SHAKEASPEARE HIS LIFE AND PLAYS ENGLISH PO 30/1/2011 Need to know the basic facts about William Shakespeare

re and the quartos? Or want to refresh your knowledge? We have created this section to get you up to speed. Who was William Shakespeare? Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in 1564. Very little is known about his life, but by 1592 he was in London working as an actor and a dramatist. Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. Many of these plays were very successful both at court and in the public playhouses. In 1613, Shakespeare retired from the theatre and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. He died and was buried there in 1616. What did he write? Shakespeare wrote plays and poems. His plays were comedies, histories and tragedies. His 17 comedies include A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Among his 10 history plays are Henry V and Richard III. The most famous among his 10 tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Shakespeares best-known poems are The Sonnets, first published in 1609. What are the quartos? Shakespeares plays began to be printed in 1594, probably with his tragedy Titus Andronicus. This appeared as a small, cheap pamphlet called a quarto because of the way it was printed. Eighteen of Shakespeares plays had appeared in quarto editions by the time of his death in 1616. Another three plays were printed in quarto before 1642. In 1623 an expensive folio volume of 36 plays by Shakespeare was printed, which included most of those printed in quarto. Why are the quartos important? None of Shakespeares manuscripts survives, so the printed texts of his plays are our only source for what he originally wrote. The quarto editions are the texts closest to Shakespeares time. Some are thought to preserve either his working drafts (his foul papers) or his fair copies. Others are thought to record versions remembered by actors who performed the plays, providing information about staging practices in Shakespeares day. About Shakespeare William Shakespeare is the most famous writer of plays in the English language. He was born in 1564, in Stratfordupon- Avon. He wrote thirty-nine plays and hundreds of poems. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and they had three children. Living in London, while his family stayed in Stratford, he was

a member of a theatre company which performed at the Globe and Blackfriars theatres. His plays were performed for Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. In 1610 he returned to Stratford and continued to write until his death in 1616. Summary In Shakespeare, His Life and Plays, Will Fowler describes Shakespeares life from the early times in Stratford, then as an actor and dramatist in London, to his final years. Chapter 1: This chapter covers Shakespeares childhood and the influence of religion in the development of the arts. Chapter 2: This chapter describes Shakespeares marriage and his family life, including the birth of his children. Chapter 3: The biggest gap in knowledge about his life is between 1585 and 1592, during which he has already become an actor and playwright. Early plays included The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew. Chapter 4: This chapter explains how it was necessary for writers to have a patron who would support them. It also analyses Shakespeares relationship with the Earl of Southamptom. Chapter 5: This chapter describes his plays, amongst them Henry V, As You Like It, Julius Ceasar and Much Ado About Nothing. We learn about actors, patrons and the state of the theatre. Chapter 6: Between 1594 and 1598, Shakespeare wrote the very popular plays Richard II, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream. Chapter 7: This chapter discusses the different versions of Hamlet and how Shakespeare designed his own version. Chapter 8: Shakespeare stopped acting probably in 1603. Now famous, he spent his time directing his plays and writing. At this time he wrote three tragedies, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Chapter 9: Shakespeare returned to Roman history for the subjects of the next three plays: Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus. Chapter 10: Shakespeare lived in London throughout most of his working life and his family stayed in Stratford. He returned to Stratford in about 1610, when he wrote The Winters Tale. Chapter 11: In Stratford, he also wrote his final play, The Tempest. And that was the place where he died in 1616. Chapter 12: Will Fowler discusses how and why Shakespeares work, (he wrote poetry as well as plays) is still enjoyable for people today. Background and themes Elizabethan times: This was an exciting period of history, with wars, plagues, the discovery of new continents, rebellions, and in 1605, the Gunpowder Plot, when Catholics tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. It was a time when everyone had to please the king or queen if they wanted to succeed. If they didnt, they sometimes lost their lives. It was a good time for the theatre in England, which helped Shakespeare become a great dramatist. The first public theatre was built in London in 1576, when Shakespeare was about seven years old. There were many other fine dramatists in his time, such as Christopher

Marlowe and Ben Jonson, and famous actors, who were Elizabethan celebrities. Going to the theatre was a very popular form of entertainment.Shakespeare was always experimenting with the style of his plays, responding to fashions and new ideas in the London theatre. The Globe: A reconstruction of Shakespeares wooden theatre, also called the Globe, was built near the original site in 1997. Most of the audience have to stand, as they did in Shakespeares day.