Shakespeare Biography

• Elizabethan Times
• Born in Stratford, England upon – Avon in Warwickshire
• Born in 1564
• Well-off – dad was a tradesman
• Got an education, studied Latin/Greek language, culture etc.
• He understands history because he learns these things
• Average person lived till 52-53
•  Lost family and friends tragically
•  Religion was very important (at the top of the pyramid)
• Very rigid structure (pyramid) – god, pope, queen or king, noblest and religious leaders, politicians and merchants, artisans and common folk, criminals and crazy people, women and children
• Chattels – property (women and children)
• Not about money, about placement
• Maybe Shakespeare had a sense of understanding
• Women were not allowed to be in plays (ex. 1603, Romeo and Juliet, would have no girls, Juliet would be a boy)
• What if Shakespeare recognizes the power of women (married an older smarter women)
• At this time, plays were low class, dirty, and illegal in London, England
• Being an actor was low class
• Boss of a group of performers
• Theatre company called “The King’s Men”
• Witches are scary, they tried to kill the King (Shakespeare’s time period)
• His famous theatre was called, “The Globe” which was outside of London, everyone wanted to see his plays
• He had the 2^nd biggest house in Stratford, made the arts interesting Macbeth
• Based on true story
• There was a real King named Macbeth
• Knights horrible people (our age), trained to fight (have swords up to 6 ft long)
• Macbeth is a knight (meanest, strongest, toughest)
•  Knights are “monsters”