WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Life

The early years

He was born on 23rd April 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon.

His father belonged to the corporation of glovers  and his mother came of a country family of some importance.

He probably attended a grammar school of Stratford and we think that because of his knowledge of Latin Greek and Rethoric which emerged from his plays.

When he was 18 he married Anne Hathaway a girl 8 years older than him and they had 3 children.

After that he decided to go to London to work for the theatre.

A playwright in London

Shakespeare was in London an actor and a playwright.

The years 152-94 were particularly difficult for players.

Because of the plague theatres were closet and most companies dissolved.

It is likely that at this time Shakespeare wrote poetry possible under the patronage of an influential nobleman.

Shakespeare became first a member of and than a sharer in the ''Lord Chamberlain's men'' one of London's leading companies of players.

He was the most successful playwright  of his time.

He also became co-owner of the Globe Theatre an open air pubblic theatre that was used in summer while in winter the company acted in the indoor private Blackfriars Theatre.

Shakespeare earned enough to be able to retire to Stratford in his later years and to buy several properties there.

He died in Stratford in 1616.

He wrote 38 plays and he might have also written others in collaboration with other dramatists.

He practised all these kind of drama in his career, and his career can be divided in 4 significant phases nominated by Dowden a critic.

v  1589 - 1594/95 AS APPRENTICE (Romeo and Juliet)

v  1595 - 1598/99 IN THE WORLD  (Love comedies and History plays)

v  1599 - 1606 DOWN THE ABYSS (Hamlet and Macbeth)

v  1606 -l607 UP ON THE PEAKS (The tempest)

In the world

a) Love comedies

v  characters more complex (different between round characters and flat characters)

v  analysis of love ( from the psychological point of view)

b) History plays

v  about the nation (Richard II , Henry IV )

Down the abyss

a) Tragedies

b) Dark comedies (not a sweet emotion but a complex disillusioned experience)

The characters have to face difficult moral choices.

Frailties of human nature typical of the character of the noble class.

Hamlet = action vs. inaction

Macbeth = ambition vs.  loyalty

Up on the peaks

a) romances

Romance comedies with happy ending.

Faults are forgotten and lead to an happy conclusion where order and harmony are restored thanks to younger generations.

In Shakespeare's plays, the woman haven't got only a passive role, they are very proud and they will do anything for love, even die (for example Juliet).

The woman is also powerful and not a complement to her husband(For example lady Macbeth).