Shakespeare

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Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

Elizabethan theatre
An Introduction
William Shakespeare was a renowned English
poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564
in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most
commonly celebrated on 23 April (see When
was Shakespeare born), which is also believed
to be the date he died in 1616.

Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the


Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British
theatre (sometimes called the English
Renaissance or the Early Modern
Period). Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his
most enduring legacy, but they are not all he
wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also remain
popular to this day. 

Shakespeare's Family Life


Records survive relating to William
Shakespeare’s family that offer an
understanding of the context of Shakespeare's
early life and the lives of his family
members. John Shakespeare married Mary
Arden, and together they had eight children.
John and Mary lost two daughters as infants,
so William became their eldest child. John
Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but
he also became an important figure in the
town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His
elevated status meant that he was even more
likely to have sent his children, including
William, to the local grammar school. 
William Shakespeare would have lived with his
family in their house on Henley Street until he
turned eighteen. When he was
eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway, who was twenty-six. It was a rushed
marriage because Anne was already pregnant
at the time of the ceremony. Together they had
three children. Their first daughter, Susanna,
was born six months after the wedding and
was later followed by
twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when
he was just 11 years old.

Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare's career jump-started in London,


but when did he go there? We know
Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585,
and that by 1592 his reputation was
established in London, but the intervening
years are considered a mystery. Scholars
generally refer to these years as ‘The Lost
Years’.

During his time in London, Shakespeare’s first


printed works were published. They were two
long poems, 'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and
'The Rape of Lucrece' (1594). He also became
a founding member of The Lord Chamberlain’s
Men, a company of actors. Shakespeare was
the company's regular dramatist, producing on
average two plays a year, for almost twenty
years. 
He remained with the company for the rest of
his career, during which time it evolved into
The King’s Men under the patronage of King
James I (from 1603). During his time in the
company Shakespeare wrote many of his most
famous tragedies, such as King
Lear and Macbeth, as well as great romances,
like The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. 

 For more about Shakespeare's patrons


and his work in London
see; Shakespeare's Career

Shakespeare's Works
Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38
plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a
variety of other poems. No original manuscripts
of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist
today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors
from Shakespeare's company that we have
about half of the plays at all. They collected
them for publication after Shakespeare died,
preserving the plays. These writings were
brought together in what is known as the First
Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper
used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of
his poetry. 

Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as


his work; his plays have spawned countless
adaptations across multiple genres and
cultures. His plays have had an enduring
presence on stage and film. His writings have
been compiled in various iterations of The
Complete Works of William Shakespeare,
which include all of his plays, sonnets, and
other poems. William Shakespeare continues
to be one of the most important literary figures
of the English language.
Romeo and Juliet Summary
An age-old vendetta between two powerful
families erupts into bloodshed. A group of
masked Montagues risk further conflict by
gatecrashing a Capulet party. A young lovesick
Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with
Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s
choice, the County Paris. With the help of
Juliet’s nurse, the women arrange for the
couple to marry the next day, but Romeo’s
attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death
of Juliet’s own cousin, Tybalt, for which Romeo
is banished. In a desperate attempt to be
reunited with Romeo, Juliet follows the Friar’s
plot and fakes her own death. The message
fails to reach Romeo, and believing Juliet
dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes
to find Romeo’s corpse beside her and kills
herself. The grieving family agree to end their
feud.

Act I
Romeo and Juliet begins as the Chorus introduces
two feuding families of Verona: the Capulets and
the Montagues. On a hot summer's day, the young
men of each faction fight until the Prince of
Verona intercedes and threatens to banish them.
Soon after, the head of the Capulet family plans
a feast. His goal is to introduce his daughter
Juliet to a Count named Paris who seeks to marry
Juliet. 

Montague's son Romeo and his friends (Benvolio


and Mercutio) hear of the party and resolve to go
in disguise. Romeo hopes to see his beloved
Rosaline at the party. Instead, while there, he
meets Juliet and falls instantly in love with her.
Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognises the Montague
boys and forces them to leave just as Romeo and
Juliet discover one another.

Act II
Romeo lingers near the Capulet house to talk
with Juliet when she appears in her window.
The pair declare their love for one another and
intend to marry the next day. With the help of
Juliet's Nurse, the lovers arrange to marry
when Juliet goes for confession at the cell of
Friar Laurence. There, they are secretly
married (talk about a short engagement).

 Act III
Following the secret marriage, Juliet's cousin
Tybalt sends a challenge to Romeo. Romeo
refuses to fight, which angers his friend
Mercutio who then fights with Tybalt. Mercutio
is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to
stop the fight. In anger, Romeo pursues Tybalt,
kills him, and is banished by the Prince. 
Juliet is anxious when Romeo is late to meet
her and learns of the brawl, Tybalt's death, and
Romeo's banishment. Friar Laurence arranges
for Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before
he leaves for Mantua. Meanwhile, the Capulet
family grieves for Tybalt, so Lord Capulet
moves Juliet's marriage to Paris to the next
day. Juliet’s parents are angry when Juliet
doesn't want to marry Paris, but they don't
know about her secret marriage to Romeo

Act IV
Friar Laurence helps Juliet by providing a
sleeping draught that will make her seem dead.
When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet
the next day, they believe she is dead. The
Friar sends a messenger to warn Romeo of
Juliet's plan and bids him to come to the
Capulet family monument to rescue his
sleeping wife. 

Act V
The vital message to Romeo doesn't arrive in
time because the plague is in town (so the
messenger cannot leave Verona). Hearing
from his servant that Juliet is dead, Romeo
buys poison from an Apothecary in Mantua. He
returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where
he surprises and kills the mourning Paris.
Romeo takes his poison and dies, while Juliet
awakens from her drugged coma. She learns
what has happened from Friar Laurence, but
she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs
herself. The Friar returns with the Prince, the
Capulets, and Romeo's lately widowed father.
The deaths of their children lead the families to
make peace, and they promise to erect a
monument in Romeo and Juliet's memory.

Elizabethan theatre, sometimes called English


Renaissance theatre, refers to that style of
performance plays which blossomed during the reign
of Elizabeth I of England and which continued under
her Stuart successors. Elizabethan theatre witnessed
the first professional actors who belonged to touring
troupes and who performed plays of blank verse with
entertaining non-religious themes

The first purpose-built permanent theatre was


established in London in 1576 CE and others quickly
followed so that drama simply to entertain became a
booming industry. Theatres showing plays daily led
to permanent acting companies which did not have to
tour and so could invest more time and money into
wowing their audience of both sexes and all social
classes. The most celebrated playwright of the period
was William Shakespeare whose works were
performed at the famous Globe Theatre in London
and covered such diverse themes as history, romance,
revenge, murder, comedy and tragedy.
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