An Introduction to Shakespeare

1
An Introduction to Shakespeare

• The Man, the Myth, the Legend

2
Shakeys Father

• S's father was an established Stratford glove
  maker and leather dresser who also dealt in other
  commodities such as wool and grain. He is first
  mentioned in records in 1552, when he was fined
  for keeping a dunghill in front of his house.

3
Shakeys Mother

• S's mother, Mary Arden, came from a prominent
  Catholic family, and gave birth to little Willie
  sometime before Apr 26, 1564, when William was
  christened.

4
Birth and Death

• Since it is commonly accepted that children are
  christened three days after birth, this places
  his birth date and date of death on the same day,
  Apr 23 (but in different years, of course).

5
Stratford-Upon-Avon
6
Stratford Cathedral
Site of Shakespeares grave. The headstone reads
Good frend for Jesus sake forbeare, To digg the
dust encloased heare. Blest be ye man yt spares
thes stones, And curst be he yt moves my bones.
7
Marriage The First Mystery

• Records show the marriage of Willelmum Shaxpere,
  in 1582. The groom was 18, bride, Anne Hathaway,
  26.

8
Anne Hathaways Cottage

• Note the extensive garden (English love them)
• The thatch roof is made of straw, which is
  tightly bound to keep out water

9
Children

• Evidence suggests that the marriage was hastily
  arranged - six months after the marriage, Susanna
  Shakespeare was christened, and two years later
  the twins Judith and Hamnet were born.

10
Early Life

• There are no official records from 1585 to 1592,
  but some have speculated that S was anything from
  a moneylender to gardener to sailor to coachman
  to Franciscan monk.
• Legend has it that it was due to a deer poaching
  incident that Shakespeare left Stratford and went
  to London.

11
Shakey in London

• In London, we know that S was an actor before
  becoming a playwright, and continued to play in
  his own and the plays of others even after
  gaining notoriety.

12
Gaining Popularity

• 1589-94 Shakespeare's first plays, Henry VI,
  Titus Andronicus (a very bloody play), and The
  Comedy of Errors, are the hits of the London
  season. They bring the interest of royalty, the
  violence of blood, and laughter to the stage.

13
Lord Chamberlains Men

• 1594 The Lord Chamberlain's Men is formed, and
  for the next ten years it is London's premier
  acting company. S is a full member of the
  company, which he serves as both actor and
  playwright.
• Lord Chamberlain provided the money to fund the
  acting company.

14
A Very Good Year (and Bad)

• 1596 S is granted a coat of arms (once denied
  his father), which allows he and his son to write
  "Gentleman" after their names.
• Also in this year, S's son Hamnet, sole male heir
  of the Shakespeare line, dies.

15
Success!

• 1599 S is made a principal in the Globe Theater,
  establishing him as a successful businessman.
• 1599-1608 S's greatest period, during which he
  writes Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida,
  Hamlet, Othello, Julius Ceasar, Measure for
  Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and
  Antony and Cleopatra.

16
Time to Exit

• Around 1610 S permanently leaves the London
  stage and retires to his home in Stratford, where
  he is an important member of the local gentry.

17
Death Becomes Him

• 1616 S dies (some say he was murdered, others
  that he died from fever caught after a night of
  heavy drinking, still others suggest it was
  congestion caused by a strenuous day of shooting
  - the truth is not known) and leaves his "second
  best bed" to his wife, sparking controversy over
  his sexual orientation and quality of his spouse.