William Shakespeare & Elizabethan Theatre Notes (Part 1)

Why Shakespeare?

❖ Shakespeare has been considered the greatest _____________________ and _____________________ in the

English-speaking world for _____________________ years.

❖ His plays are produced thousands of times each year in theatres all over the world.

➢ His plays are _____________________ due to them being filled with action, intrigue, mystery, humor,
and tragedy.

➢ The characters are incredibly varied. They make __________________________, while some make
____________________________, a few are monsters.
About William Himself

❖ William Shakespeare was born into a reasonably well-to-do family.

➢ His father, _____________________ Shakespeare, was a _____________________ maker, and

eventually became what is now considered mayor. His mother was Mary Arden.

➢ Shakespeare was one of _____________________ children!

❖ William was born in what is known as “The Birthplace” in __________________________________________.

➢ It was custom to _____________________ a child 3 days after they were born, church records show
him being baptized on __________________________, so we can assume (we aren’t 100% sure) he
was born on __________________________, 1564.

❖ William is believed to have attended _____________________. He would have learned Latin, grammar, logic,

rhetoric, and drama.

❖ After this we move into his “____________________________” where we don’t have reliable records. He may

have taught Latin for 2 years.

❖ He married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 26. (That’s an 8 year difference!)

➢ They had ____ children: Susanna, and twins named Judith and Hamnet (he died when he was 11,
possibly from the Bubonic Plague).

➢ At the time about ⅓ of all children in England died before the age of 10.

❖ Shakespeare probably began working as an _____________________ (most likely taking small roles when

they were available), even acting in some of his own _____________________.

❖ Role he reportedly played: Ghost in Hamlet, First Player in Hamlet, Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
 Antonio in Twelfth Night, and many more.

❖ No one knows what Shakespeare was doing between ___________ and ___________.

❖ In 1592 he started showing up in _____________________ groups in London.

❖ His first 3 plays were Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, and The Comedy of Errors.

❖ The theaters of London were _____________________ between the years of 1592-1594 because of the

__________________________________________. During this time Shakespeare began writing his sonnets.

❖ In ____________, the plague was over.

❖ Shakespeare helped form the _______________________________________________________________,

which was London’s premier acting company.

➢ He both _____________________ and was a _____________________________ for them.

❖ Queen Elizabeth placed the acting company under her protection.

➢ This was important because religious groups, like the _____________________, were trying to shut
down the theatres for being _____________________ and attracting the wrong sorts of crowds.

➢ __________________________________________ loved theatre and the arts.

➢ This allowed the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to have __________ productive years until her death in
1603.

❖ After her death __________________________________________ continued to enjoy their productions and

renamed the company The King’s Men.

❖ Shakespeare’s plays and poetry were very popular.

➢ During his life he wrote _______ plays, _____________ sonnets, and many poems.

❖ Around 1610 he left London for good and retired to his home in __________________________.

❖ In 1613 he collaborated with John Fletcher on Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and a play, Cardenio, which

has been lost.

❖ He died in Stratford in _____________________________ at the age of _______. We aren’t sure what caused

his death. It was believed to have been a fever.

 William Shakespeare & Elizabethan Theatre Notes (Part 2)
Elizabethan London
Shakespeare’s World- Ruler

❖ England had a female ruler, ______________________________________________.

➢ Queen Elizabeth was born in 1533 and became Queen in 1558. (She had been ruling England for _____
years by the time Shakespeare was born)

❖ Kings and Queens of England were said to rule by ___________________________________. This meant
people believed the royal bloodline had been anointed by ____________________to be the ruling family.

❖ Many people believed Queen Elizabeth should get _____________________ so they could have a proper King.

➢ Queen Elizabeth knew better, she knew as soon as she married she would give up most of her power.

➢ She chose to remain unmarried and was known as the “____________________________________.”

❖ The English believed in a _________________________________________________.

➢ This is belief that everything in the universe belonged in one long chain, organized in order of
_____________________________.

➢ ___________ was at the top, followed by _____________________, down to commoners and slaves.

➢ No matter where they were on the chain, _________ were believed to be superior to ______________.

➢ This is why having a Queen ruler was a difficult concept for many.

❖ Queen Elizabeth had a lot to prove to many people.

❖ In 1588, the English Navy defeated the _______________________________. This helped her boost
 popularity.

❖ Queen Elizabeth became a very successful queen.

❖ England had big debts, torn by political and religious disagreements, weak military, was uneducated and
poor.

❖ She supported commerce, trade, and raised the standard of living, brought people together in support of her,
made England a strong military force, and supported historians and explorers.

➢ This included __________________________________________________, who founded the colony of

Virginia in American and named it after Elizabeth, his Virgin Queen.

❖ She also supported education, and founded colleges.

Shakespeare’s World- Beliefs

❖ Elizabethan England was a very _____________________________ society, but non-religious ways of thinking
were becoming more common.

❖ They believed everything they did would determine if they went to heaven or hell.

❖ They were required by ____________ to attend church every Sunday, and take communion ______ times a
year. If they didn’t they would have to pay a __________________.

➢ Most people believe it to be a sin to study anything that didn’t have to do with Christianity.

❖ At the same time the _____________________________ movement was gaining acceptance.

➢ _____________________________ believed that learning about classical studies (Ancient Greek and
Roman writings) were a worthy pursuit.

❖ Many Elizabethans began believing in both Christianity and Humanism (even though they seem contradictory)

❖ There wasn’t just Christianity anymore. Major debates began between _____________________________ and
_____________________________.

➢ Elizabeth’s father, ________________________________________, broke away from Catholicism to

form his own Protestant church (_______________________________________________________).

➢ Many of the English people believe Henry VIII was wrong to do this, including most of Europe.

➢ Only when Elizabeth took the throne did Protestantism accepted as a form of Worship.

➢ Catholics in England had to worship in private because they might be ________________________ or

_____________________ for disagreeing with the government's choice of religion.
Shakespeare’s World- Freedom of Speech
❖ Elizabethan _________________________________________________ is nothing like what we think of today.
❖ Writers would still create dissent against the government if they didn’t agree with it’s political or religious
 views.

➢ Queen Elizabeth was very aware of this and the potential power of writers to sway the general public.

❖ In _________, one of Shakespeare’s plays were used for this exact purpose. ____________________________.

➢ __________________________________________, second Earl of Essex, wanted the throne for

himself, and believed he could convince some of Elizabeth’s supporters to endorse him instead.

❖ Shakespeare and his company of players put on Richard II (they did so reluctantly because Queen Elizabeth
had been a huge support of his, but it was someone else’s money…. And bills had to be paid)

➢ Richard II is about a _____________________________ whose popularity is declining and whose

cousin wanted to be King himself. The cousin gains the support of most of the public and forces
Richard to give up the throne.

➢ It clearly parallels the situation _____________________________ found herself in.

➢ Devereaux’s uprising lost steam, and most of the public remained loyal to the Queen.

➢ Deveraux ended up being ___________________, tried, and ______________________ for his trouble.
Shakespeare’s World- Daily Life
❖ While Elizabeth ruled, many things improved, but in terms of general economy classes seemed to get further
apart (rich got richer, poor got poorer).

❖ Diseases, such as the ______________________, were prevalent, but the worst of it was over.

➢ The black plague (_____________________________________) was spread by fleas from rats, and
London had tons of rats, so it was a perfect place for it to thrive.

➢ During Shakespeare’s lifetime, the plague took about ___________________________ lives.

■ Keep in mind that the total population of London at the time was approx. 200,000.

❖ _____________________ was widespread, crime was constant.

❖ When thieves and murderers were caught their punishment was severe.

➢ Public ________________________ and _______________________ were not uncommon, executions

were generally done by beheading or hangings.

➢ Minor offenders were left in the __________________________ in public squares sometimes for days.

❖ Typical households didn’t have a lot of time to relax. All work had to be done during daylight hours.

❖ Houses were small, generally ____________ rooms.

❖ Most people didn’t bother with _______________________; instead, they would use large slices of stale
bread.

➢ _________________ were only just becoming popular. Typically they would use spoons or their
hands.
 ❖ The main dish was almost always ____________________ (often 2-3 kinds).

➢ They would have elaborate sauces to hide the flavor.

➢ Meat would be slaughtered in the fall and put in a barrel to be eatten throughout the year.

➢ They didn’t have ________________________________.

❖ Houses didn’t have floorboards, but instead had _______________ floors.

➢ They would try to make it smell better by covering the floor in rushes (________________________).

❖ Most homes didn’t have windows because glass was so expensive. They would have small holes (maybe 6x6
inches) that would let out cooking smoke.

❖ They didn’t have much furniture.

➢ They would generally sleep in the same room.

➢ If they had a ______________ it would be a wooden frame with rope interlaced, and a _____________
stuffed mattress.

■ The ropes would loosen over time, and the mattress would sag. The bed would be more
comfortable when the ropes were tight so the phrase “_____________________________”
was coined.
Men’s Clothing

❖ Men’s clothing was just as colorful as the ladies.

❖ The shape of their clothing was modeled after armor (broad shoulders, broad hips, and narrow waists)

➢ _____________________________- covers back and chest, winged at the shoulders, stuffed with
horsehair, wool or rags to keep it’s shape

➢ _____________________________- separate garments, tight at wrists, tied to the doublet with laces

➢ _____________________________- covered the body from the waist down

➢ _____________________________- many different shapes, usually had a band, worn indoors

➢ _____________________________- or a cape

➢ __________________________________________________________- worn over hose

Women’s Clothing

❖ Women wanted their clothing to look much like the men’s with broad shoulders, wide hips, and slim waists

❖ The dresses were not made as one garment like they are nowadays, it was usually 2+ garments to make one
dress.

➢ _____________________________- came down to the waist

 ➢ _____________________________- sometimes called the jewelry bodice, had “wings” at shoulders
and came to a point at the narrow waist

➢ _____________________________- separate garment held to bodice with laces, tight at wrists but
otherwise full and stuff

➢ _____________________________- an overdress

➢ _____________________________- the framework shaping the skirt

➢ _____________________________- hats and hoods were popular, lots came to a point on the
forehead giving the face a heart shape
Elizabethan Clothing
❖ Items of clothing worn by nobility were quite elaborate at times.

➢ Fancy plumes of feathers, and jeweled or embroidered fabrics.

William Shakespeare & Elizabethan Theatre Notes (Part 3)

Elizabethan Theatre
Attending Shakespeare’s Theatre

❖ Elizabethans enjoyed a wide range of _____________________________.

❖ Even within _____________________________ there was a place called _______________________________.

➢ They would have _____________________________. This is where a bear would be chained up and
dogs would tease and “bait” it while spectators watched.

❖ _____________________________ was also popular.

➢ Two _____________________________ were made to fight to the death.

➢ Obviously animal cruelty was not a thing yet.

❖ Theatres had to be _____________________________ and show the public what they wanted in order to
compete with the other forms of entertainment.

❖ _____________________________________________ was a huge fan of theatre in general, but Shakespeare’s

work in particular.

➢ She didn’t go to the theatre (in public), instead the theatre would come to her.

➢ They would make a stage in the _____________________________ and the theatre company would
perform a play of her _____________________________.

➢ Keep in mind that this would all be lit by candles because the _____________________________
wasn’t invented for another 200+ years.

❖ Documentation shows that Shakespeare’s theatre company (the _____________________________________)

performed for the Queen at least ______ times in her home.

➢ They were called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men because they were financially supported by a nobleman
called ____________________________________.

❖ Theatre in Elizabethan times was very different from how it is now.

❖ Prose and Poetry were both used by dramatists in Shakespeare’s day.

❖ All of the _____________________________ roles were played by men. _____________________________

(younger girls) were played by boys.

❖ There were no ________________________, or times when the lights (which would be candles) went out.

➢ So any time a character __________________ in front of the audience, the body had to be
_____________________________ of the stage.

❖ The departure of all characters from the stage signaled the end of a _____________________________, and
according to the convention of the time, a character could not take part in both the ______________________
of one scene and the _____________________________ of the next one.

❖ The audiences were a broad representation of English society, so writers, like Shakespeare, had to write on at
 least two levels:

➢ They had to appeal to the _____________ and __________________ educated people in the audience.

➢ They had to know how to use both _____________________________ humor and refined classical
allusions.

❖ Shakespeare’s theatre, _____________________________, was unlike any modern theatre.

❖ It was _____________________________, and the ___________________ covered only the outside galleries.

➢ This means in certain parts of the theatre you would get rained on if the weather was bad.

❖ The Globe had a _________________ stage, meaning it had audience members on all ____ sides.

❖ There were ______ levels to the stage.

➢ The _____________________ stage, where most of the action would happen.

➢ The ___________________ stage, where a balcony scene may happen, or

________________________ might sit. If it wasn’t being used noblemen or prominent people might
sit there.

❖ Nearly half of the theatre-goers would stand in the ____________________, which was the open space
surrounding the ___________________.

➢ Because they were standing these tickets would be much _____________________________.

➢ These people were called the _____________________________, because they stood on the ground.

❖ Unlike many other theatres of the time, The Globe was owned by the theatre company that used it.

➢ Most theatre companies would __________________ their space when they wanted to produce a play.

❖ The ______________________________________________ owned the Globe theatre.

❖ Because they had a permanent location their reputation for good entertainment grew.

❖ Audience _____________________________ wasn’t exactly a thing at the theatre back in the day. So,
Shakespeare made sure to write a play filled with action and good stories or he would lose the
_____________________________ of his audience.

❖ No _____________________________ or _____________________________ acted in plays.

➢ This is why there are more _______________ in Shakespeare's plays.

➢ If a woman was to act in a play it would have been a serious breach of social custom.

➢ Women were played by men, and girls and young women were played by young men or boys.
 ➢ Only later in the ______th century did women and girls act.

Costumes

❖ Costumes were one of the biggest _____________________________ for a theatre company.

❖ There wasn’t much _____________________________________________ available for them to wear

historically accurate clothing.

➢ Most plays were performed in _____________________________ Elizabethan Attire.

❖ The actors wore _________________________________.

➢ This was clothing _____________________________ for wearing at a royal court. These would be the
best and most _____________________________ clothes.

➢ The modern equivalent would be seeing a play with all the actors in tuxedos and ball gowns.

Scenery

❖ _____________________________ was not used.

❖ This was for many reasons, but one of the reasons was that no one really thought about it.

➢ Locations were said and discussed in the _____________________________ by the characters.

➢ The audience was expected to use their _____________________________.

❖ _____________________________ were used regularly.

➢ There was a _____________________________ so devils or ghosts could disappear or rise up.

➢ There was a flying apparatus so fairies or gods could float above the stage or descend from the sky.

➢ They used special tables if they needed it to look like a decapitated body was lying next to its severed
head (holes in the table top for 2 actors- one head below the surface, one above)

➢ _____________________________ would provide SFX

➢ If blood was needed, an actor would carry a sponge and squeeze it at just the right moment.

Audience

❖ Being in the audience of a Shakespearean play was more like a modern football game.

➢ Plays would take place in the _____________________________ (typically 2pm).

❖ The _____________________________ would be able to see each other clearly.

 ➢ What others were wearing

➢ Whom they came with

➢ Wave to each other and chat

❖ A trumpeter would sound several blasts on the horn to signal the __________________________ of the play.

❖ Once the play started audience members could _____________________________, discuss the action of the
play, and ______________________ funny quips or insults to the characters onstage.

➢ If they didn’t like what they saw sometimes they would __________________ things like fruit or wood.

❖ People would also be moving about the crowd selling food, wine, tobacco, and playbills.

The New Globe

❖ In _______________ the old Globe Theatre _____________________________ to the ground after being set on
fire by a spark from a cannon during a performance of Henry VIII.

❖ They rebuilt on the foundation of the original Globe.

❖ The theatre was then closed down in 1642, due to _____________________________, and it was torn down in
1644-1645.

❖ Sam Wanamaker, a actor and director from _____________________________, put forth an effort to get The
Globe _____________________________.

➢ He died in 1993, but the project was completed in 1997.

William Shakespeare & Elizabethan Theatre Notes (Part 4)

Reading Shakespeare

❖ All of Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, and poetry were written to be said ______________________.

➢ Elizabethans loved ______________________ word. They would go to plays specifically to listen.

➢ This is why Shakespeare’s plays are full of ______________ and ________________________________

(words with two meanings).

❖ Learning to read Shakespeare aloud is not as difficult as it might seem with all it’s unfamiliar words.

➢ The reason they are unfamiliar is simply because they are no longer ______________________.

➢ Also, because a lot of word. He invented over ________________ words that are common use now.

❖ Hints that are helpful:

 ➢ ______________________ is really important with Shakespeare. That’s why I encourage you to see
the play if you can. There is a rhythm to the language.

➢ You will need to learn the meanings of some of the words that you don’t know. A lot of them you can
guess because of context in the line, but some you may just have to look up. That is fine! I still have to
sometimes.

➢ When in doubt as to how to say a line, remember that the greatest stress of a line usually comes at the
______________________ of the sentence.

■ Example from Romeo and Juliet: “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” is sometimes accented on
where, but the accent should be on the name Romeo.

❖ Pay close attention to ____________________________. When a line ends with a period, stop. A comma,
pause but do not stop completely, If it doesn’t end with punctuation, continue reading without
______________________ or ______________________.

❖ When a word is written with an “_________” at the end (ex: disturbed) it is pronounced as _____ syllables,
when it is written as “ _____ ” (ex: disturb’d) it is pronounced as _____ syllables.
Shakespearean Insults

❖ Who doesn’t love a good insult?!

❖ Shakespeare came up with some of the best insults you could ever imagine!

❖ Examples:

➢ “I am ______________________ when I do look on thee” - Midsummer Night’s Dream

➢ “I’ll beat thee, but I would ______________________ my hands” - Timon of Athens

➢ “Would thou wert clean enough to ______________________ upon” - Timon of Athens

➢ “Thou art like a ______________________; ______________________ and venomous” - As You Like It

➢ “Thine ______________________ is not worth sunburning” - Henry V

➢ “I do desire we may be better _____________________________” - As You Like It

Iambic Pentameter

❖ It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room… why Shakespeare is written the way it is, why it is written
that way, and what it is called.

❖ ____________________________________________- a line of verse with ______________ metrical feet, each

consisting of one short (or unstressed) ______________________ followed by one long (or stressed) syllable

❖ Writing like this help the play move along (keep a beat)

❖ It made the words in the play more interesting to listen to and helped the actors
_________________________ their lines (it makes it very sing-song like)
 ❖ ______________________: one unaccented (or unstressed) syllable with one accented syllable

❖ Each IAM of two syllables is called a ______________________

❖ It’s like a heartbeat:

➢ –ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum or –I AM | I AM | I AM | I AM | I AM

❖ ______________________ = 5, ______________________ = sound

❖ Iambic Pentameter

➢ Five “feet” per line

➢ _______ syllables total per line

➢ he WENT to TOWN toDAY to BUY a CAR

Shakespeare Sonnets

❖ There are ________ lines in a Shakespearean sonnet.

❖ The first twelve lines are divided into three _____________________ with four lines each. These have an abab
style of rhyming.

❖ In the three quatrains the poet establishes a theme or problem and then resolves it in the final two lines,
called the couplet.

❖ The overall rhyming scheme is _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________