Transcript William Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Period

The Tragedy of Romeo and
Juliet
A modern version of The
Tragedy of Romeo and
Juliet was created in
1996. The film starred
Leonardo Dicaprio as
Romeo Montague and
Claire Danes as Juliet
Capulet.
William Shakespeare and the
Elizabethan Period
Queen Elizabeth I
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Elizabeth I was 25 when
she became Queen of
England in 1558 and
reigned until 1603 when
she died.
England emerged as a
political power and a
cultural center
Elizabeth was a strong
supporter of theater and
the arts.
Elizabethan England
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Elizabeth was a
popular monarch who
set a tone for fashion,
literature, music and
thought.
The era was
characterized by great
pageantry.
England’s cultural
renaissance opened a
door to writers like
William Shakespeare.
The Shakespeare Basics
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Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon
Married to Anne Hathaway in 1582
 Anne was 26 and pregnant at the time
After the 1585 birth of his twins, Hamnet and
Judith, he disappeared from all records for 7 years
Resurfaced in London in 1592
Shakespeare retired in 1610
Shakespeare died in 1616
The Rumors
Shakespeare had to flee Stratford for
illegally hunting on another man’s property
 Shakespeare worked in a nearby town as an
assistant schoolmaster
 Shakespeare traveled to London and begin
to establish himself as an actor and
playwright
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The Lord Chamberlain’s Men
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A theater company
Patronized by royalty
Made popular by the theater-going public
1594: Shakespeare is writing, performing, and
managing the acting troupe
In 1608, the group became The King’s Men when
King James I became their supportive patron.
Other Major Players:
 Will Kempe – master comedian
 Richard Burbage – leading tragic actor
The Plague
An infectious disease that produced
neurological disorders, a foul odor and
black and blue marks all over the body
 Severe epidemic from 1603-1604
 London lost ¼ of its population to the
plague
 The Lord Chamberlain’s Men closed down
as a result
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Shakespeare’s Style
Creativity over originality
 He used already known plots
 The plot for Romeo and Juliet comes
from Arthur Brooke’s The Tragicall
Historye of Romeus and Iuliet
 Scholars believe only 3 of his 38 plays
were originally his idea
 He wrote comedies, tragedies, and histories
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The Globe Theater
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Shakespeare wrote
plays mainly for the
Globe Theater
Built in 1599 by the
Chamberlain’s
Company
Built on the Thames
River in London
The Globe Theater
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The most important
structure to
Shakespeare’s drama
Most of Shakespeare’s
plays were written to
be performed on the
stage of the Globe
Some of those plays
include:
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Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Othello
Macbeth
King Lear
Anthony and
Cleopatra
Twelfth Night
The Tragedy of the Globe
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The original Globe
burned down in 1613
due to a cannon shot
used as a prop during
a production of Henry
VIII.
The Globe was soon
rebuilt, but was closed
by the Puritans in
1642.
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The Globe II was torn
down in 1644 to make
room for housing.
The Globe foundation
remained buried until
1989 when a faithful
reconstruction was
built.
Appearance of the Globe and
its Performers
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The stage was a platform that extended into a pit.
Actors entered and left the stage from doors
located behind the platform.
There was no scenery in the theater.
Settings were indicated by references in the
dialogue
The actors wore elaborate Elizabethan clothing.
Usually a play lasted two hours.
The acting companies were made up of only men
and boys.
Who was seen at the Globe?
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Unlike other theaters
in England, the Globe
opened its doors to
virtually all classes of
people.
The poorest people
were known as
groundlings; they paid
a penny to stand up in
front of the stage.
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A person could pay 2
pennies and sit on a bench
with a cover over their
head.
Richer people paid as
many as 12 pennies to sit
right above and beside the
stage.
Plays were important to
the people of London
because they entertained
and delivered messages.
The New Globe
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
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The play was written between 1593 and 1596.
The plot is not an original Shakespearean plot.
The play tells the story of the tragic family feud
between the Montagues and the Capulets.
The leading characters, Romeo and Juliet, are
teenagers like you; the long-standing feud forbids
them from being together.
Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers has
become the most famous love story of all time.
West Side Story
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Romeo and Juliet inspired the modern musical
West Side Story.
The musical is set in a tough New York
neighborhood.
The two young people who fall in love are
members of different ethnic groups.
The warring families of Romeo and Juliet are
replaced by street gangs: the Sharks and the Jets.
West Side Photos
Back to Romeo and Juliet…
Questions to Ask Yourself:
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What begins feuds?
Why are long-standing feuds so difficult to end?
Can love flourish amid hatred?
What does star-crossed lover mean?
Are Romeo and Juliet merely victims of fate?
What universal concepts are present within the
play?