shakespeare’s life and times
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Shakespeare’s Life and Times. He was not of an age, but for all time. – Ben Jonson . Life in Renaissance England (1580s and onward). Public sanitation Disease Growing cities Printing and Sailing Politics & religion. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Shakespeare’s Life and Times
He was not of an age, but for all time. – Ben Jonson
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Life in Renaissance England (1580s and onward)
Public sanitation Disease Growing cities Printing and Sailing Politics & religion
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The streets were narrow, cobbled, slippery with the slime of refuse. Houses were crammed together, and there were a lot of furtive alleys. Chamber pots, or jordans, were emptied out of windows. There was no drainage. Fleet Ditch stank to make a man throw up his gorge. But the City had its natural cleansers--the kites, graceful birds that made their nests of rags and refuse in the forks of trees. They scavenged, eating anything with relish. ... And countering the bad, man-made odors, the smells of the countryside floated in. There were rosy milkmaids in the early morning streets, and sellers of newly gathered cresses.
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Beginnings Born April 23, 1564 in
Strafford-upon-Avon, England 103 miles west of London
Court records & plays John, a leather merchant and
local politician Mary, daughter of wealthy
landowner 1 of 8 children
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Marriage 1582: Married Anne
Hathaway, 26, at the age of 18 She was already
pregnant Gave birth to
Susanna ~1585: had twins,
Hamnet and Judith Lived at Straftford-
upon-Avon while WS worked in London
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7 years… ???????????????????????????????????
?? No record exits, “lost years” Gone into hiding for poaching game
on landlord’s property? Assistant school master? Starbucks barista?
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1592: He Resurfaces – start 4/11
Living as an actor and playwright in London Written criticism of his work: “…an upstart
crow, beautified with our feathers…” Managing partner in Lord Chamberlin’s
Men/King’s Men – an acting company in London Acting company: “sharers” who split
profits/debts and acted roles; boy apprentices
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Establishing Himself
By 1597: 15/37 plays were published $$$ & came home once a year Built Globe Theatre in 1599
3 stories high No roof Held more than 1,500 spectators Burnt down in 1613 during Henry VIII
because a canon misfired Entrepreneur and playwright
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Rebuilt Globe Theatre
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Theatre of the Times…
Actors = all men, young boys played female roles, no kissing/hugging on stage
Groundlings = poor audience member who stood around “pit” and threw rotten vegetables during bad performances
Cost = 1 shilling to attend, 2 shillings to sit in balcony
Expensive seats = behind stage
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Special Effects Mechanisms to lower actors from sky (angels and
gods) or bring them below stage by trapdoor (hell/funerals)
Little scenery – dialogue explained setting Elaborate costumes to tell profession, social class,
and family ties Identity tied to clothing – trickery involved nothing
more than changing costumes Sound effects: thunder, running horses, falling rain,
canon blasts, and music
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Early Works Early 1590’s: Histories depicting the destructive results
of weak or corrupt rulers (except for Romeo and Juliet) Richard II Henry V Henry VI
Comedies: witty, romantic, charming A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing As You Like It
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Later Works – After 1600
Tragedies: vividly capture human temperament, exploring deceit, retribution, betrayal, incest, and moral failure Hamlet Othello Macbeth
Tragi-Comedies: written in final period of life, end in reconciliation and forgiveness, but heavier subject matter than earlier comedies The Tempest Cymbeline The Winter’s Tale
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All around… 36 plays
Longest is Hamlet, at 884,647 words and over 100,000 lines
154 sonnets Works translated into 80 different
languages Coined more than 500 new words:
amazement, countless, useful, radiance, lackluster, bump, lonely
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Controversy Authorship of plays
Lack of evidence/primary sources and documentation
Education Literary training
Defense: Other authors had “sketchy” pasts with little
evidence/documentation of histories His education could have been of high caliber Circumstantial evidence based on his friendships
and relationships