Who is Shakespeare?

2. Who is Shakespeare? • William Shakespeare is one of literature’s greatest influences • Little is actually known about him. • What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates, and his tombstone.

3. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE“The early years”

4. The Early Years • William was possibly born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England on April 23,1564. • We know his baptism happened on Wednesday, April the 26th, 1564. • We don’t actually know his birthday but from this record we assume he was born in 1564.

5. The Early Years • William was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. • William's father was best known as a glover • William's mother was Mary Arden who inherited much of her father’s landowning and farming estate when he died.

6. Home as a child

7. The Early Years • He was probably educated at the local grammar school. • We do not know how long William attended the school, but the quality of his works suggest a solid education. • What is certain is that William never went to a university, which has stirred some of the debate concerning the authorship of his works.

8. The Early Years • Little is known of his life up to his eighteenth year. • 1582, eighteen year old William married the twenty-six and pregnant Anne Hathaway. • Barely seven months later, they had his first daughter, Susanna.

9. The Early Years • Twins Hamnet and Judith were born in January/February 1585. • Hamnet, William's only son died in 1596, just eleven years old

10. “The Hidden Years” • For seven years, William Shakespeare disappears from all records, turning up in London around1592. • The years of 1585-1592 were called "The Hidden Years".

11. Rumors • Suspected that he ran away from the law • Became a butcher's apprentice. • Shakespeare may have had to flee Stratford after an incident with Sir Thomas Lucy, whose lands he allegedly hunted. • There is also rumor of Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire

12. Shakespeare “The Man” • Shakespeare apparently arrived in London about 1588 and by 1592 had attained success as an actor and a playwright. • By 1594, he was not only acting but also writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men

13. Shakespeare “The Man” • Shakespeare made a good name for himself in London. • Not only were The Lord Chamberlain's Men the most popular company at the time, they were the favorites of Queen Elizabeth, a patron of theatres

14. Shakespeare “The Man” Shakespeare and the acting company commissioned the building of the Globe

15. His canon includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems. The First Folio (cover shown at left) was published in 1623

16. Shakespeare “The Man” Shakespeare left London in 1611 and retired. On March 25, 1616, Shakespeare made a will. He died April 23, 1616 at the age of fifty-two. The cause of his death was unknown.

17. Place of Burial

18. Holy Trinity Church Shakespeare’s grave Monument inside Holy Trinity Church

19. At Shakespeare's time, after the graveyard was full, they would dig one's corpse up and burn the person's bones in a huge fireplace. Shakespeare hated this type of treatment after death, so he wrote his own epitaph. • A while ago, a few people wanted to dig him up and check his bones to be sure that the person buried there was Shakespeare. However, the government would not allow it.

20. Good friend, for Jesus´ sake forbeare To digg the dust enclosed here! Blest be ye man that spares thes stones And curst be he that moves my bones. The Tombstone

21. LIFE IN LONDON • London was overcrowded, noisy, and reeking of garbage • No sanitation, plumbing or clean running water • People got their water from the polluted River Thames • The River Thames was the main highway of traffic

22. LIFE IN LONDON • Inhabitants of London were sailors, noblemen, actors, and servants. • London was governed by powerful citizens and a Lord Mayor • The queen was not allowed to enter the city without an invitation.

23. LIFE IN LONDON • Entertainment: • The Theater • Drinking in the Tavern • Bear Baiting

24. LIFE IN LONDON • The Bubonic Plague or Black Plague spread in London due to poor sanitation • The plague was carried by fleas that were on the rats in the loading docks • 1 out of 10 died during the plague in 1592

25. LIFE IN LONDON

26. LIFE IN LONDON • Symptoms: • Fever of 104 • Vomiting, body aching • Mental disorganization • Puss filled lymph nodes known as buboes • Black spots on the skin • Die within 24 hours

27. LIFE IN LONDON • Other health issues: • Venereal disease • Rotten teeth and poisoned gums • Scurvy • All classes of people were effected

28. History of London • England was ruled by sovereignty (king or queen) • Considered the closest to God • Privy Council carried out the Queen’s policies, 13 members • Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558-1603

29. Queen Elizabeth I

30. History of London • Queen Elizabeth I beheaded her cousin, Mary Queen of Scotts • Queen Elizabeth was Protestant and didn’t want a Catholic to succeed her • James the VI was her successor (Mary’s son)

31. History of London • James the VI: • crowned on 1603 • Imprisoned Elizabeth’s top advisor Sir Walter Raleigh • He remained in a tower for 13 years only to be beheaded • Had no mercy for anyone

32. King James VI

33. History of London • Puritans: • Conservative religious group • Tried to ban theaters • Thought the plays corrupted the youth • Blamed the Black Plague on the actors and theatergoers

34. History of London • Catholics: • Had been discriminated against for years • Tried to blow up the parliament buildings in London • The king found out and stopped them • 8 people were publicly beheaded