Shakespeare who was he?

We don t know exactly when Shakespeare was born, but the world typically celebrates his birthday on April 23rd. It is known that he was baptized on April 26th, 1564.

 The town where he was born is called Stratford on AvonAvon being the river that runs through the town. His father was a glove maker, which was a good profession at the time. He had a number of brothers and sisters.

At school boys only, girls did not attend school

He would have studied Latin and Greek, French and English. He would have learned his alphabet, grammar, and the Lord s Prayer. By the equivalent of middle school, boys were studying classic Greek logic and argument.

Marriage
Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway on November 27, 1582. He was eighteen and she was 26, and pregnant. They had three children together Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died at 11 years of age.

Shakespeare moves to London

Somewhere between 1585 and 1592, Shakespeare moved to London, to become and actor and a playwright. Not much is known about him from this time period, except that by the end of 1592, he had become well-known.

 By 1592, the Plague, or Black Death, had taken over London. Carried by rats, who were bitten by fleas, and who in turn bit people, the Plague was a disease that killed millions of people across the continent of Europe and England. It closed down towns and villages. Amidst all of this, Shakespeare was becoming well known for some of his earliest plays.

Kings and Queens of the time

The King of England, during Shakespeare s early days, was Henry the 8th. Henry had six wives, 2 daughters and 1 son. Prince Edward, his son, died young. His first daughter, Mary, was thrown out of the kingdom after she tried to bring the Catholic church back to order in England. His 2nd daughter, Elizabeth, overthrew Mary and ruled England for many years.

Henry the 8th

Had six wives- Catherine of Aragon a Spanish princess (daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella- who set up Columbus) was forced to marry Henry. She had Mary by him. He divorced her, separated from the Catholic Church and had his marriage declared invalid. He then set up the Church of England, which granted his divorce.

Wife number 2 Anne Boleyn

Henry was a playboy. He had lots of mistresses and wives. His 2nd wife was Anne Boleyn, whom he accused of cheating with her own brother. He had her beheaded. However, she did give birth to Elizabeth, who later became Queen. However, Elizabeth was considered Illegitimate for many years because of her mother.

Number 3- Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour, was Henry s 2nd official wife. She had been one of Anne Boleyn s Ladies in Waiting. 24 hours after Anne was beheaded, the King was engaged to Jane Seymour. She became pregnant after a couple years, and had a son named Edward. Jane died shortly after Edward was born.

Henry s fourth wife was Anne of Cleves

Raised in Germany, Anne of Cleves was the sister of the Duke of Cleves. This marriage was a diplomatic affair, and Henry never saw her until they were married. He thought she looked like a horse and hated her. He pressed for an annulment, saying they had never been to bed together.

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Wife Kathryn Howard

16 days after Henry was free of Anne, he married Kathryn Howard. He was 49, she was 19. She had been a lady in Waiting to Anne of Cleves. However, less than a year after their marriage, rumors began to spread of her adultery. Since adultery is treason against the King, Henry had her executed.

Last but not least Katherine Parr

Katherine had been a widow, and was engaged to someone else, when the King insisted that she marry him. She felt it was her duty to marry him. Which she did. The King died in 1547, and Katherine remarried.

Edward VI
After his father s death, Edward became King at the age of 9. He outlawed Catholicism and promoted Protestantism. The people grew again and revolted. Edward maintained control, but died in 1553. He named his cousin Jane Grey as his successor. Jane reigned for 9 days before Mary proclaimed herself Queen. Mary lasted for a short time, before Elizabeth overthrew her.

Elizabeth I the Virgin Queen

Took power from her half sister, Mary in 1558. Mary kept her imprisoned for several years because of her Protestant beliefs. Although she never married, Elizabeth was a strong ruler who ruled for 44 years. It was during this time that Shakespeare was born and became a playwright.

Shakespeare Cont d
Although he worked with several acting groups, he was most famous for his work at the Globe Theater. He wrote over 38 plays and poems.

Death
Shakespeare died April 23, 1616, leaving a will that stipulated that his eldest daughter get most of his property and money. He left his wife his second best bed.

Hamlet
Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare s greatest work. It focuses on the ideas of tragedy, betrayal, revenge and lust.

The Setting
The majority of the play takes place in and around Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Elsinore, is an actual place, better known as Helsingnor.

Map of Denmark

There have been many versions of the play and many takeoffs

And Now The Play s the thing where we ll catch the King!