William Shakespeare
“Brush up your Shakespeare. Start quoting him
now. Brush up your Shakespeare, and the women
you will wow.” ~Cole Porter
Biographical Information
 Born
in Stratford-on-Avon, England
 Baptized April 26, 1564
 (Assumed date of birth: April 23,
1564)
 Married Anne Hathaway @ age 18
(Anne was 26 and pregnant)--1582
Biographical Information (cont.)
 Daughter
Susanna born 1583
 Twins, Hamnet & Judith, born 1585
 Hamnet died of the plague in 1596
 Died April 23, 1616
“The Lost Years”
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1585-1592
No significant records exist about Shakespeare’s
life during this time.
Scholars believe that he probably moved to
London during that time.
Queen Elizabeth I & King James I
Elizabeth I reigned
1558-1603
 “Elizabethan age”
 James I reigned
1603-1625
 “Jacobean age”
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Shakespearean Theatre
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Globe Theatre built in
1599 (Shakespeare partowner)
Globe burned down in
1613
Globe rebuilt in 1614
Torn down again in 1644
New Globe reconstructed
in 1996
Shakespearean Theatre
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Groundlings: lowerclass spectators who
stood at the floor of
the theatre
Acting companies
were all men
Female roles played
by young boys
The First Folio
First collected edition of Shakespeare’s
plays
 Published in 1623 by John Heminge &
Henry Condell (fellow actors)
 Saved works that would have been lost
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Shakespeare in Popular Culture
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Allusion: A quick
reference to a familiar
person, place, or thing
in a work of literature
Numerous allusions to
Shakespeare occur
frequently in Western
culture
Allusions to Shakespeare
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Lois: Stewie, do you want to try out for Mommy's play?
Stewie: (clears his throat and starts quoting Shakespeare) Now is the winter of our
discontent made glorious summer by this son of York . . .
Lois: You know what, just sing “Itsy-Bitsy Spider.”
Stewie: How dare you reduce my fine thespian stylings with mere Mother Gooseries!
Lois: Oh, sing “Baa Baa Black Sheep”!
Stewie: You know, Mother, as first lady of the American stage Helen Hayes once said, "I'm
going to kill you!"
Modern Adaptations of
Shakespeare’s plays
“O”
(based on Othello)
10 Things I Hate
About You
(based on The
Taming of the Shrew)
She’s the Man
(based on 12th Night)
Literary terms
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Pun: a joke where two
words sound alike but
have different
meanings
Soliloquy: a long
speech expressing the
thoughts of a character
who is alone on the
stage
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Monologue: a long
speech given by one
character while others
listen
Aside: words a
character speaks to an
audience when others
on the stage can’t hear
Romeo & Juliet
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Star-crossed lovers:
lovers who are jinxed
by the bad placement
of the stars at their
birth
In other words, they
are very, very, very
UNLUCKY.
Romeo & Juliet
Lady aMontague
Romeo
Montague
vs.
Capulet
Juliet
Mercutio
Benvolio Juliet's Nurse
Tybalt
(Romeo's friend) (Romeo's friend)
(Juliet's cousin)
Lady Capulet