{"id":337,"date":"2022-08-27T00:31:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T19:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/?p=337"},"modified":"2023-06-12T10:00:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T04:30:11","slug":"william-shakespeare-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/william-shakespeare-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Life of great dramatist William Shakespeare: History Part-2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#shakespeare-the-london-theatre\">Shakespeare &amp; the London Theatre<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-sonnets\">The Sonnets:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#shakespeare-photos\">Shakespeare Photos<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#classification-of-plays\">Classification of Plays<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#english-histories\">English Histories<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#english-histories-1\">English Histories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"shakespeare-the-london-theatre\">Shakespeare &amp; the London Theatre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png?resize=400%2C512&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"William Shakespeare\" class=\"wp-image-344\" width=\"400\" height=\"512\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png?resize=799%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 799w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png?resize=234%2C300&amp;ssl=1 234w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png?resize=768%2C984&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png?w=1030&amp;ssl=1 1030w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William Shakespeare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u25cf In London, the Lord Chamberlain\u2019s Men (also called Lord Strange\u2019s Men) performed his plays, and also probably the Queen\u2019s Men.<br>\u25cf Shakespeare owned shares in the Second Blackfriars Theatre, an indoor theatre built by James Burbage, and later, the Globe.<br>\u25cf In the 1590s, the London theatre scene was unsettled<br>\u25cf Actors\u2019 companies were forming and disbanding themselves under the pressure of the plague.<br>\u25cf All London theatres were closed from 1592 to 94 due to the plague.<br>\u25cf Shakespeare seems to have turned to non-dramatic poetry at this time<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-sonnets\"><strong>The Sonnets:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing and Publication<br>\u25cf Circulated in manuscripts before 1598<br>\u25cf In 1598, Francis Meres praised Shakespeare\u2019s \u201csugared sonnets\u201d in his Palladis Tamia, or Wit\u2019s Treasury<br>\u25cf First publication of sonnets<br>\u25cf In 1609, the sonnets were first published in quarto format by Thomas Thorpe, probably without the<br>author\u2019s knowledge<br>\u25cf The quarto edition has a mysterious dedication from the publisher to \u201cMr. W.H.\u201d as \u201cthe only begetter of these poems\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Globe<\/strong><br>\u25cf At first the Lord Chamberlain\u2019s Men performed in The Theatre built by James Burbage in 1576<br>\u25cf In 1597, after a dispute with the Puritan landlord over the terms of lease, the players moved to the nearby Curtain playhouse<br>\u25cf On the night of 28 December 1597, when the landlord was out of town, Burbage and his friends dismantled The Theatre timber by timber<br>\u25cf The wood was used to build The Globe on the Bankside, where the Rose playhouse was already achieving great success<br>\u25cf The first recorded performance at the Globe was of Julius Caesar on 21 September 1599 In the early 17th century<br>\u25cf Shakespeare secured a coat-of-arms, which granted him the status of a gentleman<br>\u25cf A coat-of-arms is a heraldic shield with a unique design granted by the monarch to an individual or<br>family as a recognition of social rank<br>\u25cf Wrote most of the Great Tragedies, Dark Comedies and Romances<br>\u25cf Recognized as a genius in his own time<br>\u25cf Queen Elizabeth dies in 1603<br>\u25cf King James\u2019s accession to the throne<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-16.png?resize=220%2C320&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Not without\nright\" class=\"wp-image-338\" width=\"220\" height=\"320\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-16.png?w=439&amp;ssl=1 439w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-16.png?resize=206%2C300&amp;ssl=1 206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Not without<br>right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Mermaid Tavern<br><\/strong>\u25cf Was probably a member of the \u201cFraternity of Sireniacal Gentlemen\u201d who met at the Mermaid Tavern in Cheapside<br>\u25cf Ben Jonson<br>\u25cf John Donne<br>\u25cf John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont<br>\u25cf Thomas Coryat<br>\u25cf John Selden<br>\u25cf Robert Bruce Cotton<br>\u25cf Richard Carew<br>\u25cf Richard Martin<br>\u25cf William Strachey<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?resize=512%2C384&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Grave of Shakespeare\" class=\"wp-image-339\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-17.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Grave of Shakespeare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Retirement<\/strong><br>\u25cf 1610 retired from theatre<br>\u25cf Moved into the big house New Place at Stratford<br>\u25cf 1613 Globe theatre burns down<br>\u25cf Lost money but still wealthy; helps rebuild Globe<br>\u25cf Dies on April 23, 1616 at age 52<br>\u25cf Buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford<br>\u25cf Left his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna<br>\u25cf Bequeathed his \u201csecond-best bed\u201d to his wife<br>\u25cf The couple had lived apart for 20 years of their marriage<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also read <a href=\"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/samuel-johnson-1709-1784-preface-to-shakespeare\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"26\">Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) \u2013 Preface to Shakespeare<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/neo-classical-criticism-john-dryden-alexander-pope\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28\">Neo-classical Criticism: John Dryden, Alexander Pope<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"shakespeare-photos\"><strong>Shakespeare Photos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-18.png?resize=599%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Chandos Portrait\n\" class=\"wp-image-340\" width=\"599\" height=\"768\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-18.png?resize=799%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 799w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-18.png?resize=234%2C300&amp;ssl=1 234w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-18.png?resize=768%2C984&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-18.png?w=1030&amp;ssl=1 1030w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chandos Portrait<br>Painted probably by John Taylor (1610)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-19.png?resize=535%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Cobbe Portrait\n\" class=\"wp-image-341\" width=\"535\" height=\"768\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-19.png?resize=713%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 713w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-19.png?resize=209%2C300&amp;ssl=1 209w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-19.png?resize=768%2C1103&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-19.png?w=919&amp;ssl=1 919w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cobbe Portrait<br>Unknown artist (c.1610)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-20.png?resize=575%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Flower Portrait\n\" class=\"wp-image-342\" width=\"575\" height=\"768\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-20.png?resize=767%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 767w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-20.png?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-20.png?resize=768%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-20.png?w=990&amp;ssl=1 990w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Flower Portrait<br>Unknown artist (dated 1610)<br>Proven in 2005 to be a forged artwork painted in the 19th c.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-21.png?resize=482%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Droeshout Engraving on the title page of First Folio\n\" class=\"wp-image-343\" width=\"482\" height=\"768\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-21.png?resize=643%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 643w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-21.png?resize=188%2C300&amp;ssl=1 188w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-21.png?resize=768%2C1223&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-21.png?w=950&amp;ssl=1 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Droeshout Engraving on the title page of First Folio<br>The Flower Portrait is a copy of this engraving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Works<\/strong><br>\u25cf 37 plays<br>\u25cf Recently, another play The Double Falsehood, added to the canon<br>\u25cf 154 sonnets<br>\u25cf 2 (4) long poems<br>\u25cf Shakespeare authorship question<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"classification-of-plays\"><strong>Classification of Plays<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u25cf First Period \u2014 Apprenticeship (Age 26-30)<br>\u25cf Second Period \u2014 Mastered his art!<br>\u25cf Favourite \u201cRomantic Comedy\u201d<br>\u25cf Third Period \u2014 Problem of Evil in the World<br>\u25cf Fourth Period \u2014 Creates a new drama form<br>\u25cf \u201cTragicomedy\u201d or the dramatic romance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Early Comedies<\/strong><br>\u25cf Plots less original<br>\u25cf Characters less finished<br>\u25cf Style lacks power<br>\u25cf Set in exotic locations<br>\u25cf Emphasis is on situation rather than character<br>\u25cf Strong heroines; clever servants<br>\u25cf Multiple plots<br>\u25cf Amorous love &amp; friendship, mistaken identity, disguise<br>\u25cf Women steadfast in love; men are fickle<br>\u25cf Wit and word play, quibbling, slapstick<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"english-histories\"><strong>English Histories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u25cf Shaped the genre of the history play that hitherto did not exist<br>\u25cf 10 plays:<br>\u25cf Minor Tetralogy<br>\u25cf Henry VI 3 Parts and Richard III<br>\u25cf Major Tetralogy<br>\u25cf Richard II, Henry IV 2 Parts and Henry V<br>\u25cf King John<br>\u25cf Henry VIII<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Histories in the First Folio<br><\/strong>\u25cf In the First Folio, plays were categorized into 3<br>groups: tragedies, comedies and histories<br>\u25cf British History Plays recognized as a genre in the Folio<br>\u25cf Roman, Greek and Scottish history excluded<br>\u25cf Histories were categorized according to the time depicted<br>\u25cf 1st play King John (13th century)<br>\u25cf Last play Henry VIII (16th century)<br>\u25cf Histories based on chronicle matter (similar to legends) excluded, for eg.<br>King Lear, Cymbeline<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"english-histories-1\">English Histories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u25cf Neither tragedy nor comedy; a combination of both<br>\u25cf Based on Edward Hall\u2019s Chronicles (of the Wars of the Roses and establishment of the Tudor dynasty)<br>and Raphael Holinshed\u2019s the incomplete Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland<br>\u25cf Written throughout his career; show rapid maturation; characters are more developed<br>\u25cf Did not insist on unadorned historical fact\u2014 addressed not only \u201chistory\u201d, but also \u201chistoriography\u201d; hence these plays are superior to the lifeless chronicle plays of the age<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>General Themes<br><\/strong>\u25cf Empire, statehood, nationality<br>\u25cf Competition to the crown<br>\u25cf Clash of ethical and political concerns<br>\u25cf Role of women in politics<br>\u25cf Question of whether nobility is derived from birth or behaviour<br>\u25cf Monarch\u2019s duty to the people<br>\u25cf As against the medieval theory of Divine Right of Kings<br>\u25cf Neither monarch nor the Parliament is an independent authority<br>\u25cf The dual body of the king: the individual body &amp; the body politic (the conflict between the two may lead to tragedy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minor Tetralogy<\/strong><br>\u25cf Early histories<br>\u25cf Deal with the recent Wars of the Roses between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists (15th century)<br>\u25cf Depict the issue of emergent nationhood<br>\u25cf Tendency to identify villains (Richard III) and heroes (Lord Talbot in Henry VI Part 1, Humphrey in Henry VI Part 2, Henry Tudor in Richard III)<br>\u25cf Henry VI 3 Parts and Richard III<br>\u25cf Minor Tetralogy reflects England\u2019s new sense of national identity and power (under the Tudor dynasty,<br>and following the defeat of the Spanish Armada) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u25cf Minor Tetralogy followed by King John (13th century)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Major Tetralogy<br><\/strong>\u25cf On the earlier Plantagenets of the late 14th and early 15th centuries)<br>\u25cf Richard II (printed in1597, is usually dated 1595), Henry IV 2 Parts (1600) and Henry V (written in 1599, printed in 1600)<br>\u25cf Written at the same time as the romantic comedies\u2014both have complementary coming-of-age themes, one in love and marriage, the other in a young man growing up to be a worthy king<br>\u25cf Throne as important; desire for stable government<br>\u25cf Mixing low life with history (as in John Falstaff)<br>\u25cf Use of excellent blank verse<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.williamshakespeare.net\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.williamshakespeare.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.williamshakespeare.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shakespeare &amp; the London Theatre \u25cf In London, the Lord Chamberlain\u2019s Men (also called Lord Strange\u2019s Men) performed his plays, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow3MbQCw:productID":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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plays by William Shakespeare","author":"witcritic","date":"March 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"William Shakespeare is credited with writing 37 plays, which include comedies, tragedies, histories, and tragicomedies. 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