When was Shakespeare born?
April 23, 1567
Where was Shakespeare born?
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Whom did he marry? How old was he? How old was she?
Married Anne Hathaway; he was 18; she was 26
How many plays did he write?
37 plays
How many sonnets did he write?
154 sonnets
How many words is he credited for creating?
over 1500
What does Shakespeare’s epitaph read?
“Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear/ To dig the dust enclosed here!/ Blest be the man that spares these stones/ And curst be he that moves my bones!”
When did Shakespeare die?
April 23, 1616
What caused The Globe to burn down?
A cannon in Henry VIII
Who was allowed to perform in a play?
Men
Who played the women?
Boys
Who says “You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so”? To whom is he speaking?
Banquo; the witches
What was the cost of a show?
1 shilling to stand, 2 shillings to sit in the balcony
Where is Macbeth set?
Scotland
When and why did Shakespeare write Macbeth?
1606; to impress King James I
What was the name of King James I book? What was it about?
Daemonologie; it was about witchcraft and provided ways to recognize witches as well as to defeat their spells
Why are witches included in Macbeth?
To reflect King James’ interest in witchcraft and the supernatural
True or False: Shakespeare uses real historical figures as characters in Macbeth
True
True or False: Macbeth is historically accurate
False: Shakespeare took liberties with Macbeth’s history for dramatic purposes
What did Shakespeare use for historical reference when writing his plays?
Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
True or False: Macbeth is Shakespeare’s longest tragedy
False: Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy
What king commissioned the translation of the Holy Bible into Modern English? When was this translation published?
King James I; 1611
True or False: It is bad luck to say Macbeth in or near a theater unless in the middle of a production
True
What else is Macbeth called?
The Scottish Play, The Bard’s Play, That Play
True or False: Shakespeare is the most quoted author in the English language
False: Shakespeare is the second most quoted author in the English Language
How many words was in Shakespeare’s vocabulary?
over 30,000
What does the witch in Macbeth call the sailor’s wife whom she seeks revenge on?
Rump-fed runion
Who was responsible for bringing drama out of the churches and into the marketplace?
The English
What were the five topics of the cycle plays?
Human’s creation by God, its fall through the wiles of Satan, its life in Old Testament times, its redemption by Christ, and its final judgement at the end of the world
What is deus ex machina?
An artificial device arbitrarily used to resolve a plot
Miracle and mystery plays taught people stories from ____________ and _______________ legends
The Bible; Saints’
What did morality plays teach people?
How to live and die
Where was the first public theater built?
North London
When was the first public theater built?
1576
Who built the first public theater?
James Burbage
What was the first public theater called?
The Theater
What were some other theaters?
The Curtain, The Rose, The Swan, The Fortune, The Globe, The Red Bull, and The Hope
What was the Globe constructed of?
Timber rescued from the demolition of the Theater
What is the story behind the name “the Globe”?
The sons of the Theater’s owners could not renew the lease on the land, but they claimed they owned the actual physical theater. The brothers, along with Shakespeare and other actors, took the building apart and carried the pieces of timber across the London Bridge to rebuild it on the other side. The task of carrying the wood felt like a Herculean task, such as the one where Hercules holds the globe on his shoulders.
How do we know what the Globe looks like?
Panoramic drawings of London and stage directions
How tall was the Globe?
3 stories
The Globe appeared circular, but it actually had _________ sides
16
When did the Globe burn down?
1613
When was the Globe rebuilt?
1614
When was the Globe reopened?
June 1997
What was the first production performed after the reopening of the Globe?
Henry V
How many could be seated in the Globe?
3,000
What was the name for those who payed a penny to stand in the pit around the stage?
Groundlings
Where were the most expensive seats?
On the stage
Where were the trap doors located? Where did they allow the actors to enter from?
In the stage and ceiling; Heaven and Hell
How did the audience know where the scene was taking place and what the actor was seeing?
The actors would describe the scene and a few props would be placed
What two aspects of the theater were quite breathtaking?
The interior of the theater and the costumes
Besides watching the actors act, what else did the audience want from the performance?
Music: both instrumental and vocal
What served as the stage when theater companies “went on the road”?
A portable stage from bear pits
Which acting company did Shakespeare belong to?
The King’s Men
In what year did The King’s Men acquire the Blackfriars Hall? What was it and why was it significant?
1608; a former monastery; it had a roof, so they could put on plays all year.
Who wrote that Shakespeare would be “not of an age, but for all time”?
Ben Jonson
What was considered an “excellent” education in Shakespeare’s time?
studying Latin and the Bible
Why was Shakespeare critically attacked?
He was an actor who wrote plays
What is on Shakespeare’s coat of arms?
A falcon shaking a spear
How many of Shakespeare’s plays were command performances in Elizabeth I’s court?
Six
Why/how did the theater company known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men become the King’s Men?
They performed for the new king (King James I) while they avoided the plague in the countryside. King James then sponsored and renamed them
Where is Shakespeare buried?
Under the floor of Stratford Church
Why are there very few mothers in Shakespeare’s plays?
Acting maternally was difficult for boys
How many plays were published before Shakespeare’s death? Where were they published?
18; quartos (small book)
After his death, how many of Shakespeare’s plays were published? When and where were they published?
36; 1623; the “first folio”
What is considered to be the most reliable text of Shakespeare’s plays?
the first folio
What were Renaissance tragedies about?
Real people
When did the actual Scottish King Macbeth rule?
1040-1057
What are the major differences between the real Macbeth and Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
Macbeth had a much more legitimate claim to King Duncan’s throne and gained the throne with the help of other dissatisfied nobles. Shakespeare’s Macbeth has no supporters except his wife. In the play, Macbeth’s rule only brings violence and disaster
What was the Gunpowder Plot in 1605?
The rebel’s plan was to blow up King James I and his Protestant Parliament
Where was King James I from?
Scotland
Who was King James I a descendant of?
Banquo
What is a soliloquy?
A meditative speech delivered by an actor who is usually alone on stage. With his words, the character discloses how he is internally feeling
What is an aside?
Shorter than a soliloquy, but just as truthful. Actors speak out of the side of his/her mouth to indicate that his words are directed at the audience and not to the other characters on stage
What are some of the subjects of Macbeth’s soliloquies?
Indecision; inner conflict; reconciliation to murder; despair
What is an inkhorn term?
Words borrowed from classical languages and used for their mouth-filling and impressive sounds
True or False: Shakespeare wrote in Old English
False: Shakespeare wrote in Modern English
How many men were in Shakespeare’s acting company?
12 adult men and 4 boys
Who is a real, historical figure that Shakespeare has in his play Macbeth?
Banquo
