights in
France, such as Racine, adhere to them strictly.
In the late 1800’s a literary critic named Gustav
Freytag noted that Shakespeare’s plays were tightly
structured by act into five separate plot segments.
This is now called, “Freytag’s pyramid” whereby in
Act One there is Exposition; in Act Two, there is
Rising Action; Act Three is Turning Point; Act Four is
Falling Action; and Act Five is Resolution.
Conventions of Shakespearean
Drama
Of course, in tragedy, the turning point of the play is
where the goals of the tragic hero seem within reach.
The catastrophe at the end spells disaster for the
tragic hero, who is in some ways responsible for his
own demise, although his plan was noble.
In Shakespeare’s comedies, the low point happens in
the middle of the play—where the protagonists seem
destined for failure and loss. Of course, All’s Well
That Ends Well, and a marriage (or two or three!) is
usually the ending.
Shakespeare’s history plays usually follow the pattern
of tragedy. His romance plays—those that end
happily, but don’t have the problems of young lovers
as a central theme—follow the pattern of comedy.*
So how do we have Shakespeare’s
work today?
Published work comes from a variety of
sources
Clean copy- copied by the scribe from
Shakespeare’s original manuscript (kept in the
playhouse)
Quarto- printed editions sold to the public
after the play was popular
Folio- published by Shakespeare’s friends
after his death
Book Sizes
1. Folio: Sheet folded in half to make 4
sides
2. Quarto: Sheet folded twice so as to make
4 leaves or 8 pages, (9 1/2" x 12")
3. Octavo: Sheet folded so as to make 8
leaves or 16 pages (6 x 9" )
4. Duodecimo: Sheet folded so as to make
12 leaves or 24 pages (about 5 x 7")
The Plays
Comedy
Tragedy
History
Comedies
The Taming of the Shrew
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
Twelfth Night
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tragedies
Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Early Editions of Hamlet
First Quarto (1603)
For Hamlet, the First Quarto presents a "bad" or
memorially reconstructed text.
Some scholars believe that these came from
minor players remembering and dictating the
play, although others have discredited this
theory. In Hamlet, they believe that the actor
playing Marcellus does this.
Early Editions of Hamlet
The First Quarto text of Hamlet presents a
much more sympathetic vision of
Gertrude; she swears to assist Hamlet in
his revenge, for example.
A scene between Gertrude and Horatio
exists in this version and disappears in
later ones. Gertrude is told the news that
Hamlet tells in his letter to Horatio, thus
establishing her as Hamlet’s ally.
Early Editions of Hamlet
Second Quarto (1604).
J. D. Wilson showed in 1934 that this
quarto was prepared from
Shakespeare’s original manuscript or
possibly from a corrected edition of
the First Quarto.
The Second Quarto has about 200
lines not in the Folio.
Early Editions of Hamlet
First Folio (1623)
Contains 18 plays
previously printed in
quarto editions and
18 others that
would not otherwise
have survived.
Early Editions of Hamlet
The Folio edition
has stage
directions.
The Folio edition
includes about
90 lines not in
the Second
quarto.
“To be or not to be” in the Folio
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep—
No more, and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural
shocks
That flesh is heir to . . .
“To be or not to be” in the Quarto
To be or not to be, ay there’s the point;
To die, to sleep, is that all? Ay, all.
No, to sleep, to dream; ay marry, there it goes.
For in that dream of death, when we awake
And borne before an everlasting judge,
From whence no passenger ever returned,
The undiscovered country, at whose sight
The happy smile, and the accursed damned . .
Sources
Thomas Kyd's
Hamlet in the 1580s
(now lost); this is
referred to as the
“Ur-Hamlet.”
Thomas Kyd's
Spanish Tragedy
(1587) (Revenge
tragedy)
Sources
Saxo
Grammaticus's
Historica Danica
written in
second half of
twelfth century
Sources
Shakespeare also may have used volume
5 (1570) of Histoires tragiques, a free
translation of Saxo by François de
Belleforest.
The Hystorie of Hamblet, an English
version of Belleforest's work, was
published in London in 1608, after
Shakespeare’s Hamlet had been
performed.
Sources
From Harold Bloom,
Shakespeare: The
Invention of the
Human
Bloom believes that
Shakespeare himself
wrote the ur-Hamlet
play from 1589 and
that he made several
changes in this
version.
Sources
The Ghost (which
Shakespeare
probably played) is
less prominent in
the version of
Hamlet that we
know.
Why is Shakespeare’s English so
weird?
Don’t be fooled by the excellence of the language!
This is Modern English! It is, however, about 400
years old, and things do change over time.
The most obvious of changes is the use of distinct
second person familiar pronouns. Today, we call this
“you, singular.” But once this was not the same as
“you, plural.” These singular pronouns are: Thou,
Thee, Thy and Thine. See your grammar notes on
usage!
Another change is obvious in the conjugation of
certain verbs: hadst; wouldst; and the like.
Verbs occasionally took inflected endings in the past
participle: closèd, blessèd, loathèd
Why is Shakespeare’s English so
weird?
Shakespeare often inverts the syntax of his sentences
for poetic reasons, and this sometimes confuses
students: Make sure you can tell where the subject
and verb of the sentence are. Think about what the
pronouns refer to. This will help a bit in
understanding the sentence.
Shakespeare also uses many, many words, and is
credited with creating many that are now in common
usage. He is also good at making one word serve
two purposes by using more than one meaning of a
word at a clip! (Double entendres, or puns.) You will
need a good dictionary when reading Shakespeare!
Example of Old English
(from Beowulf)
Sigon þa to slæpe. Sum sare angeald
æfen-ræste, swa him ful oft gelalmp
siþðan gold-sele
Grendel warode,
unriht æfnde,
oþþæt ende becwom,
swylt æfter synnum.
þæt gesyne wearþ,
wid-cup werum,
þætte wrecend þa gyt
lifde æfter laþum, lange þrage,
æfter guð-ceare.
Grendles modor,
ides, aglæc-wif
yrmþe gemunde,
se þe wæter-egesan
wunian scolde,
cealde streamas,
siþðan Cain wearð
to ecg-banan
angan breþer,
fæderen-mæge;
he þa fag gewat,
Example of Middle English,
from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Whan that Aprill with his shoures sote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,