2. English poet and playwright Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist Often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon“ His plays have been translated into every major living language Performed more often than those of any other playwright Who Is Shakespeare?
3. Born to a middle-class family Baptised 26 April 1564 Died 23 April 1616 Born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon Married at 18 to Anne Hathaway (26) Three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596 Personal Life
4. Son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden John Shakespeare was a successful glover and alderman originally from Snitterfield Mary Arden was the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer The third child of eight and the eldest surviving son Educated at the King's New School in Stratford Was removed from school at 13 and apprenticed to a butcher Childhood
5. Records of performances show that several of his plays were on the London stage by 1592 Was well enough known in London by then to be attacked in print by the playwright Robert Greene in his Groats-Worth of Wit Had a successful career in London as an actor, writer Part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. Early Life
6. Early plays were mainly comedies and histories Raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. Wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth Considered some of the finest works in the English language Wrote tragicomedies in his last phase, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights His conviction for poaching deer from the estate of Sir Thomas Lucy inspired him to write his first literary work, a satire of Sir Thomas. Plays he wrote
7. Was a respected poet and playwright in his own day But his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century The Romantics acclaimed Shakespeare's genius The Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry“ People’s views of Shakespeare
8. In the 20th century His work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance His plays remain highly popular today Constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world His works…
10. Queen Elizabeth I's rule (Elizabethan era) Ruled by the very structured and complicated Elizabethan government Often considered to be the golden age in English history Height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry, music and literature Elizabethan theatre flourished England During Shakespeare’s time
11. The queen made a rule that women were not allowed to act on the public stage or write for the public stage Shakespeare's plays, the roles of women were often played by young boys. There were four social classes: The Nobility The Gentry The Yeomanry The Poor England during Shakespeare’s time
12. Intermittent conflict between the kingdoms of Spain and England that was never formally declared English enjoyed victories at Cádiz in 1587, and over the Spanish Armada in 1588, but lost the initiative upon the failure of the Drake Norris Expedition in 1589 Brought to an end with the Treaty of London, negotiated in 1604 between representatives of Philip III and the new king of England, James I. The Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604)
14. Quoted from Dictionary.com: The activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in europe beginning in the 14thcentury and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world. Renaissance
15. Introduction of humanism into Oxford universities during the 1490s and 1500s First event took place in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on a church dor in Wittenberg, Germany, an action that ushered in the Reformation The second event was a result of Henry VIII's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon because she had borne him a female child, Mary. Significant Events During Renaissance
16. Was one of the first to bring the renaissance’s core values to the theater. Updated the simplistic, two-dimensional writing style of pre-renaissance drama Focused on creating “human” characters with psychologically complexity (Hamlet is perhaps the most famous example of this) Upheaval in the accepted social hierarchy allowed Shakespeare to explore the humanity of every character regardless of their social position Renaissance influence on Shakespeare
