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The Life and Work of William Shakespeare

The Life and Work of William Shakespeare. Mr. Sweeney Southwest High School. The Bard of Stratford. Shakespeare has been variously called: The greatest dramatist who ever lived The greatest writer of any kind in the history of the English language. Early Life.

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The Life and Work of William Shakespeare

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  1. The Life and Work of William Shakespeare Mr. Sweeney Southwest High School

  2. The Bard of Stratford • Shakespeare has been variously called: • The greatest dramatist who ever lived • The greatest writer of any kind in the history of the English language

  3. Early Life • Born in Stratford-on-Avon in 1564 • First child of John and Mary Shakespeare to survive • John was a glover and prominent Stratford citizen who would eventually fall on hard times • William received a basic education in Stratford Stratford London

  4. Stratford-on-Avon

  5. Early Life • William married Anne Hathaway in 1582 – he was 18 and she was 26 and pregnant with their first child • They would have three children: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet (who died in 1596 at age 11) • William and Anne spent most of their married life apart

  6. Theatrical Career • Sometime between 1585 and 1590, Shakespeare joined an acting troupe based in London • He became a writer and eventually a part-owner in the troupe • His first plays were performed around 1590

  7. Later Life • Shakespeare’s plays were very successful, and he invested his earnings wisely • He returned home to Stratford for good around 1610 • He died on his birthday in 1616 and was buried in Stratford, in the same church where he was baptized

  8. Elizabethan Theater • Acting was not a respected profession during Shakespeare’s day, so acting troupes needed the patronage (support) of a powerful noble to operate • Shakespeare’s troupe was called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, then later the King’s Men

  9. Elizabethan Theater • Women were legally barred from acting, so boys in makeup played the female roles • Most acting troupes traveled regularly, so they had to keep productions simple • Plays had no sets; actors described the setting of each scene • Costumes were minimal • By Shakespeare’s day, some troupes had started building their own theaters

  10. Shakespeare’s Theater • Shakespeare’s troupe built the Globe Theater in 1599; most of his plays were first performed there • It burned down only 14 years later, but a rebuilt Globe now stands near the original’s spot

  11. Shakespeare’s Theater

  12. Shakespeare’s Time • We refer to this period as the Elizabethan Age because of the queen who ruled England from 1565-1603 • It was a time of great social and religious upheaval • The Renaissance had finally reached England, bringing radical new ideas on all topics • Protestants and Catholics competed for control of the country

  13. The Tragedy of Macbeth • Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Macbeth in 1605 or 1606 • It was performed for the new king, James I • We believe Shakespeare wrote it with James in mind: • James liked short plays and it is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy • James was Scottish by birth, and it takes place in Scotland • One of James’s ancestors is a prominent character in the play • The play reflects James’s views on witchcraft

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