William Shakespeare
Author Study
By: Sara Ciekot
Mod 9
Thesis Statement
Shakespeare’s family wasn’t
very high up in the social
hierarchy but still did a lot
during the Elizabethan times.
Shakespeare Research
(Wordle)
The Lost Years
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Maybe what
Shakespeare was
doing:
Money tender
Theatre page
Law clerk
Soldier
Coachman
Teacher
Sailor
•The Lost Years were years
in the Elizabethan Era that
nobody knows about. No
one knew where
Shakespeare did in those
years or where he was.
Connections To His Writing
• Even though there is no proven fact where
Shakespeare was during the lost years, most
people think he was in Italy. This is because a
lot of his plays’ settings were taken place in
Italy. Also, a lot of the names in his plays
were Italian.
Marriage And Family Life
• Women gave birth to a child every two years,
Families weren’t very large
• “Women were regarded as the weaker sex”
• Women didn’t have the right to vote.
• A lot of families were small because diseases
and health care.
• On November 29, 1582 at the Temple Grafton
Shakespeare got married (age 18) to Anne
Hathaway (age 26).
Marriage and Family Life
Continued
• Their 1st child was Susana
• Had Twins Hamnet & Judith
• Hamnet died at age 11, but no one knows why
for a fact. A lot of people think it was because
of disease; there wasn’t good health care and
as many cures during the Elizabethan Era.
Shakespeare’s Education
• Shakespeare attended King Edward VI grammar
school in Stafford. Shakespeare didn’t have to pay
to go to that school. The school was named after
Queen Elizabeth’s brother.
• Had to be in higher social positions to receive
education
• Subjects studied: University Faculty, Philosophy,
poetics, Rhetoric's, as well as Natural History.
• Needed to get permission from monarchs to
travel.
The Globe Theatre
• Constructed in 1599, made out of timber.
• Home Of Shakespeare’s acting company.
• Had 2 primary stages. 1) the outer stage. 2)
inner stage.
• Open to the public eye.
• Was burnt down and then rebuilt.
• Had no roof and no electrical lights.
• Open to the public eye
As You Like It
A Comedy by William
Shakespeare
(video)
Summary
In As You Like It, starts out with Orlando about to wrestle Charles
and Orlando’s father is Sir Rowland. He is one of the strongest guy
in that town. Celia tried to convince him not to do it and her father
is Duke Frederick. But Orlando surprised everyone and threw
Charles to the ground. But Duke Frederick wasn’t very impressed
because he was Sir Rowland’s son. And he doesn’t like Sir Rowland.
Orlando’s brother, Oliver, has gone to the Forest of Arden without
him knowing. And Duke Frederick wants him found dead or alive.
And wants to take away all of Oliver’s lands and property. Orlando
went, and searched in the Forest Of Arden and is out writing
notes/poems on trees about how much he loves Rosalind, her
beauty, her virtue, and her inexpressibility. Then Rosalind finds all of
the notes and poems that Orlando wrote on the tree. Celia(her
cousin) told her it was from Orlando.
Summary Continued
..
Then Rosalind got nervous when Orlando walked in so she
disguised herself as a boy. And played a trick on Orlando. She got
him to tell her everything that he felt for Rosalind. Touchstone
claims to Audrey that they are going to get married. Orlando
wanted to see Rosalind again(as a boy) and talk to him some more.
But he was an hour late. He broke his promise. But Rosalind forgave
him. Oliver announces that he is in love with Celia. Phoebe says
that she is in love with Ganymede (the boy Rosalind is pretending to
be), Rosalind is in love with Orlando, Silvius is in love with Phoebe,
Touchstone and Audrey are in love. So Rosalind tells Phoebe that
the boy isn’t real and now she wants to get married to Silvius. So
they all get married the next day. Orlando to Rosalind. Touchstone
to Audrey. Silvius to Phoebe. Oliver to Celia. Duke Senior gave all of
his lands to Oliver. Duke Frederick is deciding to live as a monk
after talking the an old religious man. And that is how it ended!
Shakespeare’s Writing Style
Shakespeare writes only plays. Plays were a
common entertainment in the Elizabethan
Era. Shakespeare wrote his plays in blank
verse. He writes a lot of comedies. All of his
comedies end with everyone getting married.
Shakespeare uses a lot of allusions and similes
when he writes his plays too. But
Shakespeare doesn’t only write comedies he
also writes Tragedies.
Examples of His Writing Style
• Allusion. Act 1 , Scene 1
“They say many young gentlemen flock to him
everyday and fleet the time carelessly, as they
did in the Golden World.” When he says “Golden
World” he really means the Golden Age.
• Simile. Act 1, Scene 1 .
Orlando says that he is penned up like an ox. This
is saying that Orlando is kept away or “penned”
up, like an ox is penned up in its farm.
Examples Continued
• Simile. Act 4, Scene 1
“My affection hath an unknown bottom, like the
Bay of Portugal.” This is when Rosalind was
talking about her deep love for Orlando.
• Alliteration. Act 4, Scene 1.
“Pathetic promise breaker, the most lying
lover…” This repeats the “p” and the “l”
sound.
More of Shakespeare’s Plays That
You Could Read
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Alls Well That Ends Well
King Lear
Comedy of Errors
Cymbeline
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
Macbeth . . . And many more.
Work Citied
“The Black Plague: Bubonic Plague” The Middle Ages.
Net. WideOpenDoors.net. 2010. Web. May 17,
2011. http://www.themiddleages.net/plague.html
“William Shakespeare” William Shakespeare, The
Complete Works. Alchin, L.K. November 16, 2008.
Web. May 18, 2011. http://www.williamshakespeare.info/
“Elizabethan Sports” Elizabethan Sports. Web. May 18, 2011.
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-sports.htm