Shakespeare and Elizabethan Theatre: Shakespeare՚s Life and Shakespeare՚s Rise to Greatness

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Shakespeare՚s Life

Birth and Parentage of Shakespeare

  • born in April 15 at Stratford-on Avon, Warwick
  • His father, John Shakespeare-the position of Justice.
  • Had 7 siblings

Shakespeare՚s Education

  • Attended Grammar School
  • Not brilliant
  • Small Latin and Less Greek

Shakespeare՚s Marriage

  • Married Anne Hathaway who was eight years senior
  • Married life was not happy one
  • Had 3 children
  • About 1585, Shakespeare left Stratford for London

Shakespeare՚s Rise to Greatness

  • University wits looked down upon Shakespeare as “Upstart crow” .
  • mean jobs as holding horses at the doors of some London Theatres Next, He became an actor doing significant roles . He did not like the worthless plays of his time and soon tried his hand
  • About the year 1612, he retired from business and settled down at Stratford.
  • He died on 23rd April 1616 and was buried in the Stratford church.

Shakespeare՚s Writing Career

Early Period

  • Plays: The Comedy of Errors, Henry VI Part I, Henry VI Part II, Henry VI Part III, King John, Love՚s Labour՚s Lost, A Midsummer Night՚s Dream, Richard II, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice
  • Style in General: Technically rigid; somewhat immature. The plots generally are well organized.
  • Characterization: Often superficial or shallow compared with the characterization in later plays. Romeo and Juliet, in which characterization is strong, is an exception.

Balanced Period

  • Boldfaced plays are listed in more than one period, reflecting the disagreement among scholars on the period to which they belong.
  • Plays: All՚s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Hamlet, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Troilus and Cressida, Twelfth Night.
  • Style in General: Less technically rigid; more creative. The plots are generally well designed. Shakespeare demonstrates his range by writing outstanding works in three genres: comedy (As You Like It, Twelfth Night) , tragedy (Hamlet, Julius Caesar) and history (Henry IV Part I, Henry V) . In addition, he presents a highly tragic character, Shylock, in a comedy (The Merchant of Venice) .
  • Characterization: Strong and rounded, reflecting deep insight into human nature. Among the magnificent character portrayals of this period are those of Hamlet, Macbeth, Shylock, Othello, Iago, and Brutus.

Overflowing Period

  • Plays: King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens.
  • Style in General: Highly creative; bursting with insight. Shakespeare ignores many rules to allow his genius to “overflow.” The plots of this period sometimes twist and turn, challenging the reader with their complexity.
  • Characterization: Superb, deeply insightful.

Final Period

  • Plays: Cymbeline, Henry VIII, Pericles, The Tempest, The Winter՚s Tale.
  • Style in General: Masterly. Shakespeare has just the right mix of technical skill, creativity, and wisdom while exhibiting hope for flawed humanity. Shakespeare tends to prefer times and places far removed from Elizabethan England — as in The Tempest, Pericles, and Cymbeline — although Henry VIII is certainly an exception here.
  • Characterization: Superb, deeply insightful.

Shakespearean Theatre and Audience

  • The structure of the theatre.
  • Globe and the Black Flairs
  • small round wooden shaped
  • the performances in daylight.
  • The place in front of the stage was called pit

The Structure of the Stage

  • Front stage
  • Back stage
  • Rear stage
  • Upper stage

Manishika