William ShakespeareEvery Theatre and English Geek’s DreamBoat

Who Is William Shakespeare

Born in April 1564 (450 years ago) in Stratford on Avon, a town in the middle of England. Father was a somewhat rich ‘glover,’ and alderman.

John Shakespeare’s House, Willie’s Birthplace.

He would have gone to this school, the “King’s New School,” and would have involved studying “grammar” from Latin texts. The

‘classical’ education he received here would filter down into his plays.

When he was 18 he married 26 year old Anne Hathaway.

They had 3 children, Susanna, Hamnet and

Judith.

Little is known about his early years, however we know he by 1592 he was known to be in the London

Theatre scene, without his wife or children. We believe that he joined “Lord Chamberlain’s Players,” in which he was a part owner, and both wrote and acted in plays he

produced.London Bridges, falling down

In 1599 the Globe Theatre was opened, and Shakespeare was a part owner. This theatre was a huge financial success, and made Shakespeare a rich man. These plays were not for the highly educated, but a wide spectrum

of society came to watch. Because of this Shakespeare’s plays were peppered with bawdy humour, slapstick, simple puns, violence and patriotism.

In 1609, his company bought “Blackfriar’s Indoor Theatre.” We can witness this change of venue, through his plays, as the

later plays mention effects, and night, which he was unable to recreate at ‘The Globe.’

Shakespeare died in 1916, at the age of 52. He had returned to

Stratford-On-Avon, and lived the life of a wealthy gentleman.

!Soon afterword folios (plays and sonnets) were published, and

remain in publication to this day.

Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, some more popular than others, but he remains one of the most

revered and performed artists of all time.

So why are people still enamoured with his work?

• Shakespeare is put on a pedestal by many, but remember, he wrote 37 plays and only about 15ish of these plays are popular. Nonetheless, his plays form a foundation of modern storytelling.

• Shakespeare’s plays are based on rich development of character and situation, the hallmarks of a good story. Because of this, we can read his plays now, and be as engrossed as audiences 400 years ago. Indeed, contemporary directors update, or bring the setting of his plays into the modern times. So Henry V, based on events in the 1415 might be set during the Second World War, or even the recent War on Terror.

• Shakespeare was an outstanding poet, and could manipulate with language with the skills of a ninja. You can be assured that there is multiple meanings behind even some of the most simple scenes, and speeches. It is fun to puzzle out meanings and interpretation.

"...for there is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-

scene in a countrey”. Robert Greene 1558-1592

While Shakespeare is indeed a great artist, he did not always come up with original premises, but borrowed existing stories.

This being said, he was really good at making these plays better than the original. So, while he was an upstart crow, his work is remembered because his work was better than his

contemporaries.

Romeo and Juliet• It’s plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical

History of Romeus and Juliet and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but, he rewrote it all, and changed the plot and characters.

• Story is even older though, one source is Pyramus and Thisbe, from Ovid’s Metamorphosis, an ancient text written in roman times (6 AD) In this version the parent’s hate each-other, and one thinks the other is dead. We know Shakespeare knew this Pyramus and Thisbe as it is mentioned in A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

• Even the names Montague and Capulet, were in usage, and can be found in Dante’s Devine Comedy (1308-1321) as Montecchi and Cappelletti

• Nonetheless, Shakespeare wrote his version between 1591-1595, and it was immediately popular.

Themes • As will all complex works of art, it is difficult to ascribe a

single theme to Romeo and Juliet. There are numerous ideas that are contained within the text. Nonetheless, we should keep our eyes open for the following while reading:

• Love

• Fate and Chance

• Light and Dark

• These themes keep popping up in the text, and make excellent bird watching theme watching for English students.

Structure • Just as the play is full of complex themes, it’s structure is also

complex. Romeo and Juliet starts off as a comedy, a type of play where the two young lovers face difficulties. Like in romantic comedies today, the lovers will overcome their difficulties and eventually end up together. Comedies in Shakespeare’s day always ended up with a wedding.

• However, with the death of Mercutio, the play changes format and becomes a tragedy.

• In a tragedy the underlying faults or weakness of the characters, or fate itself thwarts the character’s ambitions, leading, well, to a bloodbath. Usually with a heavy handed moral lesson. Romeo and Juliet ends up as a tragedy. Indeed the original title is The most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet.

To List A Few