the life of shakespeare. early life born in stratford-upon-avon father sold leather goods father...
TRANSCRIPT
Early Life• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon• Father sold leather goods• Father served in local government• Mother had 8 children
Schooling• Grammar school• 6 days week, went from 6am-7pm• Mandatory church attendance• Later apprenticed father’s business
Early Theatrical Life
• 1593 - theatres closed due to plague
• Venus and Adonis - first poem• Member of Lord Chamberlin’s Men• Wrote sonnets
Troupe Change
• Queen Elizabeth died, and Chamberlin’s Men became King’s Men
• Performed 11 performances for King – 7 were Shakespeare’s
plays
Later Life• Did real estate investment in
Stratford• Money comfort allowed him to
write deeper stories and less entertainment
The Ending• Wrote final plays in 1613-14• Believed to have left acting at
1611• Retired with family• Died of unknown illness in 1616
Understanding the Plays
• Play within a play• Disguises• Love at first sight• Fluid action• Asides• Soliloquies
Understanding the Language
• Vocabulary• Puns• Banter• Innuendos• Deliberate
misunderstandings
• Strong emotions
Poetry within Plays• Prose vs. poetry• Iambic pentameter (often
unrhymed)• Couplets often end scene or act