THE LIFE OF WILLIAM

SHAKESPEARE1564-1616

SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTH

Baptized on April 26th, 1564

Exact date of birth is unknown

Assumed he was born on April 23rd

Baptism usually took place 3 days after birth

Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in a house on

Henley Street

Father: John Shakespeare

Mother: Mary Arden

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Shakespeare’s birthplace, House on Henley Street

SHAKESPEARE’S MARRIAGE Married Anne Hathaway on November 28th, 1582

Shakespeare, 18

Anne, 26 (considered middle-aged)

Assumed that their marriage was not a happy

one

6 mos. later, Susanna is born

1585 Anne gives birth to twins

Hamnet and Judith

Hamnet dies of unknown causes at age 11

SHAKESPEARE’S FAMILY

Family was pretty well-off

John town mayor

John comes across some $ trouble

Possibly due to drinking

Almost all of Shakespeare’s siblings die

at a young age

FOUR PERIODS OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE First period

Cheerful period, showing youthful love and imagination A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet,

The Comedy of Errors

Second period 1595-1601Progress in Dramatic Art Deeper insight to human nature Sense of sadness

As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, IV

FOUR PERIODS OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE Third period

1601-1608 Time that Shakespeare may have been ‘out of

sorts’ Father dies in 1601 Wrote many tragedies

Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear

Fourth period 1608-1613 Calm strength and sweetness Mother dies in 1608 Recollection of her kindness may have spurred the

more positive outlook on life Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest

SHAKESPEARE’S LOST YEARS First Lost Years

1578-1582 Second Lost Years

1585-1592 Not much information about S during

this time period People believe during these lost years

Shakespeare: Perfected his craft Established himself as a dramatist Gained experience at the theatre

SHAKESPEARE’S DEATH

Much like Poe, Shakespeare’s death is

also a mystery

Possibly because of drinking

Dies on his 53rd birthday, April 23rd, 1616

S gives all of his land to his eldest

daughter and gives Anne the “second-

best bed”

Another hint to their unhappy marriage

THE ORIGINAL GLOBE THEATRE

THE CURRENT GLOBE

THE GLOBE THEATRE Opened in 1599 in Bankside, Southward,

London Octagonal shaped building Open air arena – circular shape Two doors

Main entrance and exit door Arena projected halfway into the pit

“Apron” stageStage extended past proscenium arch Surrounded by three tiers of roofed galleries

with balconies

THE GLOBE THEATRE CONT.

Could hold ~1,500 people

Shakespeare became part owner of the

Globe

Virtual tour of the Globe

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-

us/virtual-tour

Destroyed by a fire on June 29th, 1613