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My paJ, I3JJ!
What You ShouJ.I
ICno About The Guy, !is Timeç, 1 anc Ilic Work licJ, ‘f—i’lrc. Gulctacl 9 En
I(eep in 13i11’c
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I3irtJ ay iS cai4 to 1,e April 23, 1%’I, although the actual 4 4 • his firtJi ay waS not . It WaS the cuçtom to laptize l,al.iec Within a few 4 e 4 recor ayc of their tirtJ,, hoWever AIço, Since Shakespeare 4ie4 52 years later on April 23, 4 —moçt sign hcantIy—cince April 23 is St. George’c clay, the patron çaint of an Englancl, it has Iecarve traclitional to assign the l,irth clay of England’s moçt famouç poet to April 23.
• lie was L,orn in Strafforcl-(Jpon-Avon, 4 100 mileç northwest Which is locate of London. It waç an important agri cultural center and market toWn.
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I3iJl’c Parentc: JoJ,
ari.’A Mary • JoJin Waç a maker and seller of leather gooI, a dealer in agri cultural corn rr,oditieç, and served in government (the highest position he held was equivalent to toWn mayor). • lie WaS a solid, midcile-dac citizen when l3ill Waç L7orn; later, hiç fortunes l’egan to decline for unknown reasons. 13 ill was the third of their eight chil dren (and their firt son).
The I,ci,ce an henley tteet where Bill L%’aç IOrn.
13i11’c Sd’,ool Days • King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford wa5 L,LsiJf and maintained expressly for the purpose of educating the cons of prominent citizens. • Students learned the English alpha1et Latin grammar, logic, rhetoric, and history. • School l7egan at dawn (six or seven, depending on the SeaSon) and proceeded moct of the day, with lreaks for meals, for six days a week. There was strict discipline and short vacations. • Another educational opportunity Was manda tory church affendance. • I3ill moçt likely left school atthe age of four teen to l:’e hi father’s apprentice (this is when hi father was experiencing money problems). • his writing also shows the influence of the Warwickshire countryside (images of nature, gardening, agricultural pursuits, and country folklore).
13i11’c Marriage • Bill married Anne hathaway on November 28, 1582, at the age of eighteen (she was eight years older than him). • Anne was three months pregnant at the time (oopc!). • It iS said their marriage Was not a happy one. The only mention of his wife in Shakespea re’s will is the famous bequest of hiç “çecond bet bed.” Whether as a fond rerneml,rance or a buffer slight ç not known. • Rumor has it he had a mysterious mistrecs (“The Dark Lady” of the çonnets).
I3i11’ç
I(iCIS • Nonethelesc, he and Anne had three kids: Susanna and twinç Judith and ti amnet • Jlamnetdliecl at the age of eleven in 15%. 1 a less-than-honorable guy named Thomaç Quiney (he had an • Judith married affair and fathered a d lJ While engaged to Judith; this Woman died in 1 chulclbirtli). Bill altered hi will to keep Thomas from gefting anything. • The main beneficiary Was SuSanna, Who gave him hiç only grand- chul4,Lacly Elizabeth I3arnard, who died in 17O. (In other words, Bill hoc no direct deçcendants!)
The LoctYearc • We don’t know much about hiç life during the years 1585-15’t2. • The most commonly told story about Shakespeare leaving Stratford haç it that lie had to leave to escape proseccMon for poaching deer on the Iandç of Sir Thomaç Lucy. • Other reportç stated that he Was a schoolmaster in the country, but got tired of it.
Ilic Life n LonJan • Apparently Shakecpeare’c wife and children remained home in Stratford while he worked in London. Presumably he made the trip back andl forth, a trip that ould have taken about days on foot or 2 clays on horseback. • By 15’I2, Bill had become a Well-known actor, poet and playwright • By 15’I’I, he wac a charter member of a theatri cal company called “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” (later, in 1(O3, the company became “The )ing’c Men” because they were cupported financially by ICing Jameç I). This company built The Globe. Shakespeare entertained people here for another ten years until June 1% 113, When a cannon fired from the roof of the theatre for a gala performance of /leniy VIII set fire to the thatch roof and burned the theatre to the ground. The audience ignored the smoke from the roof at first, being too absorbed in the play, until the flames caughtthe WallS and the fabric of the curtains. Amazingly there Were no casualties, and the theatre war eventually rebuilt
Relirement an 4 Death 4 in the new theatre, uthe Bill inveçte reti reel from the stage. tie went l,ack to New Place, the house he I,ought in 15’?7 in Stratford. atthe age of 52 in l3ill died on April 23, Stratford. The ,v,oçf popular story of hiç death is that he contracted a fatal fever after a drinking Session pith his old friends ad fellow writers, t4ichael Drayton an 4 Ben No1o4y the real Jonson. knows cause of hiç death lie’s buried und er the old stone floor of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford, the same place he Was baptized. During Shakespeare’s time, if the graveyard was full, one’s corpse would be dug up and the bones burned in a huge fireplace. Often, the corpse Would 1,e strippeel after the burial. Shakespeare despised thiç type of treatment after death and wrote hiç oWn epitaph. ‘Good Frjen4s for jeig,? cake forbear, To d 9 the bonec end aced here! Blectbe the man that cpavec thece stonec, And cursf l’e lie that moveS my L’onec.”
Due to the superstition of the people atthis time, his corpse was never bothered. • During hiç lifetime he wrote 37 plays and 15I çonnets. (lie often wrote small parts for him self in hiç playsscholars like to figure out which ones were hiç.) • tie was a loyal subject and iS referred to as the Bard of England. (barel= poet)
rDig itiZT
A Super-I3acc, Qck-Quick Look At The MMJe (Dark) A ec an The Renaccance 9 (a.k.a. Geffin 9 to FnoW the World
of J3ll)
The e 9 (MiMJ e)Dark c A • Roughly ‘17(o Al.). (Fall of Rome) to ometirne in the 10Os • 3acically, people thought of life as a veil of tearc: life çtinkç, anci then you cue. • They were very cuperclitiouc—afraicl of evil cpiritc, Witcheç, and ciernonç—minciful of luck and fortune (“wheel of fortune”) • The I3u ,onic Plague (1350 -l50 ) killed half the population of Europe 1 and spread moçt rapidly in cities • Labyrinths: Circular path in ctone, often found in Gothic cathedralc. As a pilgrimage itWa5 a d?uecting, searching journey With the hope of becoming clocer to 6 oci. When uced for repentance, the pilgrims Would Walk on their knees. It was nota maze. One path goes in and out. • Famouç folks: Joan of Arc, Richard the Lionheart, Chaucer, Leif Erickçon, Marco Polo (Robin flood and Icing Arthur are myths, but they’re from thiç time period)
I I • •
• • •
The Renacçance Roughly 200 years—approximately late l’f OOs to late l00s I3egan in Italy and spread acrosc Europe The ord renaissance meanS “neW birth” New intereçtin arI literature, philosophy, ccience—esp. Greek/Roman (Classical) Exploration and trade boomed Famouc folkç: Michelangelo, cia Vinci, Raphael, Copernicus, Galileo, Christopher Marlowe, Martin Luther, l(ing henry VII, Queen Elizabeth I, I3ill
A Tirneline (to help you put I3ill’c life in perspective): 1100-1300
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Reformation (Luther)
Life
ExaripJec: The 1”1MIe (Dark) A ec Vc. The Renaccance 9 Reading anJ I3ookc l3ooks were copied Iy hand onto parchment which was time consuming and e,cpensive. The der9y Were the readeu and owners of bookc, which were wriffen in Latin, the langua9e of ccholarc.
The invention of the printing press was HUGE. flare pea pie became literate aç books became cheapei New readeri wanted books in their oWn lan9ua9es and wanted a Variety of books.
Thnkin9/P?ii1ocop1iy Thinicing was guided by the acJiing of the church (Catholic)—there was great focus on heavenly rewardç for actions on earth
“Humanism” emer9ed as a philosophy: people rediscov ered Classical (Greek and Roman) writings on ccientiflc mafters, government, rhetoric, philosophy, and art. They Were in#Iuenced by the knowledge of these ancientcivi lizations and by the emphaçis placed on man, hiç intellect, and hiç life or, Earth.
Econorv,ics/f3açic Lj 9 The feudal system was in full swing: lords offered protection to the serfs who worked hiç land. Europe experienced economic stagnation mostly because of the Plague (most people leftthe cities to avoid it)
There was economic growth because incidents of the Plague decreased. Cities grew, and a new middle class emerged that demanded more goods and services. They had more money for entertainment education, and “stuff.”
A rd,itecture Gothic spires and decorations imitated movement towards heaven. The shape of the cross Was the basis for church architecture.
Elegant symmetry and proportion demonstrated the intel lectof man (math and arttogether). A circle waS the basic for church architecture to show the perfection of God (a circle is a perfect geometric figure).
Pantingc In paintings, saints and Biblical figures are arranged in unnatural, geometric groups, and backgrounds are nothing more than waihes of gold.
The Renaissance painter depicted the human figure as realistically as possible, often With backgrounds of the natural world. (Again, math helped art)
Loio Lore • Full of 9ar.len anl treec, çurroun€Je.l 1 7y mea.loWc • Located Ofl tJ,e T?iamec River (“temz”): a tllrivin9 port • London 8ride had heads of executed traitorc on display on pikec to Warn visitorç not to cause trout,le (viçil,le frow the river) • treetc Were cr0 c1 ed, ItJy, narroW, and dlan9erous: no Sewer system, Which meanS open ditcheç that carried away garI7a9e and SeWa e Waçte 9 ue 9 • Unsanitary conditions led to outbreaks of The Pla • No street li htc, Which, made it a oici mine for roLiler after dark 9
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sanitation made London an ideal breeding ground for plague, a fatal disease camed by 6 css on ran. In 1592-4, 1603-4 and 1623 London was devastated by din disease. Over 100.000 peoplr died. -
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TJiat Crazy ElizabetJian Culture • People didn’t bathe more than once or fl..6ce a year (they thought it was unhealthy). • Queen Elizabeth I rei ned in a time of peace and 9 order from 158-1O3 (That’s why it’ç called Elizabethan England). She Was strong and popular. her reign is often called “The Golden Age.” • The çocial order was important (“how things are”and the “Statuç Quo”). • Women had levy few rights.
• There was a set of rules/traditions that supported the patriarchy: family as a kingdom ruled by the
Queen Bes ctanaang on a niop of E ) 9 a, which chows her power. (Pant;ng !‘y (‘iarcuc GheeraertT the Youn9er)
fatJ,er Was a typical metaphor. This gave aboJute power to the father and the eldest child. • Typically, it Was expected that the family of a bride would provide some form of dowry. This was done in part to make the daughter affractive and in part to insure the stability of the marriage. • The groom’s family would provide a dower or join ture, which Was an amount of money to help the stability of the marriage and as a form of insurance thatthie bride would inIerit if the groom died before her. • Daughters could then be seen as a liability. Their doWries would reduce the size of the family’s hold ings and the eldest son’S inheritance. • An “unruly” Woman, one Who did not conform to the family power structure, was ofren considered a “chreW” or a “ccold.” The disruption he caused WaS considered so serious that oftentimes public punich rnentWaç irdlicted. Thiç might include ducking or being 1lffed with a “scold’s bridle,”an iron mask Which fit over the head With a metal mouthpiece that prevented the prisoner from speaking. The huç band might also be punished, ostensibly for being lax in controlling hiç wife and kingdom.
More EJiza,etJiar I3eliefs
Little and large
The human body was though to be a miniature representation of the universe as a whole. Various parts of the body were linked to the planets and the signs of the zodiac. Things that happened in the universe, which was known as the “macrocosm”, were supposed to happen on a much smaller scale within the human body (the “microcosm”).
The Chain of Being The Chain of Being was a concept the Elizabethans inherited from the Middle Ages. It was an attempt to give order (or “degree” as the Elizabethans often called it) to the vastness of creation. The idea was that God created everything in a strict hierarchy, or chain, that stretched from God himself down to the lowest things in existence. Everything had its own place. Humans occupied a place in the chain below the angels but above animals, plants and stones. Some humans were higher in the chain than others.
The picture above. based on skctdi in a ijiedieval I)IiII)UScript. show% the parts oldie body and dicir correspoiiding zodiac signs.
The body was also thought to contain four “hurnours”, or fluids black bile, phlegm, blood and choler. A person’s temperament depended on the way the huniours were —
—
Illnesses and mental disorders were blamed on an imbalance of the humours. For example, melancholia (depression) was thought to be caused by an excess of black biL.
The monarch was the highest, with nobles and churchmen below. Then followed gentlemen and finally commoners. All women were considered to be inferior to men, with the obvious exception of Elizabeth I. Her position as monarch outweighed the fact that she was a woman. Accepting one’s place in the chain was a duty that would be rewarded by God in heaven. Disrupting the chain was thought to lead to chaos, but of course many people still did challenge their position in society. The c:haiii
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SI-akespeare’ Dentct e an 4 44 Dentistry in Shakespeare’s time Wa5 a very cru igusting ait Teeth Were ruine 4y They t.vith the efforts to keep them dean. Were ru1e4 a mixture of poW4ere4 pumice stone, brick an 4 coral. Thiç not only took off the stain, but took off the enamel as Well. Other Ways to dean teeth Were to rinse them i’ith a solution of honey anl burnt saH sugar 4 honey an honey, or a quart of vinegar an 4 half a quart of White Wine boile4 togeth
Going to the dentist cou 14 cost you your life. People died of bloo4 loss an 4 pain due to the instruments thatthey use 4 pliers, keys With claWS thiç 4islocated the . These include 4 tooth from the socket, pelicans—these dragge 4 the tooth out sideWays, an 4 an instrument that pulled out the roots. --
I3ad breath Was treated With Water an 4 vinegar, then cheWing masticke an 4 Washing the mouth out With a solution of Anniç see 4 cloves so s, mints, an 4 en in Wine. Also, by placing 44 14 rid him or her of bad breath. roaste4 turnip parings behin4 a person’s ear, you cou During thiç time, fillings Were also use . The most common materials Were gold leaf, 4 molten lead, or silver scrapings. I3utusually if the tooth Was ba4, itWas)ustremove4 ” With a healthy one from someone else. The “someone else” Was a poor person 4 ’replace 41 an ing money. The dentist Woul4 pull one tooth after another to see Which one Would fit 4 nee his patients mouth.
When the human supply of teeth Went doWn, the teeth of sheep, dogs, goats and baboons Were use oWn, teeth from 4ea4 people an iers Were used. 4 . If these supplies Went 4 4 4 sol Eventually, false teeth Were use4. These Were made from hippopotamus bones, Walrus ivory, silver, mother-of-pearl, enamele 4 copper aftache4 to an ivory base, porcelain plas ter, or vulcanite an 4 celluloid, Which Was extremely flammable.
The Glo,e Theatre .
• •
• • •
It Was an eight-ritie4 bwl,ng (circular and open to the sky in center) with a Wooden frame structure and a thatched roof. I3ill called it “The Wooden 0!’ It had 1 ive levels: the lowest level was “hell” (actors Wentthrougl, trap door), the next level up Was the main stage and inner stage (a curtained off area in back), the next level Was the balcony, the seconJ-hghest level Was the muSic gallery above the balcony, anl the highest level was “the heav ens,” just under the roof. Costuming Was elaborate. The çet Was simple it left much to the irnaginat.on. Changes in time and location Were made With Wordç. Each performance Wa non-stop, and and the acting Was brisk (plays started in the afternoon and had to be done before dark so people couii get home safely).
The Globe Theatre From 1599 onwards, Shakespeare’s plays were usually performed at the Globe, a huge, open-air circular theatre in Southwark in London. The theatre could hold 3,000 people, and there were two performances a day. Along with other members of his theatre company, the
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Chambedain’s Men. Shakespeare owned a share in the Globe and made a lot of money from it.
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TJ,eatreo 9 erç in 1 13i1 ’ c Day • Theatre WaS “IT” (it Was like going to the (etrocIarne for a game, etc.). • 13 ill’s plays were en)oyecJ by all classes of people. • A lypica) auience WaS generally 2,000-3,000 people. • Coçt: one penny alloWel you to çit on the 9rouncl in front of stage (these people Were called “groun1ings”), tWo pennies bought you a seat in one of the upper galleries (the balconies facing stage), anl four pennies alloel you to çitin the loWest galleries (the beçtreatç). • The aucIience WaS noisy: they interactel With and reacted to the actors. • They loved no ice: Plays had many sound effects and much music. • They liked blood and gutç stories.
The Actors • They Were au men; Women’s roles Were played by youn 9 boys chosen for good lookç, intelligence, afld grace; they Wore fancy clothes, hose, and lots of per fume. • They had good, loud Voices that could projectto the back seats. • They had to have good memories (actors might play several parts in one play or iio a different play every afternoon).
Sliakecpeare’c Style • Presented people as they Were withouttaking sides (impartial) • Plots Were not originalborrowe4 from Well-known stories of the time • Never came across as superior to anyone; kept a courteous point of vieW
•
• • •
toWards foolç Audience expectedl a cloWn of some sort: usually Wise or rustic Includedl a lot of humor, especially Word playseven in the tragedies Used1 a lotof poetry (iced a lot of imagery to describe thingç (Hamlet had “a sea of troubleç”) Used many literary devices...
term
definition
example
simile metaphor alliteration assonance hyperLole
compare using “like” an “as” le5chLng something as f it Were something else repeating the Same starting leffer for emphasis repeated use of the same voWel coun for emphasis
his anger Was like tJ,uner Jier çrnile Was cunshine iear dolphins quail Qn shake lie stoo4 al,ove the clouç
exaggeration or hype
Create Your Ovin Shakespéareañ Insults byJerryMaguire
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bine one word from each of the columns below, preface with “Thou,” and thus shalt thou have the perfect insult. Let yseif go—mix and match to find a barb worthy of the Bard! Column 1 artless bawdy bealubbering bootless churlish cockered clouted
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Column 2 base-court bat-fowling beef-witted beetle-headed boil-brained clapper-clawed
craven
clay-brained common-kissing
currish . .lnkish dissembling droning errant fawning fobbing froward frothy gleeking goatish gorbellied irnperti’rnt infectio jarring loggerheaded lumpish mammering mangled mewling paunchy pribbling pnking puny qualling
crook-pated dismal-dreaniirig dizzy-eyed doghearteddread-bolted earth-vexing elf-skinned fat-lddneyed fen-sucked flap-mouthed fly-bitten folly-fallen fool-born full-gorged guts-griping half-faced hasty-wifled hedge-born hell-hated idle-headed ill-breeding ill-nurtured knotty-pated milk-livered motley-minded
,nk
onion-eyed
reeky roguish ruttish saucy spleeny
plume-plucked pottle-deep pox-marked reeling-ripe
spongy
surly totterit unmuzzled
vain venomed villainous warped wayward weedy
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rough-hewn rude-growing
rump-fed shard-borne sheep-biting
spur-galled swag-bellied tardy-gaited tickle-brained tOad-SpOtted unchin-snouted weather-bitten
Column 3 apple-john baggage barnacle bladder ‘boar-pig
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bugbear bum-bailey
canker-blossom clack-dish
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clotpole coxcomb codpiece death-token dewberry flap-dragon flax-wench flirt-gill foot-licker fustilarian giglet gudgeon haggard harpy hedge-pig horn-beast hugger-mugger jolthead lewdster lout maggot-pie malt-worm mammet measle minnow miscreant moldwarp mumble-news nut-hook pigeon-egg pignut puttock pumpion
ratsbane scut skainsmate strumpet varlot vassal whey-face wagtail
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Iscuec in I3iJI’ PIay • lie 4ealt with issues such aç tJie I,atHe of the sexes, religion, racial 4 iscrimination, an 4 gen4er issues. • Many of 13i1l’s female characters are intelligent an 4 strong-WiIleJ, much freer an 44 epen in e nt than moçt women of the time, L7utthey’re still shown n4 happiness through men or lovers, lie wrote about in relation to men an 4 1 the kin4ç of Women that Women au ience members likej to watch, but he 4 also refiecte4 Elizabethan values of love an 4 marriage. • Many people believeJ in the occult an 4 supernatural phenomena such as 4 magic (just like to4ay), an ghoçt, witches, an 4 those beliefs were rellecte4 in his orks. There are also references to Greek an s, 4 4 Roman pagan go Which hiç audienceS knew a lot about (such as Cupid, the Roman god of Jove). • Shakespeare’s Christian background is a strong in#Iuence on hi work—for instance, repentance/forgiveness of sins is a major theme (Christianity Was huge in Europe at the time— Protestants an 4 Catholics Were often at War over their differences in Christian worship). Racial prejudice is offen çhon in the actions of characters, an 4 I3i11 showed that Victimç of prejudice felt pain an 4 resentment. Instead of spelling out What is right an 4 Wrong, he shows the destructive power of human prejudice an 4 leaves us to come to our oWn concluSions.
Whew! Thaçe are the baçcç!
8
