A brief overview of William Shakespeare's life and time period, to be accompanied by guided notes in-class.

1. The Life and Times of
William Shakespeare

2. Who was William
Shakespeare?

3. Who was William
Shakespeare?
Baptized Wednesday, April 26th, 1564 in Stratford
upon Avon, Warwickshire
Third of eight children born to John and Mary
Shakespeare, a merchant family
Very little known overall of his childhood and life
in general, lots of assumptions
May have attended the King’s New Grammar
School, may not have attended university

4. Who was William
Shakespeare?
Married Anne Hathaway, twenty-six, when he
was eighteen
Three children: Oldest daughter Suzanna, and
twins Judith and Hamnet
37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him
Passed away on April 23rd, 1616, and was buried
in Stratford
“Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare
To digg the dust enclosed here!
Blest be ye man that spares thes stones
And curst be he that moues my bones.”
Sonnet 71 audio from http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/179/the-sonnets/3767/sonnet-71/

5. What did Shakespeare
Write?
Shakespeare was a writer of plays and sonnets in a
variety of genres
At the time, both plays and poetry were highly
structured
Both immensely popular
Theater was a booming business; Queen Elizabeth
herself a patron of the arts, and encouraged the
production of plays and formation of theatres
One famous theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were
performed was The Globe Theatre (which famously
burned down June 29th, 1613, and was rebuilt in
1614)

7. Where and When
Shakespeare Lived:
Elizabethan EnglandElizabethan Era – under the rule of Queen
Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603)
Between Tudor and Stuart periods
Often considered a Golden Age for England
Period of internal peace between the English
Reformation and religious battles between
Protestants and Catholics
Rivalry with Spain – Anglo-Spanish War (1585-
1604)

8. Where and When
Shakespeare Lived:
Elizabethan EnglandScience: advances in some fields (such as
magnetism, navigation), but fascination with astrology
and the occult, witchcraft
Education: etiquette taught at home. Boys went to
grammar school, girls rarely attended formal
schooling (home education for the wealthy). Latin
considered “literate” language
Daily life/Entertainment: popularity of “blood sports”
(such as cock fighting, bear-baiting), hunting and
sports of all sorts. Popularity of card and dice games,
as well as music, dance, and theatre

9. Why and how do you think
learning about
Shakespeare’s life and time
period is - or is not -
important to do when
reading his works?
Write your answer in the provided spot in your guided
notes!

10. Now, share your answer
with your group members!
Questions of whether or
not it’s important to
learn about authors
lead to questions of
context, which will be
important in this unit!
What exactly is
context?
How much context is
too much context?
Does context even
matter?