Download - William Shakespeare and The Globe Theater
WILLIAM SHAKESPEAREAND THE GLOBE THEATER
Shakespeare’s Early Life
Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, northwest of London, England
He belonged to a well-respected family and probably attended Stratford Grammar School, learning Latin, logic, history, natural history, and some Greek; therefore, his knowledge of classical literature would have come from here.
Shakespeare in Adulthood
In late November or early December 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married twenty-six year old poet Anne Hathaway
Anne gave birth to daughter Susanna in 1583
and twins, Judith and Hamnet, in 1585 (Hamnet
died in 1596)
Scholars believe he served as a
country schoolmaster for a
short time after he married Anne
Shakespeare's Career
It is believed he was acting by age eighteen or nineteen in plays in London
By 1594, he was part owner and principal playwright of the most successful theatrical company known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, in London
In 1599, the company built the famous Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare’s plays would be performed
In 1603, King James I took control of and renamed the theatre company The King’s Men, but Shakespeare continued to write for and act with them
Shakespeare’s Later Life
Shakespeare retired to Stratford around 1610 having made a good living from his share in the theatre company
He died on April 23 (his birthday), 1616 Shakespeare has no living descendants since
none of his daughters Susanna’s and Judith’s children had any of their own
Elements of Shakespeare’s Plays
Iambic Pentameter: Shakespeare’s style of writing features stressed/unstressed repeated five times which equals 10 syllables per line
Main characters spoke in iambic pentameter, so the groundlings knew who the main characters were
Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter Soliloquy: long speech to audience to reveal
thoughts of a character Monologue: long speech to another character Aside: brief statement to either another character
or the audience
The Globe Theatre
Polygonal shape made of wood and thatch 3 levels to represent the 3 classes of society Has a roofless courtyard for natural light The poor spectators, called groundlings, stood on
the dirt, and hazelnut shells, to watch the plays from in front of the stage
The Globe Theatre
During the time of the plague, the “pit” was feared as a breeding ground for the disease; therefore, the Master of Revels would continually close the theatre to “control” the disease
It held between 2,500 and 3,000 people, 800 of which would be groundlings
The theatre raised a white flag to indicate a play was being performed
The Globe Theatre, continued
Original foundation was discovered in 1990s and excavation gave clues to its history The first Globe burned down in 1613 during the staging of
Henry VIII, the thatch roof catching fire after cannon fire was used during the performance
The second Globe stood until the English Civil War in 1642, when Parliament closed the theatres, and it was torn down
The other famous polygonal (or roughly circular) theatre was the Rose, thought to have a 72 foot diameter. The Globe’s was thought to be 100 feet, and to have 20 sides.
The current Globe Theatre was opened in 1997, after extensive research to recreate it in as historically accurate a way as possible.
Theatrical Productions
The stage extended into the “pit” and the actors were essentially standing in the crowd
All actors entered the stage from the doors at the back of the stage
The small rooms above and behind the stage were used as dressing and storage rooms
The second level gallery was used as a second stage when needed
Theatrical Productions
The plays had no scenery and limited props The setting and acts were referenced in the
dialogue between the actors or narration There were no scene breaks They lasted about two hours There were five acts No women were allowed on stage,
so men played the female roles. Although there was no scenery,
the actors wore elaborate
costumes. Even today, at the Globe,
the costumes represent period dress.
Shakespeare’s Plays
Not including poetry and sonnets, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven different plays divided into four categories:
12 Comedies 11 Tragedies 10 Histories 4 Romances
His 150 sonnets are titled numerically Shakespearean sonnets have a specific
rhyme/meter