born on April 23, 1564 In: Stratford-upon-Avon Parents: John and Mary Shakespeare. His dad was a leather merchant, and his mom a local heiress John was.

•born on April 23, 1564

•In: Stratford-upon-Avon

•Parents: John and Mary Shakespeare. His dad was a leather merchant, and his mom a local heiress

•John was also a high bailiff in the town, which means he was a man of respect and authority.

• Went to Grammar from apprx. Ages 7-14 where he learned English, Latin, Greek, Religion, and Philosophy.

• School wasn’t free, but because of his dad’s political standing he got to go to school free of charge.

• Never attended a college or university, which was unheard of for writers of the time.

• During these times the age of consent for marriage was 21

• To be married you had to announce your intentions of marriage 3 weeks in a row during church. (This was called, “The Crying of the Banns)

• If you needed a quicker marriage, you signed a Legal Marriage Bond.

• William married Anne Hathaway. He was 18 and she was 26 (and she was pregnant uh-oh)

• In 1588 left his family behind and moved to London to start working as an actor and playwright

• Worked with Richard and James Burbage, who were both noted actors of the time

• Extremely popular, often the current king or queen would come to their plays.

• An acting troop is a group of men paid by someone in high political and financial standing (kings, queens, lords, ladies etc) to put on plays.

• Shakespeare’s acting troop was originally “Lord Chamberlain’s Men,” but eventually got bought out by King James, so were then known as “The King’s Men.”

• Only men were allowed to be on stage, so often young boys with high voices were hired to play female roles.

Unfortunately, the Elizabethan actors did not have a very good reputation. They were known as vagabonds and could not be trusted.

Performances were held in amphitheatres and playhouses. An amphitheatre held more people and was open to the sky. A playhouse was completely closed.

 Typically, most plays drew in approximately 3,000 people although most facilities could only hold 1,500.

People assembled in the theatre according to class. The lowest social class were referred to as “Groundlings” because they stood on the ground in front of the stage. In the summer months, they were called “Stinkards” for obvious reasons.

On the days of performances, a flag was hoisted outside the theatre. A black flag represented a tragedy, white comedy, and red history.

The original Globe Theatre was built in 1598 to be the home of Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

In 1613, After a cannon was fired during one of the performances, the theatre burned down.

A new Globe Theatre was constructed, it was completed right before Shakespeare’s death.

In 1642 the Puritans seized power and shut down all theatres, including the Globe for the next 352 year. Acting was seen as sinful and of the devil.

During the Elizabethan Era there were no Copyright Laws.

Because of this, Shakespeare often get accused of “stealing or plagiarizing his plays.”

In reality he was much more known to take the baseline of a story, and add tons of characters and details to make it into an amazing play.

Scholars today still argue over whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays.

Did He?

The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world.

Elizabeth firmly established the Church of England begun by her father, King Henry VIII

(Parted from the Catholic church after the Boleyn Girls incident)

Near the end of his Career King James came to power (as in the King James version of the Bible, which Shakespeare is rumored to have helped translate)

Shakespeare died on April 25th 1623 He left all his possessions to his daughter

Susanna, except his bed, which he left to his wife.

He tombstone reads as follows: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare

To dig the dust enclosed here.Blessed be the man that spares these stones,And cursed be he that moves my bones.

This time was fittingly named for Queen Elizabeth who was in power at this time.

Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance. Throughout the Renaissance, new ideas were constantly being brought to the fields of science and literature.

For entertainment, the Elizabethans would often participate in a number of different sports and tournaments. They enjoyed competitive games and activities such as hunting, hawking, and bear and bull baiting.

During the Renaissance era, the relationship between Elizabethan men and women was unequal. Women were to be subservient to men and were to depend upon their male relatives for financial support.

Most marriages were arranged, and the woman had little say about who she married

Women were FORBIDDEN to have any type of career.

In 1562, Queen Elizabeth I passed a law against witchcraft. This law went on to lead to witch hunts and prosecution of witches.

  Because the Elizabethans had a strong fear of

God and the supernatural, they were very superstitious. This fear is also what caused Queen Elizabeth to pass the 1562 witchcraft law. Some superstitions we hold to today stem from the Elizabethans. Examples of these are ladders, black cats, and salt and pepper.