| When and where was William Shakespeare born? | Stratford-Upon-Avon in England on April 23rd, 1564 |
| How old was Shakespeare when he married Anne Hathaway? | 18 |
| Why might his marriage be considered controversial? | She was 8 years older than him and pregnant at the time |
| Besides writing plays, what else did Shakespeare do in London? | He was an actor |
| What is significant about the date of Shakespeare’s death? | He died on his birthday 52 years later |
| Shakespeare’s first 15 of his 37 plays were written by what year? | 1597 |
| In the year_____, Shakespeare changed his company’s name to The King’s Men when what happened? | 1603 |
| Besides writing plays, Shakespeare also wrote 154 _________ | Sonnets |
| Why do some reader’s find Shakespeare’s writing difficult to understand? | Because some readers read them as merely a text. Many feel there are gaps in the story because he intended for them to be filled by action on the stage. |
| What are some conveniences that theaters have today that someone in Shakespeare’s time could probably never imagine? | auditorium seating, voice amplification (microphones), lighting (could be played at night), and scenery. |
| How are today’s actors and celebrities similar to the actors of Shakespeare’s time? How are they different? | Similar: they were like today’s celebrities– dressed in the best styles of the dayDifferences: rumored to be vagabonds. Plays were often written with a certain actor in mind. Men played female roles since women were not allowed to perform publicly. |
| What are the four types of drama? | tragedy, comedy, history, and romance |
| Why is it called “the Globe” theater? | it came from the expression “everyone in the world is an actor” |
| Theater was considered “the nest of________” | the devil |
| Why was the theater something for everyone, not just the wealthy? | Because the seats were affordable |
| Why was it a problem if it rained during a play? | There was no ground, the ground was dirt so when it rained it would turn to mud. Also since there was no roof to the theater, the rain would pour in on the audience. |
| The stage represents three elements | Top signs: HeavenStage itself: EarthUnderneath: Hell |
| How does the shape of the Globe affect the experience of the play? | It would increase audience participation |
| Where did many of the superstitions/beliefs stem from? | Celtic and Viking pagan beliefs and traditions that existed thousands of years before. |
| By the Elizabethan era, what were the perceptions of witches? | White witches and apothecaries who doled out homemade remedies, including potions and chants to heal the sick, were seen as healers, and were welcome throughout the community. By the Elizabethan era, this distinction was gone, and those who had any sort of unexplainable power were considered evil and a harmful and mischievous threat to society. |
| Which Shakespeare play stirred the question of the existence of ghosts? | Hamlet |
Macbeth Pre-Reading Answers
September 20, 2019