2. Who is Shakespeare? Famous playwright, actor and theatre entrepreneur Born on around 23rd April 1564 in the family home in Stratford-upon-Avon Baptised in 26 April 1564 in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford Married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 and had 3 children Died on 23rd April 1616
3. Family Son of John Shakespeare, a successful glove-maker and eventually a bailiff (mayor), and Mary Arden, daughter of a rich and ancient landowning family Had 7 siblings Upper-middle social status due to affluence of his family
4. Early Life of Shakespeare Probably attended the King’s New School, a local grammar school School days were hectic – started at six in the morning till five in the afternoon Left school at the age of fifteen or sixteen Became an apprentice or trainee in his father’s shop
5. Inspirations and Works Inspired to write both by nature and most importantly, the other great novelists of his day such as Ovid and Seneca Famous plays that he had written include “Macbeth”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “The Tempest” and of course “The Merchant of Venice” Shakespeare’s plays were well-received even till now because of their unbeatable balance of prose and verse, profound study of human nature and their relevance
6. Interesting Facts Shakespeare lived for exactly 52 years(1564-1616) Humorous scenes in his plays mostly deal with ordinary people rather than aristocrats Shakespeare wrote a total of 38 plays (including The Two Noble Kinsmen) and 154 sonnets Shakespeare’s works contain over 600 references to birds of all kinds, one of the most among poets
8. England in Shakespearian Time Very different from modern England An age of great poetry and drama Rapid progress in scientific and medical knowledge Height of The Renaissance, which included Shakespeare’s plays Monarchy: Ruled by Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603 (The Elizabethan Era)
9. Social System Great difference between the way ordinary people and the rich lived The rich landowners Employ hundreds of permanent servants ‘patrons’ to actors or musicians Ordinary people led normal lives Everyone at any level of society was likely to remain there People could not easily rise to a position of power through education, unlike today
10. Significant Events Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604 Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 Drake-Norris Expedition in 1589 Signing of the Treaty of London in 1604, concluding the Anglo-Spanish War
11. Theatres Central part of theatres had no roof No electricity to light theatres; depended on sunlight Central, open-air part contained stage and yard A storey above the back of the stage contained machinery Trapdoors No scenery
12. Impact of Set-up of Theatres Allowed actors to move about freely Shape of theatres (polygonal) provided an all-rounded effect Balcony was used in plays such as Romeo and Juliet
14. The Renaissance French word, meaning rebirth or revival Happened during 14th Century and 17th Century Began in Italy in the 14th Century before spreading throughout Europe New interest in the ancient Greek and Roman classics, new forms of art, architecture, music and literature
15. Significant Events Black Death in Europe Changed the views of people and they began to care more about their lives on Earth, rather than spirituality and afterlife Period of change, questioning and vitality People no longer believed everything they were told, but found things out for themselves
16. Effects on Shakespeare’s Work Made use of his knowledge of Greek and Roman classics in his plays Portrayed humanity in every character regardless of his/her social status, since hierarchy no longer existed during the Renaissance
