William Shakespeare and Globe Theatre Notes
Shakespeare was baptized (christened) on 26 April 1564 according to church records.
Thus, it is believed that he was born on 23 April 1564.
Hometown: Stratford-upon-Avon
Parentage: William was the 3rd child of 8 children.
Father: John Shakespeare - apprentice glovemaker, businessman, constable; chamberlain; bailiff
(equivalent to mayor)
Mother: Mary Arden - came from a rather wealthy family of yeomen (small landowners)
Childhood: Shakespeare probably attended the Stratford Grammar School where he studied the classics,
math, rhetoric, logic, catechism, French; typical school day: 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Adult life: Married: Anne Hathaway (1582). She was 26, he was 18. Five months later, a daughter,
Susanna, was born. Twins, Hamnet and Judith, were born in 1585. Hamnet died in 1596.
"The Lost Years": 1585-1592
No records are available, but rumors arose. One of these rumors is Shakespeare became a schoolmaster. Another is that William was caught poaching deer/rabbits on Sir Thomas Lucy's property and so Shakespeare was forced to leave town. We do know that by 1592, he had settled in London, possibly because of being in an acting troupe. He became an established actor/playwright by 1592.
1592-1594:
The Black Plague was sweeping across Europe and England. The theaters were forced to close temporarily. During this time Shakespeare wrote some of his well-known poetry and published his first works. In 1594 he became a member of Lord Chamberlain's Men (name changed to The King's Men in 1603.
Shakespeare’s plays: (37 of them) included: comedies, histories, dramas (romances), tragedies (most popular) The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was his first GREAT play. Hamlet was his most POPULAR.
Tragedies always include:
a. a nobleman or leader whose death affects the course of the empire
b. character flaw
c. character flaw causes a fatal mistake
All tragedies are serious blank verse with an unhappy ending. Julius Caesar uses:
a. tragic hero/tragic flaw
b. internal/external conflicts
c. humorous relief
d. supernatural incidents
e. revenge motive
f. chance happening
Shakespeare’s death: William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 (52nd birthday). He is buried in front of the altar at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
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The Globe Theater
This theater was not London's first theater.
The Theater (1576), The Curtain (1577), The Rose (1587), The Globe (1599)
The Globe Theater opened in 1599: first play--The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
Dimensions: The building was a three-story octagon; called "this wooden O"; 2000-3000 person capacity
The actors: males only; laws prohibited females; resonant voice (loud and clear); good memory;
sing/dance/fight with a sword
The Groundlings
Paid 1 penny to get in -- no seats for them
Took their own lunches, got drunk, party atmosphere
Often threw food at actors
Not educated, no social graces, etc.
Shakespeare tried very hard to appeal to them
The Globe closed temporarily in 1613 due to a massive fire (live ammunition from a canon shot during a performance of Henry VIII caught the thatch on fire )
Detail of Globe: platform: jutted out into the yard--used for outdoor scenes; canopy; huts; turret; Hell; trap doors (used to lower bodies into the grave or Hell); inner stage (contained trap doors and a ceiling trap / used for indoor scenes); doors; balcony stage; bay window stages; music gallery
The Puritans disliked the theatre because they were opposed to anything “frivolous” and because it attracted disrespectable crowds and bawdy behavior. They pushed the government to close The Globe in 1642.