Wiki Page, Oklahoma High School- Drama/Theatre Course (OK Art Tech): 6.4 William Shakespeare

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2025-03-06T08:26:18-06:00

William Shakespeare

Introduction

Now that you have explored theatre around the globe, you will next discover William Shakespeare's overall importance and connection to another type of globe: The Globe Theatre!

William Shakespeare lived and worked in the Elizabethan era (1558–1603) when Queen Elizabeth was the ruler of England. He was born in a town called Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in 1564. During Shakespeare's childhood, school was not free, and his parents could only afford to send him to school until about the 8th grade. Young William was smart and talented with words and language. He continued to learn on his own and began to write. When he was 18 years old, he married a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than him. They would go on to have three children together.

Shakespeare was a writer as well as an actor. He was part of a group of actors called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, who were successful entertainers and established The Globe Theatre.

Shakespeare's Influence

Throughout his life, Shakespeare wrote over 37 plays and has written and influenced theatre work more than any other playwright. Shakespeare's influence can be seen over 400 years after his lifetime, with several modern films using Shakespeare's plays as source material. Examples of Shakespeare's modern film adaptations include:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - adapted from The Taming of the Shrew

West Side Story (1961) - adapted from Romeo & Juliet

She's the Man (2006) - adapted from Twelfth Night

The Lion King (1994) - adapted from Hamlet

Shakespeare's Writing

Shakespeare was also a poet and is known as The Bard of Avon. A bard is a person who composes and recites poems. Shakespeare is widely known as one of the most influential poets of all time.

He also wrote three different types of plays: comedy, tragedy, and history.

Comedies are amusing for the audience to watch. There is singing, dancing, and joking. An example of a Shakespearean comedy is A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Tragedies deal with suffering and make the audience sad about what is happening to the characters. An example of a Shakespearean tragedy is Romeo & Juliet

Histories are mostly about monarchs, how they claimed the throne, and how they reigned. An example of a Shakespearean history is Henry IV, Part I

During Elizabethan times, The Globe Theatre had a system to let people know what type of play was currently being performed. They would hang colorful flags from the top of the building. People would use this system to decide if they wanted to attend or not.

Flag color meanings:

white for comedy

black for tragedy

red for history

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