1. Shakespeare Term 3 LA ACE

2. Shakespeare’s Life An English poet and playwright Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language & the world’s pre-eminent dramatist Often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” Surviving works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and several other poems

3. Shakespeare’s Life Suicide occurs an unlucky thirteen times in Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare uses "dog" or "dogs" over two hundred times in his works He was also the first writer to use the compound noun "watchdog”, inventing it for the world’s use Shakespeare's works contain over 600 references to birds of all kinds Macbeth is thought to be one of the most produced plays ever, with a performance beginning somewhere in the world every four hours

4. Shakespeare’s Life Loved to write, and when a famous actor found all of the plays and stories that he had written, he decided to become a writer A son of John Shakespeare, a successful glover and alderman originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer Born and baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 April 1564 as the 3rd child of 8 and the eldest surviving son

5. Shakespeare’s Life Probably educated at the King’s New School, a free school chartered in 1553 about a quarter-mile from his home This school would have provided an intensive education in Latin grammar and the classics 7 siblings: Margaret, Gilbert, Joan, Anne, Richard, Edmund and Joan (died in infancy)

6. Shakespeare’s Life Inspired by: Birds Other great writers, such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Plutarch His plays were so well-received because: “Drama became the ideal means to capture and convey the diverse interests of the time”, and Shakespeare’s plays were extremely dramatic His style changed not only in accordance with his own tastes and developing mastery, but also in accord with the taste of the audiences for whom he wrote (rich, poor, etc.)

8. Was ruled by Elizabeth I

9. Houses had a unique “Elizabethan” design

12. England in Shakespeare’s Time The English during that time had a strong sense of “social class” They belonged to different groups according to their: Occupation Wealth Ancestry Social classes determined many factors in a person’s life, from what he could wear, to what he could live, and even to what jobs his children could get

13. England in Shakespeare’s Time Social classes: The Nobility Only 55 noble families Led by a duke, a baron , or an earl Rich and powerful The Gentry Only 5% of the population when Queen Elizabeth was young Knights, squires and gentlemen/gentlewomen who “did not work with their hands for a living Most important social class in England

14. England in Shakespeare’s Time Social classes: The Yeomanry The middle-class people Could survive comfortably, but could also be wrecked by disease or misfortune very easily and be plunged into poverty Yeomen farmers, tradesmen and craft workers The Poor The sick, the disabled, the old and feeble, and wounded soldiers Due to “enclosure” – towns grew in size and people living in the countryside, surviving on agriculture, did not have anymore space to grow crops and therefore, were jobless

15. England in Shakespeare’s Time English Renaissance Theatres Also called “Elizabethan Theatres” Shakespeare held his plays at the Globe Theatre most often As there was no lighting in the theatre, plays were held, weather permitting, during the day, most often in the mid-afternoon span between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

16. England in Shakespeare’s Time As the most of the Globe Theatre and all of its stage was open-air, acoustics were poor and the actors were compelled, by certain circumstances, to shout out their lines, stress their enunciation and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures Although costumes and props were utilized, changes in scenes during Shakespeare’s plays were not made during brief curtain closings, as there were no proscenium arch, curtains or stagehands. Instead, they were made during speeches and narrative situations in Shakespeare’s plays

17. The Renaissance A renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth; revival [lowercase] The activity, spirit or time of the great revival of art, literature and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval era to the modern world [uppercase]

18. The Renaissance Significant events/changes: The Black Death (1348) Reduced the population of Europe by over 50% 1st printing press in the world is invented (around 1450) Set up by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany End of the Middle Ages (1492) Lorenzo the Magnificent died in Florence Columbus almost discovers America Grenada, the last Moslem presence in Spain, falls Roderigo de Borgia became Pope Alessandro VI

19. The Renaissance The upheaval in the accepted social hierarchy allowed Shakespeare to explore the humanity of every character regardless of their social position. Even monarchs were given human emotions and were capable of making mistakes Before the Renaissance, Greek and Roman classics had been suppressed by the Catholic Church, but once the texts were legalized, Shakespeare utilized them when writing his plays