 Known to be one of the 3
greatest writers of the English
language.
 No other body of work, save
the Bible, has been more
studied and written about, or
has had more influence on the
literary and social culture of
Western civilization than that of
William Shakespeare.
 Baptized April 26, 1564 in
Stratford-on- Avon
  Was 18 years old when he
met Anne Hathaway, who was 8
years his senior.
  Had 3 children, a daughter
Susanna, and a set of twins,
Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet
died at age 11.
Left wife for 7 years and lived in
London to pursue theater; Often called
“The Lost Years”
 Invested in The Lord Chamberlain’s
Men (later named The King’s Men), an
actor’s company in which he made a lot
of money.


By 1599 he was totally involved in
theater and made enough money to buy
a large home in Stratford.

Died April 23, 1616 in Stratford
and is buried there.
hobnob (verb)
"to have or not have"; to
mingle or associate
casually
leapfrog (noun)
a game in which one
player vaults over
another
bloodstained
(adjective)
marked with blood; red
with blood
Shakespeare often wrote in
What is an “iamb”? What is a foot?
- A FOOT is unit of verse
- A foot is made up of accented
and unaccented syllables arranged in
patterns of FEET.
An IAMB is a foot that is first,
unaccented, and then accented
For example: RETURN
PENTA= 5
Iambic Pentameter: 5 feet of
iambs. (10 syllables)
Definition: A poem of 14 lines, iambic
pentameter rhythm and following one of
the set rhyme schemes.
English or Shakespearean:
abab cdcd efef gg
(3 quatrains and rhyming couplet)
Italian or Petrarchan:
abbaabba cdecde
(one octave and one sestet)
The approximate capacity of The Globe was 2500 people.
1576 - The first permanent
theatre, The Theatre, was
built.
1577 - The second theatre,
The Curtain, was built.
1599 - The Globe Theatre
was built. Shakespeare was
one of 7 owners.
1613 - The Globe Theatre
accidentally burns down.
The Globe Theater
There were three floors of galleries where people watched the
play. The cheapest way to see the play was as a "groundling,"
standing in the central yard. As you paid additional money, you
could ascend to higher galleries.
octagonal-shaped building
special trap door.
no women actors
no lights
no roof
sparse sets
Funerals, cockfighting, bear baiting and
public executions were popular.
The theater was the common source of
entertainment, except when the theaters
were closed due to the plague
The city of London was 1 square mile in
area and approximately 200,000 in
population.
The city was dirty: No sewer system and
garbage was tossed into the streets.
Bubonic Plague: 1592- 22,000 died
–
1603- 30,000 died
Samuel Johnson who scripted
Shakespeare’s “First Folio” is
often considered the “real”
poet.
Francis Bacon is often
suspected of having written the
plays.
Christopher Marlowe,
Shakespeare’s contemporary
and rival is also suspected.
The 17th Earl of Oxford,
Edward de Vere is one of the
most popular suspicions.
1) It is highly unlikely that
Shakespeare's works could have been
composed by the person to whom
they are traditionally assigned.
2) The qualifications necessary for the
true author of these works are more
adequately realized in the person of
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford,
than in the many other candidates
proposed in the last two hundred
years.
 Shakespeare
 The name "William
Shakespeare" appears on the
plays and poems.
 William Shakespeare was an
actor in the company that
performed the plays of William
Shakespeare.
 William Shakespeare the actor
was William Shakespeare of
Stratford-upon-Avon.
 William Shakespeare the
Globe-sharer was also William
Shakespeare of Stratfordupon-Avon.
 EARL OF OXFORD
 -Venus and Adonis, for
example indicates not only a
knowledge of Golding's
translation of Ovid's
Metamorphoses but of the
original as well. Arthur Golding
was the Earl of Oxford's uncle.
 Oxford wrote a poem and
letter to introduce Thomas
Bedingfield's Cardanus
Comfort, a major source book
for Hamlet.
 Shakespeare
 William Shakespeare of
Stratford-upon-Avon, the actor
and Globe-sharer, was the
playwright and poet William
Shakespeare.
 EARL OF OXFORD
 -At court Oxford was known as
"Spear-shaker" because of his
skill at tournaments and his
crest showing a lion
brandishing a spear.
 -Upon Oxford's death in 1604
King James had eight
Shakespeare plays produced at
court as a final tribute. When
Oxford's widow died nine
years later a group of
Shakespeare plays (fourteen in
this case) were produced in
tribute.
 1) Mature man of recognized genius. A lyric
poet of recognized talent.
 2) Of pronounced and known literary taste.
 3) An enthusiast in the world of drama.
 4) Of superior education
 5) Of probable Catholic leanings but
touched with skepticism.
 6) An enthusiast for Italy.
 7) Lover of music.
 The cause of his death is unknown.
 Some scholars have suggested that the
signatures on his will indicate that he
was already sick at the date of signing,
March, 25, 1616.
 Shakespeare was buried on April 25,
1616 in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford,
where he had been baptized just over
52 years earlier.
 Shakespeare is said to be buried
17 feet deep--further security for
the sanctity of his bones!
 His tomb is covered by a stone*
inscribed with a curse*:
 Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here!
Blest be the man that spares these
stones,
And curst be he that moves my
bones.
 It was common practice to
open graves in order to make
room for new burials, and to
store the bones in the nearby
charnel house. Whether or not
Shakespeare composed the
curse, it seems to have been
effective--the charnel house
has long since been torn
down, but Shakespeare's
bones have never been
disturbed.
HAMLET
Macbeth
Romeo and
Juliet
Taming of the
Shrew
Othello
Shakespeare in Love
Macbeth
Henry Fuseli. The Three Witches (after 1783)
Macbeth
Henry Fuseli. Macbeth, Banquo and the Witches on the Heath, 1793-4.
Macbeth
Alexander Johnston. Macbeth.
Othello
Charles W. Cope. Othello Relating His Adventures, 1853
Romeo and Juliet
Ford Madox Brown. Romeo and Juliet, 1867.
Romeo and Juliet
Frederic Lord Leighton. The Reconciliation of the Montagues and
Capulets over the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet, 1853-55.
Hamlet
Richard Dadd. The Closet Scene from "Hamlet" (1840).
Hamlet
Henry Fuseli. Hamlet and the Ghost, 1789.
A person of high birth
A person who had great promise, ability
and integrity of character
A good person who is not, however, free
from perpetrating evil deeds
A person who suffers greatly
A person who makes choices
A person who is caught in a web of
circumstance
A person who does NOT survive the
drama
Capacity for suffering:
believes in what he is doing
feels guilt and guiltlessness
justifies his actions, yet his actions are not
just
has no fear of death
questions the forces within and without him
that drive him to actions that destroy him
A person whose downfall comes about
because of:
Hamartia (tragic flaw): often Hubris
(excessive pride)
The hero’s judgement is flawed by emotional
pressure which causes him to lose a sense of
balance
 Supernatural/Gods’ influence
Fate/ill luck goes beyond the limits of
common sense.
tone must be serious
seriousness stems from the family unit,
the most vital context for man
the protagonist’s plight must be significant
the tragic hero is not perfect; downfall
stems from his own error
must contain conflict: internal and
external