This document provides information about William Shakespeare and the context of his life and work. It discusses that Shakespeare was a famous English poet and playwright born in Stratford-upon-Avon in the late 16th century. It describes aspects of Shakespeare's life, including leaving Stratford for London to begin his career in theatre. The document also outlines characteristics of England during Shakespeare's time, including Queen Elizabeth I's rule, London as a rich city, and the structure of English social classes. Additionally, it summarizes how the Renaissance impacted Shakespeare and theatre, with influences on paintings, sculptures, and a focus on more realistic and complex human characters.

1. Task 1: Shakespeare Done by: Alexander Chen (2P301) Merchant of Venice

2. Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare is a famous poet & playwright Widely known as the greatest writer in the English Language Often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” His plays have been translated into every major living language

3. Shakespeare’s Life Born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon Began education at the age of six or seven at the Stratford grammar school Studied Latin grammar and the classics

4. Shakespeare’s Life Left Stratford-on-Avon to begin a career on stage The Theatres of London were closed and Shakespeare turned to writing Inspired by great writers of his time

5. Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare’s father was a successful glover and later became an alderman in Stratford-upon-Avon His mother was a daughter of an affluent landowning farmer At age 18, he married Anne Hathaway and had 3 children He was in the middle of the social system

6. England in Shakespeare’s time Queen Elizabeth I was ruling England London was a very rich city England had 3 big epidemics of plague English poetry, music and literature flowered

7. England in Shakespeare’s time The English had a strong sense of social class Most people born into a particular class stayed there Social classes determined what a person could wear to where he could live to what job he had

8. England in Shakespeare’s time Theatres had no roof Depended on sunlight Two plays were done everyday, both in the afternoon Not done earlier because the sun was too bright Not done at night because there was no artificial lighting

9. England in Shakespeare’s time Cheapest ticket allowed spectators to stand the entire play If they paid more, they could sit in the galleries A pence more to sit on a cushion Those who bought the most expensive sat on chairs on the actual stage

10. The Renaissance Renaissance is a French word meaning “rebirth” Began in Northern Italy and spread through Europe Europeans moved away from restrictive ideas of the middle ages European Scholars became more interested in studying the world around them

11. Significant Events The discovery of perspective Where paintings became more life-like The discovery and translations of Plato’s work Led to the discovery of Neo-Platonism Textual criticism The Copernican revolution The “discovery” of the new world The discovery of a route around Africa to India

12. How the Renaissance impacted Shakespeare Influenced paintings, sculptures and architecture There was less focus on religious topics and were more realistic Focused on creating “human” characters with complex psychology

13. How the Renaissance impacted Shakespeare Explored the humanity of every character despite of their social status Even monarchs were given human emotions and were capable of making mistakes Used knowledge of Greek and Roman classics in plays This were suppressed by the Catholic Church before the renaissance

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