Shakespeare The World as a Stage

1. Shakespeare The World as a Stage

2. William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts.

3. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.

4. Bryson documents the efforts of earlier scholars, from academics to eccentrics. Imitating the style of his famous lectures, Bryson records episodes in his research, including a visit to a bunker-like basement room in Washington, D.C., where the world's largest collection of First Folios is housed.

5. Bryson celebrates Shakespeare as a writer of unimaginable talent and enormous inventiveness, a coiner of phrases ("vanish into thin air," "foregone conclusion," "one fell swoop") that even today have common currency.

6. His Shakespeare is like no one else's—the recipient of Bryson's friendly nature, his engaging disbelief, and a gift for storytelling unrivaled in our time.

7. All the world is a stage • What is theme? • What is the theme of this excerpt from As You Like It?

8. The Seven Stages of a Man • Infancy: In this stage he is a helpless baby and knows little. • Childhood: It is that stage of life that he begins to go to school. He is unwilling to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion. • Thelover: In this stage he is always remorseful due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. He tries to express feelings through song or some other cultural activity. • The soldier: It is in this age that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of his own life. • The justice: In this stage he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy the finer things of life. • Pantaloon: He begins to lose his charm — both physical and mental. He begins to become object of others’ jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness, and shrinks in stature and personality. • Childishness: He loses his status and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally dying.

9. Chapter One • Images: • Chandros portrait was found in an estate auction and most believed to be Shakespeare, but does not have any documentation to prove, so it could be someone completely different • Droshout engraving: was probably a distorted image of SP and was done 7 years after his death. • Holy Trinity Church statue: painted over and lost features, so not a great depiction either.

10. Chapter One • Records: • Scarce records were kept during this time period. • Only 100 documents have been found about his family. • Only 14 words are believed to be written in his own hand. • The variants in letter formations, spellings, and pronunciations make it difficult to decipher through the records.

11. Belott-Mountjoy Papers • Charles and Hulda Wallace moved from USA to England to spend their lives researching information about SP. • Discovered the Belott-Mountjoy papers ~ a court case involving a dispute b/t a wigmaker and his son-in-law about a marriage settlement. • SP had to provide testimony in this case. • Provided the best WP signature and a valid address. • Also the only known document to contain a transcript speaking in his own voice.

12. Wallace’s cont. • The Wallaces also found information about his financial records for The Globe and Blackfriar theaters. • Interesting to note that Charles Wallace increasingly became a little crazy, talking about himself in 3rd person and becoming paranoid, causing ppl to take him less seriously. • They moved back to Texas and invested in land, which contained a large amount of oil, and became rich!

13. Shakespeare researchers • Only have three ways to report information: • By thorough research like the Wallace’s • By speculation based on his works • Or persuade themselves that they know more than they really do. • Most important to remember is that there is NOTHING concrete that gives us insight into SP’s feelings, thoughts, or beliefs as a man. The only thing we have are the works that have come from him.

14. Other Authors • We also know surprisingly less about other authors and their works during that time period as well. • We are lucky to have SP’s works, bound in the First Folio, a collection of his work, done by Henry Condell and John Heminges. • Only 230 text from plays during that time still exist, with 38 or 15% being from SP himself.

15. Interesting Facts • What we do know: • His works contain: • Over 138K commas • 26K semicolons • 15K ? Marks • Love references: 2,259 • Hate references: 183 • Damned: 105 times • Bloody: 226 times • Total Word Count: 884,647 • NOT SO MUCH A HISTORICAL FIGURE, BUT AN ACADEMIC OBSESSION.

16. Chapter Two: 1564-1585 • The plagues: Also called “Black Death,” the Bubonic Plagues took almost a ¼ of London’s citizens. • Other health problems also threatened ppl’s lives, as healthcare was scarce, especially in rural areas. • SP’s greatest achievement in life = surviving his 1st year.

17. Birth • Not certain, but traditionally celebrated on April 23rd, St. George’s Day (The National Day of England). • Also believed to be the day he died. • Baptized on April 26th. • Record keeping was sparse at this time in Stratford as well. • Although none of this is certain b/c of the discrepancies in calendars at that time.

18. Religion • 16th century: England changed from Catholic society to a Protestant one, based on the changes in the monarchy. • Edward Vi: Protestant • Mary Tudor (Elizabeth’s ½ sister): Catholic • Elizabeth: Return to Protestantism • Under Mary, many burned at the stake for refusal to convert. • Under Elizabeth’s reign (45 years), less than 200 Catholics were executed vs. 1000’s elsewhere in Europe.

19. Queen Elizabeth • Took England when she was 25 years old. • Reigned for 45 years. • Catholics believed she was an outlaw: • Her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots was Catholic and would be next in line to the throne. • Elizabeth was guarded closely to protect her life. • Issue of succession was huge during her reign, as well through the majority of SP’s life. • ¼ of SP’s plays contain issues of succession, which his audience would relate to well. • Actually speculating about the successor, however, was against the law.

20. Queen Elizabeth • Fairly relaxed Protestant. • Favored many customary Catholic traditions. • She was not as concerned about loyalty to religion, but more so with loyalty to herself. • BEING Catholic wasn’t particularly troublesome in Elizabethan England, but being PUBLICLY Catholic was.

21. Catholicism • Catholics who didn’t attend Anglican services paid a fine. Known as “recusants,” meaning “refusing” • In 1581, fines were only 12 pence/month • Raised to 20/month • Provided a lucrative source of income for the crown. • Most ppl were “church Papists” ~ supporting whichever religion was needed based on the circumstances.

22. Protestantism

23. Chapter Three (The Lost Years) • 1585-1592 • London in the 16th century was both deadly and desirable. • Plague occurred every 10 years ~ each time the death toll reached 40, all public gatherings were banned within 7 miles of London. • Even though there were many deaths, the influx of merchants and refugees kept the city growing, making London one of the largest cities in Europe

25. Chapter Three • Overwhelmingly a youthful place, as most ppl didn’t live past age 35 • City divided into parishes with a church in each one • London itself was surrounded by slums • Westminster was the seat of government • The largest and busiest palace in Europe • Headquartered the Engish monarch

26. Westminster Abbey

27. Chapter Three • City Life: • Narrow streets, close houses, rich and poor lived close together • Gates were locked at dusk, with curfew at dark • London Bridge: Went over the Thames River, which stretched 1,000 feet wide in some places • Bridge was a respectable place, had more than a hundred shops, considered the cleanest place in the city, and became an outpost of wealthy merchants. • The Southwark end of the bridge displayed heads of the most serious criminals on poles

28. London Bridge (16th Century)

29. Chapter Three • St. Paul’s Cathedral: • Stood in an open square covering 12 acres • Filled with stalls of booksellers, marketers, etc. • Inside: noisier and more public. Merchants used it to sell their stuff • drunks were passed out, relieving themselves in corners, • Some built small fires to keep warm • boys played ball, etc. • Used as a cut-through for staying out of the weather

30. St. Paul’s Cathedral

31. Chapter Three • Fashion: Starch was introduced and used to make exotic ruffles, pleats, gowns, etc. • Skin: rich women bleached their skin to look paler, a sign of supreme loveliness. • Diet: Rich people dined on foods uneaten today, like crane, swan, and stork. Poorer ppl ate mainly dark bread and cheese and vegetables. Tea and coffee were unknown, but all ppl enjoyed sweets ~ using sugar so much that their teeth turned black (or they colored them black to fit in) • Drinks: Common to consume over a gallon of beer a day (dark english ale) and the wealthier also got wine. • Tobacco: used for pleasure and as a treatment for all kinds of different stuff, including venereal disease, migraine, bad breath, and the plague

33. Chapter Three • Crime: very widespread. All different types of specializations, including: • Coney catchers • Pickpockets • Cutpurses • Hookers • Abtams • whipjacks • fingerers, etc. • Brawls were so common that even poets carried arms.

34. Chapter Three • Unknown when Shakespeare first came to London • Disappears from 1585 to 1592, when he left Stratford and his family to become a playwright • Suggestions: • He was a schoolmaster in the country • Traveling in Italy • As a soldier in Flanders • Going to sea

35. Chapter Three • Most believed: went to Northern England as a Catholic recusant, as a tutor and actor. • Was he Catholic? • During this time, there was a vast, underground network of underground Catholic conversions • A “William Shakeshafte” was listed listed in the household accounts of a prominent Catholic family • But Shakeshafte was a common name at the time, and it could have been anyone • Also during this time is when he would have married and had his first child in Stratford, so why would he have been in Lancashire, hiding out as a Catholic?

36. Chapter Three • Spanish Armada: 1586, Mary Queen of Scots was found guilty for plotting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth, so she was killed. The following spring, Spain tried to retailiate by capturing the English throne and replacing Elizabeth. • Spain expected a confident victory, but England prevailed, in three short weeks. • Changed history • Induced a rush of patriotism for England, giving them confidence to form USA • Secured Protestantism for England.

37. Chapter Four • Three different depictions of the Globe Theater exist: • 1596: Sketch of the “Swan” theater by Dutch tourist Johannes de Witt, housed in the library of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, believed to be the inspiration for the Gloe • 1626: Artist Claes Jan Visscher ~ famous engraved panorama of London, showing the theaters in the foreground, he may have never been to London, but based the engraving on another. • 1630’s Wenceslas Hollar drew the “Long View,” depicting the second Globe Theater from a view above, but offers little details.

38. Chapter Four • Know very little about theater by writing either ~ mostly from letters written by London tourists. • Philip Henslowe ~ owner of the Rose and Fortune theaters. Kept meticulous records in his “diary,” helping us to understand more about theater life and providing ‘specs’ when rebuilding the Globe. • Theaters as entertainment were a new phenomenon in England, with the Red Lion, the Theatre, and the Curtain Theatre.

39. Chapter Four • Theaters had to live outside of London’s walls, along with brothels, prisons, gunpowder stores, unconsecrated graveyards, lunatic asylums, and smelly or noisy enterprises, like soapmaking, dyeing, and tanning. • Theaters also housed other forms of entertainment, including animal baiting. • Puritans hated the theaters, even blaming a rare earthquake on them.

40. Chapter Four • Puritans considered them an ideal place for prostitution, shady characters, infectious diseases, a distraction from worship, sodomy, and a source of unhealthy sexual excitement. (Bryson notes that the Puritans would rather move to the New World than become tolerant of London life!) • Queen Elizabeth refused to limit theater life, even on Sundays, as they received heavy revenues from taxation.

41. Chapter Four • But, plays were strictly regulated. All plays were licensed and made to perform respectful and orderly. Could be jailed and punished. • Plays were performed at about 2:00 in the afternoon. • General admission for the groundlings was a penny. • Sitting = 2 pennies • Cushion = 3 pennies • (a day’s wages = 1 shilling)

42. Chapter Four • Concessions were available but toilets were not. • Little scenery and no curtain, no way to distinguish day/night, fog, etc. except through words. • Costumes were elaborate and much valued • Used sheep’s blood, organs, etc. and sometimes artificial limbs were used. • Almost all ended in a “jig”

43. Chapter Four • More natural acting styles and settings. • Plays were of varying lengths (Hamlet nearly 4 hours) • Challenge of using boys to play women parts • Other countries used women in plays • Golden Age of theater lasted @ 75 years, but attracted over 50 million customers (10x the country’s population). • Most performed at least 5 different plays a week, rotating throughout the year.

44. Chapter Four • Playwrights made very little $$, and plays belonged to the company, not the playwright. • Many actors had to double up parts, performing multiple parts in each play • Rigorous contractual obligations, with penalties for missing, tardiness, drunkenness, not being in costume, or wearing costumes outside of the play. • Shakespeare was listed as an actor in 1592, 1603, and 1608.

45. Chapter Four • Some believe SP’s first performed work was Henry VI, but it’s not for certain. • First official mention of him is in a note in a pamphlet by Robert Greene, who was jealous of Shakespeare • Then the theaters had to close b/c of a Plague outbreak, and then SP disappears for two more years. • Where was he? • Traveling in Italy?

46. Chapter Four • SP made a flowing dedication to Henry Wriothesley, earl of Southampton, who was considered to be bi-sexual, in two of his works. • Unknown whether SP was courting him personally or for his patronage to his plays. • By 1594, SP was a success, authoring two poems and having the patronage of a leading aristocrat. • But, he returned exclusively to theater from then on out.

47. Chapter Four • Christopher Marlowe: SP’s greatest competitor • Son of a shoemaker in Canterbury • Went to Cambridge (on scholarship), had elevated status • The government went on a witch-hunt to find the source of anti-immigrant notices in London. • Under torture, Marlowe’s roommate accused him of being a blasphemer and atheist, very serious charges. • Marlowe was brought before the Privy Council, questioned and released on bond.

48. Chapter Four • Christopher Marlowe: • Best scenario: getting ears cut off • Later, involved in a brawl and was stabbed in the forehead, being killed outright, and was dead at 29. • At that time, Marlowe was considered the better writer, but too quickly violent and erratic in temperament. • More likely, SP was more promising for long-term success. • SP had no serious rivals again until Ben Jonson came along in 1598

49. Chapter Four • Eventually, the plague was too much to bear, so many companies disbanded. • 1594, only two troups remained: The Admiral’s Men and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men • SP spent the rest of his life working with this troupe • Most members led clean lives, behaving like business and family men.

50. Chapter Five • No one knows which of SP’s plays were performed first ~ 8 different works are cited. • Some base their conclusions on the events going on in England during that time period, some believe the style of writing tells the order of composition, but no one really knows. • Book by Francis Meres “Paladis Tamia: Wit’s Treasury” was published in 1598 and mentions SP’s works and provides the first published mention of four of SP’s plays.