Introduction to
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
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Born 1564, died 1616
Wrote 37 plays
Wrote over 150 sonnets
Actor, poet, playwright
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Lived during the
Renaissance, an era with an
interest in individual
achievement:
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Scientifically, geographically,
commercially, philosophically,
artistically
Shakespeare’s Early Life
1564 He was born on April 23 in
Stratford-on-Avon.
 His father, John, was a prosperous glove
maker. He later became the mayor of
Stratford.
 Mother was Mary Arden, who was from a
socially prominent family.
 Both parents were illiterate
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Stratford Upon Avon
A Young Man
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1582 - He married Anne Hathaway.
(He was 18 years old…she was 26)
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They had three children; Susanna
and twins, Hamnet and Judith.
 Hamnet, his only son, died at age 11
 1592, At age 28, Shakespeare left
his family and headed to London.
 Not much is known about the
years between his marriage and
when he left for London
Gaining Notoriety
He performed as a member of Lord
Chamberlain’s men, who mostly
performed for royalty
 First gained status when he performed for
Queen Elizabeth I
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 She
supported all arts: literature, painting,
theater, music, sculpture
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By 1594 six of his plays were written and
produced.
His Death
1612 at age 48,
Shakespeare returned to
Stratford, in partial
retirement.
 1616, He died at the
young age of 52.
 He is buried inside
Stratford’s Holy Trinity
Church.
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Publication
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1616 Shakespeare
died at the age of 52
after having written
____ plays
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1623 Completed
works were published
7 years after his
death.
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This was known a the
First Folio.
Shakespeare wrote 3 types of Plays:
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14 Comedies - light and
amusing, usually with a happy
ending
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12 Tragedies –serious dramas
with disastrous endings that
chronicled the downfall of a
tragic hero
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11 Histories – plays that
chronicled the lives of English
monarchs
Shakespearean Language
Coined over 1000 words, many still in use today.
 Shakespeare wrote in blank verse, which is
unrhymed iambic pentameter
 In order to maintain his meter, Shakespeare
sometimes altered standard English in the
following ways:
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• He sometimes changed grammar.
• He sometimes inverted word order.
• He sometimes omitted words or letters.
Elizabethan Words to Know for
Julius Caesar
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An,and:
Aught:
Anon:
Aye:
Beseech:
But:
Durst:
E’en:
E’er:
Hie:
Hither:
If
Anything
Soon
Yes
Beg
Only
Dared
Even
Ever
Hurry
Here
Notice
A short form of
“By the Virgin
Mary”, a mild
exclamation
 Prithee
Pray thee, please
 Save:
Except
 Soft:
Wait a minute
 Thither:
There
 Wherefore:
Why
 Whither
When
 Withal:
Also
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Mark:
Marry:
The Globe Theatre
•
Open ceiling
•
No artificial
lighting
•
•
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Plays were
shown during
daylight
hours only
Three stories
high
Could seat
3000 people
Spectators
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Wealthy people got
to sit in the balcony
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The poor (called
“groundlings”) had
to stand and watch
from the courtyard
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There was much
more audience
participation than
today
Actors
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Only men and boys
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Young boys whose
voices had not
changed played the
women’s roles
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It would have been
indecent for a woman
to appear on stage
Julius Caesar