William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare Twelfth Night

His life

• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon

• The exact date of his birth is unknown, but some believe he was born on April 23, 1564

• By the age of seven, William was able to read and write

• He attended Stratford grammar school until he was 15, where he would have studied Greek and Latin literature and Christian ethics (including knowledge of the Bible)

• William was an intellectual, though he didn't attend university for various reasons. This upset some of his fellow playwrights because they believed that a dramatist should be educated

• William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway (he was 18, she was 26).

• Anne was already three months pregnant.

• Children: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet - Hamnet died at the age of 11

• Now, with a family of three and a wife to take care of, Shakespeare took off to London.

• he became quite a successful player in London

• In January 1593, the plague forced many London theaters to close

• Becomes key member of an acting troupe known as “Lord Chamberlain’s Men”

• Performed at the Globe Theater

• The theater held 2500 people

• William Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon the same date that he was born, April 23, 1616 at the age of 52

• William Shakespeare composed what many believe is the most extraordinary body of work in the history of world drama

• He wrote 36 plays and 154 sonnets

Words, words, words

• Shakespeare's surviving works add up to a staggering 884,647 words and 118,406 lines.

• Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play, clocking in at 4,042 lines. His shortest is The Comedy of Errors, with 1,787.

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Shakespeare coined more than 500 new words, many of which are still commonly used in English speech. Popular Will-isms include: amazement, bump, lonely, countless, useful, radiance and lackluster.

A VERY brief history of the times

• Europe is split during the 16th century

• The Reformations - Catholics & Protestants

• Henry VIII of England is having several issues with the Catholic church, the least of which is he wants to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon (Spanish) because she won’t have a male heir.

• In the meantime he starts the Church of England (Anglican) and makes himself the head of the church.

• Separation granted! Henry moves onto Anne Boleyn…3 years later…she is beheaded

The further adventures of Henry

• New wife! Jane Seymour…finally produces a male heir named Edward.

• What happened to Jane?

• She died.• Three more wives…

• Unsuccessful conflicts that cost lots of $$$$

• Religious issues

• Henry’s pride and joy Edward takes over

• The young Protestant King catches Tuberculosis and dies.

• Who is next in line to the throne?

• The daughter of Catherine of Aragon

• MARY - as in Bloody Mary

1553 - 1558• First female monarch of

England• Known for her fierce

treatment of Protestants: many were burned at the stake

• She - and her Spanish husband - were HATED by the English

• Childless she dies and in comes Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth • “The Virgin Queen” is

considered one of the country's most successful and popular monarchs

• Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen: quick-witted, clever and able to use feminine wiles to get

her own way. • November 17, 1558 she became

Queen

• She never married and once said, “I am already bound unto a husband which is the

Kingdom of England.”

• Knowing the religious issue could, and would, separate her nation - something other Monarchs hoped for - she acted diplomatically. Although Protestant she employed Catholics and ushered in an era of religious tolerance.

• Died on March 24, 1603

Important people of the day• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)

• Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)

• Martin Luther (1483 - 1546)

• Ben Jonson (1572-1637)

• John Donne (1572-1631)

• Edmund Spenser (1552-1599

• Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 - 1618)

• Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593)

In other words Shakespeare is not “culture” but truly is pop culture!