Shakespeare presentation

William Shakespeare

By Stefano Castoldi

Index

The link with Italy

The life

The life

Kiss me Kate

The works

5 curiosities

The life of Shakespeare

Love all,trust a few, do wrong to none

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, actor and poet, also known as the "Bard of Avon" and often called the English national poet.Known throughout the world, the works of William Shakespeare have been performed in many cities for more than 400 years. Yet, William Shakespeare's personal story is somewhat of a mystery.

To be, or not be: that's the question.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.

Birth and childhood

1564

Marriage

1582

1599

The Global Theatre

Death

1616

Birth and childhood

William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 and was baptised at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 April 1564. Located 103 miles west of London, during Shakespeare's time Stratford-upon-Avon was a market town, cut in half with a country road and the River Avon. William was the third son of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. Before William's birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as an adviser. Shakespeare attended King's New School, Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics.

Marriage

William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on 28 November 1582 in Worcester, Canterbury. Hathaway came from Shottery, a small village a mile west of Stratford. William was 18 and Anne was 26 and pregnant. Their first daughter, Susan, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11. No one knows what Shakespeare did from 1585 to 1592. No testimony, no reference to this period beginning with the baptism of his twins. Everyone has their say: whether he taught, traveled, followed a theater troupe, whatever it was there is no certainty.

The Global Theatre

In 1592, there is evidence that William Shakespeare earned his living as an actor and playwright in London and had several plays produced.In fact, in the early 90s, documents show that William Shakespeare was a managing partner of Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting company in London with which he was linked for most of his career.Considered the most important troupe of its time, the company changed its name to King's Men after the coronation of King James I in 1603. In 1599, William Shakespeare and his trading partners built their theatre on the south bank of the Thames, which they called the Globe. In 1605, Shakespeare bought estate leases near Stratford for £440, which doubled in value and earned him £60 a year.

Death

William Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday on 23 April 1616. He was buried in Trinity Church on 25 April 1616. In his will, he left most of his assets to his eldest daughter, Susanna. Although he is entitled to a third of his fortune, it seems that little has gone to his wife, Anna, who bequeathed his "second best bed".

The works

Sheakespeare's productive activity can be divided int 4 periods

Historical plays and comedies

1595

Experimentation

1590

1601

Tragedies

Last plays

1609

Experimentation

This is a period of experiment marked by exuberance and immagination.

Loveìs Labour's Lost

This comedy was written in 1595, and opens with the King of Navarre and his three best friends, who promise that for three years they will think only of study, giving up pleasures and women, sleeping only three hours every night.Upon arrival at court of the princess of France, accompanied by three charming bridesmaids, the princess, knowing that she cannot be accommodated because of the promise, and will therefore have to take lodging outside, writes a letter in which her father (sovereign of France) hopes for an agreement between the two kingdoms. In seeing the beauty of women, a conflict arises between the oath made and one's own feelings. The king decides to break the oath and so the girls can be courted. The death of the King of France, however, forces the princess and the bridesmaids in tow to return, but they will meet for the happy ending, to unite and not leave each other anymore.

The Comedy of errors

The merchant of Syracuse Aegeon is arrested in Ephesus and tells Aegeon his vicissitudes, including his shipwreck several years before, together with his wife and his children (two twins perfectly equal to each other and both called Antipholus), and a couple of servants (also homonymous and twins called Dromio). In the shipwreck disappear his wife, a son and a servant. once grown up Aegeon has granted Antipholus and Drone the faculty 'to leave for Ephesus, in order to track down their twins, unfortunately even the two there is no more' news. Left alone, so, Aegeon leaves in search of them, being arrested and sentenced to death because of the bad relations between the cities of Ephesus and Syracuse. Solino si commuove al racconto dell'anziano Egeone, e rimanda la sentenza ,dando tempo ad egeone di riscattare la sua vita. Il ritrovarsi dei gemelli dara' vita ad una divertente farsa ,che si concludera' felicemente col ricongiungimento di Egeone con sua moglie e ed i suoi figli,ed il matrimonio tra antifolo di Siracusa e Luciana.

Historical plays and Comedies

This is a period of rapid development and mature power in wich Shakespear produced comedies and historical plays. This is perhaps the most intense period of Shakespeare activity.The comedies follow a set of convention (like disguises, frustrated love and romantic misunderstanding). They end in marriages. The historical plays are based on Tudor's chronicles. They were important because they helped people to see themselves as a nation and not as a small communities.

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is unanimously considered one of Shakespeare's most current works.The story takes place in Venice, between 1600 and 1700, and tells the story of Bassanio, Antonio's friend, who asks for a loan from the latter in order to woo Porzia. Although he does not possess the amount requested by Bassanio, Antonio waits for the return of his three ships, loaded with goods, and therefore offers himself as guarantor towards the Jew Shylock, who lends the sum on condition that, if it is not returned within three months, a pound of meat of Antonio, his rival With the necessary guarantees of Antonio's loan, Bassanio can participate in the choice of the casket among the three of gold, silver and bronze, which Porzia's deceased father has submitted to the suitors, to test them, in order to determine which of the six suitors will have the hand of his daughter. Bassanio chooses the right casket, which contains the memorable maxim. In the meantime, however, Antony's ships are reported missing, and at the end of the loan, the Jew wants the pound of flesh agreed, despite being offered 6000 ducats (double the amount loaned). Resentment against the creditor prevails over forgiveness and money itself, and Shylock does not want to hear reasons, refusing the exposed amount. With the help of his maid (Nerissa) Porzia concocts a plan to get to the bottom of the matter and, disguised as a lawyer, manages to reverse the charges, which will spill over to Shylock for plotting in order to kill a Venetian citizen. Meanwhile, we learn of the return of Antonio's ships.

Henry IV

This is one of William Shakespeare's most performed works, and owes much of its fortune to the character of the opportunist Sir John Falstaff. The first part of Eneric IV is the second in a series of 4 English history plays, which make up Shakespeare's main tetralogy. It continues the saga of the Bolingbrook family and the Plantageneta monarchy, which begins with the confiscation of Henry IV's power (in Richard II) and the birth of Prince Henry. The plot unfolds between the troubled reign of Henry IV and the vulgar world of taverns in which Sir John Falstaff moves with his retinue of fools, to which is added the young son of the king, Henry (the future Henry V). The plot is completely surrounded by rebellion and struggle for power. Prince Henry (also known as Hal) and Falstaff join the fight and Hal kills the rebel Hotspur. The opera ends with King Henry IV and his son Prince Henry leaving for Wales to confront the rebels. At the same time, Prince John (Hal's younger brother) headed to York to fight against rebel forces led by the Earl of Northumberland, the father of hotspur.

Tragedies

This is a period characterised by sadness and depression for different causes:1) His father died; 2) His patron was condemned to death; 3) The society preferred tragedies to comedies; 4) Shakespeare decided to speak about deeper psychological themes.

Romeo and Juliet

This famous tragedy by Shakespeare tells the story of two families of Verona who hate each other: the Montagues and the Capulets, but above all it tells the love story between two boys of these families: Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, falling in love with the young woman at a party, falls in love with her immediately and, thanks to a declaration that she reciprocates, decides to propose a secret marriage.On the day of the wedding, however, Romeo is involved in a fight and, although cautious at first, becomes furious when Mercutio is killed. In anger he kills Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. Discovered, he is forced to flee to Mantua. Meanwhile, Juliet is forced to marry a gentleman, but, on the recommendation of Friar Lawrence, in agreement with the two young lovers, she drinks a narcotic that makes her look dead for 40 hours. The Friar tries to deliver the news of the plan to Romeo, but everything fades because the message will never reach Romeo. This is why the young man believes that his beloved is really dead. Romeo, grieved, goes to her tomb and drinks a powerful poison that causes him to die next to his secret bride. After the spell, Juliet wakes up and, understanding what happened, pierces herself with a dagger.

Hamlet

The opera is set in feudal Denmark and almost all the scenes take place inside the castle of Elsinor, except for some scenes set respectively in the space surrounding the castle (act one, scene one and scene four), in the house of Polonius (act one, scene three and act two, scene one), in the Danish plain (act four, scene four) and inside a cemetery (act five, scene one).The first act begins with two men (Bernardo and Francesco) guarding the castle, joined later by Orazio and Marcello. A ghost in the form of Hamlet's father appears to the men but, suddenly and before he can speak, vanishes into thin air. The next night, after being duly warned, young Hamlet joins the castle guard. The ghost reappears and Hamlet manages to talk to him, after following him, before he disappears again. The ghost will reveal the true events that preceded his death, revealing the murder by his brother Claudio and asking him to avenge him. From now on, Hamlet will pretend to be crazy to confuse anyone who tries to predict it and in order to facilitate, therefore, revenge . After the king's death, Claudius married the queen, Gertrude. Both his mother Gertrude and his uncle Claudius are concerned about Hamlet's alleged insanity and ask two of his school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find the cause of the problem. A company of actors, the "stable company of the city", is invited to the castle with the intention of reviving Hamlet's spirit. Hamlet asks the actors to play "The Murder of Gonzago" (later called "The Mousetrap") adding some of its lines to the text. The interpretation, achieving Hamlet's goal, makes the king furious, who interrupts the play. This seems to prove in the eyes of Horace and Hamlet the guilt of Claudius.

Last plays

This is a period of experiment merked by a new serenity. There was a change of tone: from the dark mood to the light, music, magic and romance .

The Tempest

"The storm" written between 1611 and 1612.Prospero, Duke of Milan, is ousted by his brother Antonio to whom he had entrusted the duchy to be able to devote himself to the favorite studies of magic, these with the help of the king of Naples of which he becomes a vassal hunts Prospero and not daring to kill him for fear of popular resentment puts him in a boat with his daughter Miranda and sends him adrift. The two are saved on a mysterious island that is inhabited by a monster: Caliban, son of an evil witch and some spirits including Ariele, Prospero reduces everyone to his service.Twelve years later Prospero, with his arts, wrecks a ship carrying Alonso the King of Naples, with his son Ferdinando and his entourage, as well as Antonio. Si salvano tutti sull'isola, ma Ferdinando è isolato dai compagni: incontra Miranda e se ne innamora secondo il disegno di Prospero che con un incantesimo lo fa schiavo. Dopo varie vicissitudini, tra le quali una rivolta che scatena Calibano ma che viene sedata da Prospero senza spargimenti di sangue, anche il resto del gruppo raggiunge Prospero che perdona delle loro malefatte il fratello e il re di Napoli il quale pentito del suo errore consente lieto al matrimonio di suo figlio con Miranda. In the end Prospero breaks his wand freeing Ariele and Caliban who is master of the island, after which he sails with the others to Italy.

The Winter's Tale

The story narrated It is that of Polyxenes and Leontes, kings of Bohemia and Sicily as well as friends since childhood. At the end of Polissen's stay in Sicily, Leontes tries to keep his departing friend again, and also asks his wife to exert pressure to make this happen.In a second moment, however, 'leonte becomes inexplicably jealous of his friend and wife, coming to suspect that the son on the way is not his, but the result of betrayal, and poisoning the friend who, however, warned, flees. His escape is interpreted as proof of guilt and so Leonte has his wife arrested, who gives birth to little Perdita in prison. Little Mamilio, son of Leonte, cannot stand the pain of his mother's accusation and dies. Meanwhile, the oracle of Delphi decrees Hermione innocent, thus leaving the remorse for what happened to Leontes, who believes his other son and his wife are also dead. Perdita,abbandonata,viene adottata da un contadino ed un pastore, e divenuta una bellissima ragazza si innamora del figlio di Polissene,Florizel,che non svela a perdita la sua origine regale. Polissene ,scoperta la trama amorosa del figlio si infuria,e ai due non rimane altro che fuggire. The ending is all a happy ending, Leonte in fact will recognize his resemblance to his daughter, having further proof that the suspicions were unfounded, also Pauline, who had been transformed into a state of salt so as not to die of pain, breaks the spell and thus returning to life, and Florizell and Perdita will convoy to happy marriage.

The link with Italy

Shakespeare uses Italy as settings for his plays because Italy is the cradle of the Renaissance and states that it is an exotic and interesting place for its settings.10 of his works are set in Italy, in particular in the Lombard-Veneto territory. Shakespeare also empathized with Venice because it opposed the Papal States. This empathy stems from the fact that Shakespear is a member of the community of the Anglican church: that is, the national church of England.

5 couriosities

1. Illiteracy: Shakespeare's parents and children are said to have been illiterate. In all probability none of his relatives could read or write, while William attended school in Stratford.
2. A large vocabulary: Shakespeare invented over 3000 words, such as "fashionable", "eyeball", "wild goose chase", "swag" etc tec, entered the common language, as well as many popular expressions such as "not all that glitters is gold" or "much ado about nothing", some of which are also titles of comedies.
3. The curse on his grave: Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. To dissuade all the desecrators of tombs, very common at the time, he himself wrote an epitaph that sounds like a curse: "Dear friend, for Jesus' sake, refrain from stirring the dust contained herein. Blessed is he who guards these stones, and cursed is he who disturbs my bones." According to another legend, the tomb of the great playwright would also keep unpublished works.
4. He has no descendants: Shakespeare's family tree has been exhausted, even his grandchildren have had no children, so there is no descendant of his.
5. An unclear death: no one knows how he died. Some say that at the age of 52 he fell ill after a hangover, spent drinking furiously with playwright Ben Jonson.

The taming of the shrews

The play opens with the entrance of Christopher Sly, a drunkard who is found and picked up by a richly dressed gentleman, making him believe that he has been asleep for years. Sly and a page then sit down to see a play of wandering actors entitled "The Taming of the Shrew." We are therefore faced with a clear example of "theater within the theater", called metatheater. After the first scene, Sly disappears. Battista Minola, a gentleman from Padua, who has two daughters: Caterina, the eldest, very grumpy; and the youngest, Bianca, praised for her kindness and affability. The second daughter has two suitors in tow, Gremio and Ortensio, while Caterina has none. For this reason, the father decides to temporarily remove Bianca from high society to ensure that the eldest daughter finds a husband. Meanwhile Lucretius, a young Pisan, falls in love with Bianca, while Gremio and Ortensio try to find a husband for Caterina. The opportunity presents itself when a friend of Ortensio, Petruccio, arrives in Padua with the idea of finding a wife. Bianca's two suitors talk to the boy, telling her about the girl's character, but also about her conspicuous dowry: Petruccio instantly decides to marry her. Lorenzo, on the other hand, exchanges clothes with his servant Tranio to become Bianca's tutor in literature. Hortensius also disguises himself as a music tutor in order to introduce Petruccio to Battista's house. Petruccio woos Catherine, claiming that all the acidic things he says are kind and intelligent. Catherine, therefore, is convinced of her suitor and the marriage is fixed.However, on the wedding day, Petruccio arrives at the ceremony dressed shabbyly, drinks the wine intended for communion, and leaves the banquet against the will of his wife, who is forced to follow him. Meanwhile, Lucretius' court towards Blanche is proceeding at full speed. Petruccio and Caterina lead a modest life and the woman is forced by her husband to suffer a series of privations and humiliations that bend her obstinate character, making her become more compliant. After an exchange of identities between Lucretius and Vincent, which creates no little confusion, Bianca marries the real Lucretius, while Hortensius marries a rich widow. Bianca and Lucretius, Hortensius and the widow, and Petruccio and Caterina opens a discussion between the husbands on who is the most obedient wife, and to understand what the reality is, a profession of obedience is proposed to the three women. Blanche and her widow refuse, while Catherine obeys and reads the list of their duties to the others. Blanche and her widow refuse, while Catherine obeys and reads the list of their duties to the others. The play ends with the amazement of Hortensius and Lucretius who are surprised by the way Petruccio has managed to tame his wife, once shrewd and intractable.

THEEND