William Shakespeare 1564-1616

1. William Shakespeare1564-1616 “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” –William Shakespeare

2. Life • Born in April,1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon a town in Warwickshire, England • Shakespeare was third born of eight kids. • His mom, Mary Arden a “daughter of a local wealthy land owner” and father, John Shakespeare a whittawer • He went to school at King Edward V1 Grammar school in Stratford and then went to work for his dad. It is assumed that he never went to University • Shakespeare married his wife Anne Hathaway on November 27,1582. • Shakespeare was 18 and Anne was 26 and pregnant with their first born Susanna when they got married • A couple of years later Anne had twins, Hamnet and Judith • From 1585 to 1592 there are no records on Shakespeare so Biographers called these the “lost years” • He then moved to London and started out as an actor then director then pursued his dream as a writer • He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets • William was apart of a group called the Lord chamberlain’s Men. Then when King James became their supporter they changed their group name to the King’s Men. • After the fire Shakespeare decides to retire and moved back to Strafford with his family. • Shakespeare died on April 23,1616

3. Family Tree

4. Globe Theater • Also known as the “Wooden O” • The theater was thought of as round was actually had five sides • Built in 1599 • The Globe had no roof so plays could only be shown from April to October • Shakespeare was 1/5 owner and received 10% of the total profit approximately £ 200-250 a year • When the theater was full it could hold around 2,500 people • June 19,1613 the globe burned burnt down during a performance of Henry V111when a cannon on the stage backfired and set the roof on fire • The globe was rebuilt in 1614 but got closed and taken down a couple years after. • In 1996 a new globe was build just a little ways from where it originally stood • General Admission was 1 penny which got a spectator a spot to stand in the yard but for a “gentleman's room” also known as a box cost shilling which in those days only rich people could afford that. • 3 stories high with seats for viewer and a yard to stand and watch with a rectangular stage sticking out into the yard • The building only used natural light so all performances had to be preformed in the afternoons • A performance was shown everyday except for Sundays

6. Plays • Below is a link for the list of plays he wrote and when they were published in chronological order http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-play-chronology-dates.htm

7. Facts • Shakespeare started writing poetry between 1592 and 1597 because all theatres were shut down because the plague was taking over and the theater was a place it could easily be spread • Men were the only people allowed to act in Shakespeare times it was not acceptable for a women to be on stage. Boys voices who had not changed yet played women in the plays. • A raised flag outside the theater showed people that a play was about to begin • It is believed that a relative of William Shakespeare’s mom was arrested and killed for trying to plot something against Queen Elizabeth I • Shakespeare never published any of his own plays • Shakespeare’s real date of birth is unknown • No one really know what Shakespeare looks like. He never had a portrait done of himself when he was living • All Shakespeare's grandkids died so his family tree stopped • A lot of actors think that the word Macbeth is cursed and will bring you bad luck if you say it so they refer to that play as the “Scottish Play”