William Shakespeare is one of the world's most famous prolific playwrights. To understand Shakespeare's plays, one must be familiar with the life and time of Shakespeare. |
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WELCOME TO SHAKESPEARE'S STUDY PAGE |
William Shakespeare is one of the world's most famous prolific playwrights. To understand Shakespeare's plays, one must be familiar with the life and time of Shakespeare. |
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The Man | |
His Works |
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English People | |
The Theatre |
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Actors | |
Plays |
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The Audience | |
Romeo & Juliet Study Page |
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9th Grade Home Page | ||
1564 - 1616 |
married Anne Hathaway - 3 children |
born and died in Stratford-on-Avon |
actor, writer, producer, and director |
continued to act throughout career |
works performed rather than published |
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37 plays & numerous poems |
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wrote tragedy, comedy, history |
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| tragedy | Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet |
| comedy | A Midsummer's Night Dream, As You Like It |
| history | Henry IV |
created world of illusion and fantasy/make believe |
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time frames often skewed - don't always mesh |
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| knew all men were not equal | |||
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accepted class differences | ||
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knew a hierarchy of rank existed (indicated by dress - livery of house) | ||
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did not rise above rank born into | ||
| believed world was rational | |||
| believed in moderation | |||
| believed in astrology - life determined by the stars | |||
| Queen Elizabeth I - introduced Golden Age | |||
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after long civil war (War of Roses) and period of religious upset | ||
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held theatre presentations at court | ||
| interest in science and humanities | |||
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classical learning of Greeks and Romans | ||
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looked to Greek & Roman civilizations for examples of government | ||
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| first permanent theatre in London opened a few years before Shakespeare wrote |  |
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| copied layout of the courtyard used for theatre productions | |||
| basic, open to the elements (roofless) | |||
| no draw curtains, no lights, no special effects, few props, no scenery | |||
| stage and courtyard formed a circle or octagon | |||
| covered galleries to the left and right of the stage - 3 levels with benches | |||
| stage juts out into the pit | |||
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| pit - open area where audience stood | |||
| Globe Theatre - famous theatre seated 2,000-3,000 people | |||
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| variety of troupes included all ages |
| Shakespeare's company - Lord Chamberlain's Men, later King's Men |
| no women - young boys played women's parts |
| wore elaborate costumes geared to the times |
| spoke rapidly |
| no major costume changes |
| all levels of society | |||
| expected to be entertained | |||
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sophisticated - poetry, character development, situations | ||
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less sophisticated - clowns, wordplay, fignting, music & dance | ||
| did not expect realism | |||
| knew the form and most times the plot | |||
| wealthy in the galleries | |||
| poorer (groundlings) stood in the pit | |||
| vendors sold beverages and snacks in pit - hazelnuts and popcorn favorites | |||
"The Play's the Thing . . ." ( Hamlet) |
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| playwrights borrowed material fro other sources | ||||
| rewritten from poems, Greek plays, other sources | ||||
| followed conventional forms (Greek) | ||||
| differed in stressed themes and characterization | ||||
| lasted 2-3 hours during daylight hours | ||||
| numerous troupes with writers and actors | ||||
Shakespeare's Plays - Five Act Plays |
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Act III |
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climax |
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Act II |
Act IV |
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rising action |
falling action |
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Act I |
Act V |
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exposition |
denouement |
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| Playbill | |
