Background

It is important for you to know a bit about William Shakespeare. The background knowledge helps you to understand and appreciate his plays. Also, since generations of students for centuries have learned about him, you need to know it so you don't look stupid if someone mentions The Bard or The Globe Theater.

First, what did Shakespeare look like? Well, here are three pictures of him:



The first two are the old, familiar pictures of Shakespeare. They look pretty much like what we have in the big, orange literature book, don't they?



Some guy just found this big one. It had been hanging in his family's house for 399 years and no one noticed the resemblance, probably because Shakespeare has hair in this picture. Wow. Maybe that one Disney show isn't as dumb as I thought! →

There are a few facts about The Bard that almost all educated people know. You should know them, too, so that you don't look dumb if someone __alludes__ to one. (BONUS LITERARY TERM: An __allusion__ is when a writer refers to another work of art, kind of like sampling in rap and hip-hop.) Alternatively, you can show off your intelligence by alluding to Shakespearean trivia. The following facts are from [|Wikipedia].


 * His birthday is some time in April 1564, probably the 23rd.
 * He was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon.
 * He married an older woman named Anne Hathaway. It was not this woman:


 * He and Anne Hathaway were the parents of Judith, Susanna, and Hamnet. //Hamlet//, the Shakespeare play you will read in the 12th grade, is named after his son Hamnet. (//Hamlet//, by the way, is an awesome play with murder, ghosts, and craziness. You will love it.)
 * He wrote for, acted in, and was part owner of a theater troupe named the Lord Chamberlain's Men.
 * Queen Elizabeth I and King James I ruled England at different times during Shakespeare's life.
 * When King James I became their sponsor, they changed their name to the King's Men. (I'm not sure if there's any connection with "all the kings men [who] couldn't put Humpty [Dumpty] together again." If you can find a connection, let me know and I'll give you a Falcon Buck.)
 * In addition to plays, Shakespeare also composed sonnets.
 * Some people think someone else, maybe a guy named Christopher Marlowe, wrote some of Shakespeare's plays.
 * Shakespeare died on or around his birthday in 1616.

You can also find information about the play, //Romeo and Juliet//, in [|Wikipedia]. There are spoilers, though, so be careful when you read it. Some important facts that won't ruin it for you are


 * //Romeo and Juliet// is based on a poem; Shakespeare did not come up with the idea on his own. Most of Shakespeare's plays were based on existing stories that people knew; all had universal themes with which people for centuries have been able to identify.
 * Many critics consider the theme to be //young love//; others //haste//. I would argue that the theme is //the consequences of stupid, impulsive decisions//. You might come up with yet another theme.
 * As you read the play, pay attention to references to or contrasts between light and dark.
 * Feminist critics consider Juliet to be a victim of the patriarchal (male-dominated) structure of Verona.
 * There has been speculation that Romeo and his friend Mercutio were gay. As we read, decide whether you agree or disagree.

For homework, find a fact about William Shakespeare or about //Romeo and Juliet// and add it to the comments on the discussion page. (You can get there by clicking the gray rectangle labeled "Discussion" at the top of this page.)