Cypris Chat

William Shakespeare (1564-1661)

William Shakespeare was a famous English poet and playwright. In his earlier years (up until around 1600) he wrote comedies and histories like The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King John and Henry VIII. From 1608 he began writing tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth. His true fame came after his death when the romantics of the 19th century called him a genius. Today, his plays are still performed all around the world. But who is this person? How was he able to write so well? What inspired him?

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Timeline and questions to help you understand just about everything about William Shakespeare.

Class or group project: Each students should choose one period of time. Prepare a short presentation which answers the questions. Leave time at the end of your presentation for questions and discussion.

1279 – 1531    Who were the Ancestors of William Shakespeare? What do we know about the history of his Ancestors? Family tree?
1531 – 1601    John Shakespeare – the Father of William Shakespeare What was his background? What was his occupation? Who were the Shakespeares? Was he rich? Was he powerful?
1540 – 1608    Mary Arden – the Mother of William Shakespeare – What was her background? Who were the Ardens?
1557    Parents of William Shakespeare – Marriage of John Shakepeare and Elizabeth Arden When? Did their families approve? The Wedding? Their home in Stratford-upon-Avon
1557    What was the religion of the Shakespeare Family? Protestant or Catholic? What were the differences? Why did the religions of people frequently change? Danger?
1564    When & Where was William Shakespeare born? Where was he baptised? Why is there confusion regarding his date of birth?
1558 – 1580    How many Brothers and Sisters did William Shakespeare have? When were they born? What were their names? How many died during childhood?
1571 – 1578    The Education of William Shakespeare – What type of Education did he have? When and what school did he attend? What lessons? What Punishments? University?
1578 – 1592    William Shakespeare – The Lost Years – What are the ‘ Lost Years ‘? What did he do after he left school? What was his occupation? Why did he leave Stratford-upon-Avon?
1582    What mysteries surround the Marriage of William Shakespeare to Anne Hathaway? Differences in ages? Scandal – pregnant before marrying! What was the wedding like?
1583 – 1585    Who were the Children of William Shakespeare? When were they born? Their names? Did they get married? When did they die? Scandals? Grandchildren?
1592    William Shakespeare the Actor – Why did Will seek work as an actor in London? The reputation of actors? Playhouses? The Theatres? Life for an actor?
1592    William Shakespeare the ‘ Upstart Crow ‘ – Why was Will called an Upstart Crow? Who was Robert Greene and what was the ‘Groatsworth of Wit’?
1592    William Shakespeare the Playwright – When did Will start to write plays? What was his first play? Did he act in his plays? Why was a Playwright a dangerous occupation?
1591 – 1601    William Shakespeare Poems – What Poems did he write? When? Why did Wm publish his poems and not the plays? Read the poems of the great Bard of Stratford!
1593 – 1597    William Shakespeare Sonnets – What is a sonnet? How many sonnets did he write? What were the themes? Dedications? Payments? What are the most popular sonnets?
1592 – 1613    Publication of William Shakespeare Plays – Why didn’t he publish any of his plays?  Dates of Publications? Who claimed authorship? Payment?
1592 – 1613    Performances of William Shakespeare Plays – Where & when were the performances? How did Actors learn their lines? Did women perform? Did other people steal his plays?
1592 – 1610    William Shakespeare in London – Where did he live in London? What was London like? What was his life like? Who were his friends? How often did he see his family?
1592 – 1610    Friends and Contempories of William Shakespeare – Who were his friends? Who were his contemporaries? His rivals? Where did they meet? What was the ‘Friday Club’?
1577 – 1665    Bubonic Plague and Shakespeare – How did the Bubonic Plague affect his life? When were the London outbreaks ? How many died? Family deaths? Theatre closures?
1594    Shakespeare and the Chamberlain’s men and King’s men – When did Will Shakespere act with the Chamberlain’s men and King’s men? Where did they perform?
1596    Shakespeare Coat-of-Arms – What did the family Coat of Arms look like? When was this authorised? What did this mean to the family?
1596    Public plays banned in City of London – Why were the theatres banned from the city of London? Who banned the plays? Where did the Theatres and actors move to?
1596    Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon – Prosperity! Fame! How did he earn his money? How much did he purchase New Place for? What was New Place like? Servants?
1597 – 1598    Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre – How was he involved with the building of the First Globe Theatre? Where was the Globe situated? What was it like? Architecture, Layout?
1601    William Shakespeare and Elizabethan Politics – Was the Stratford Bard involved in Politics? Were actors and playwrights involved in Politics? The Essex Rebellion?
1608    Shakespeare and the Blackfriars Theatre The King’s Men buy the Blackfriars Theatre – Why buy a Playhouse? Audiences? Performances?
1613    Globe Theatre – Fire Fire at the Globe Theatre! What play was being performed? How did the Globe Theatre fire start? What was the damage?
1610 – 1616    William Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon – Why did he retire ? What did he do in Stratford-upon-Avon? Did he write any other plays? Family Scandals?
1616    William Shakespeare Last Will and Testament – When did the Bard make his will? Who were the beneficiaries? His manuscripts? His ‘Second best bed’?
1616    The Death of William Shakespeare – What words are on his tombstone? Where was he buried? Monuments to Shakespeare?

Timeline reprinted from http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/

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Elizabethan Language

“O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?”

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Learn to speak 16th century British English
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“Hello” is an exclamation of surprise, not greeting. You might try “Good Morrow”, “God ye good den.”, “How now?”,
“God save you”, or “Good Day”
Instead of “Good Bye” try “Anon”, “Fare thee well” or “God save thee!”

It’s “Aye” or “Yay” not “Yes.”
Try “Nay” or “Indeed Not” for “No”.

“You” can be either “thee/thou” or even “you/ye”
“You would” or “You should” best heard as “Thou would’st” or “Thou should’st”.

I would “beg your pardon” instead of excusing myself.
In order to get your attention I wouldn’t cry: “Listen”, but I would say “Hark!”
Say “prithee” or “if it please thee” instead of “please”.
A wandering babe would be told to “come hither” not “here.”

“A Salesperson” barks louder as a “Hawker”. Affectionately you might call your grandfather “Gaffer”. A beautiful young woman could be a lusty “wench” or maybe a fair “maiden”. Perhaps your pet name for your boyfriend/girlfriend is “Sweeting”. A doll might be called “poppet”, but so would a child.

Some exclamations:
“Forsooth”
“Verily”
“Alack!”, “Alackaday!”, “Alas!”, “Fie!”, “Out upon it!”, “Go to!”
“I’faith!”, or “Now, by my faith!”
“Marry!”, “‘Zounds (God’s wounds, pron: ZOONDS)”, “Hey-ho!”, “God’s Death!”, “God’s Teeth!”, or “What ho!”

Instead of a bar you would find the local “tavern” to buy some “Ale”.

Some general words to know:

Anon – Later
As you will – Okay, or whatever.
By your leave – Excuse me or please, when in the company of another.
Carouse- Party!
Chide – Scold or nag
Cutpurse- Thief
E’en – Evening or even
E’er – Ever or before
Fie – A curse.
Grammercy – Thank you
Maid or Maiden – A young woman of upstanding virtue
Marry! – An exclaimation of shock
Mayhap – Perhaps. Do not mistakenly say “Mayhaps” – there is no plural form
Morrow – Days or tomorrow.
N’er – Never.
Nonpariel – A beauty
Oft – Often
In Faith – In truth, sometimes just “faith”. A mild exclaimation.
Perchance – Maybe or Possibly.
Poppet – A doll or a young child
Pray pardon me – Excuse me
Pray tell – Please tell me
Prithee – Please, literally “I pray thee”
Privy – Bathroom, or more literally, outhouse
Stay – Stop or wait.
S’wounds! – An exclaimation, like wow. A shortened from “gods wounds”.
Tosspot- Drunkard
Verily – Very, Truly or Truthfully.
Wench – A young woman
Wherefore – Why
Yonder – Over there.

Reprinted from http://www.museangel.net/speak.html

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Shakespeare Insult Kit

Combine one word from each of the three columns below, prefaced with “Thou”:

Example: “Thou artless base-court apple-john!”

Would you like to call someone a bad name in Elizabethan English? Be careful when you use these words, you might get in a fight at tavern.

Column 1	    Column 2            Column 3 

artless             base-court          apple-john
bawdy               bat-fowling         baggage
beslubbering        beef-witted         barnacle
bootless            beetle-headed       bladder
churlish            boil-brained        boar-pig
cockered            clapper-clawed      bugbear
clouted             clay-brained        bum-bailey
craven              common-kissing      canker-blossom
currish             crook-pated         clack-dish
dankish             dismal-dreaming     clotpole
dissembling         dizzy-eyed          coxcomb
droning             doghearted          codpiece
errant              dread-bolted        death-token
fawning             earth-vexing        dewberry
fobbing             elf-skinned         flap-dragon
froward             fat-kidneyed        flax-wench
frothy              fen-sucked          flirt-gill
gleeking            flap-mouthed        foot-licker
goatish             fly-bitten          fustilarian
gorbellied          folly-fallen        giglet
impertinent         fool-born           gudgeon
infectious          full-gorged         haggard
jarring             guts-griping        harpy
loggerheaded        half-faced          hedge-pig
lumpish             hasty-witted        horn-beast
mammering           hedge-born          hugger-mugger
mangled             hell-hated          joithead
mewling             idle-headed         lewdster
paunchy             ill-breeding        lout
pribbling           ill-nurtured        maggot-pie
puking              knotty-pated        malt-worm
puny                milk-livered        mammet
qualling            motley-minded       measle
rank                onion-eyed          minnow
reeky               plume-plucked       miscreant
roguish             pottle-deep         moldwarp
ruttish             pox-marked          mumble-news
saucy               reeling-ripe        nut-hook
spleeny             rough-hewn          pigeon-egg
spongy              rude-growing        pignut
surly               rump-fed            puttock
tottering           shard-borne         pumpion
unmuzzled           sheep-biting        ratsbane
vain                spur-galled         scut
venomed             swag-bellied        skainsmate
villainous          tardy-gaited        strumpet
warped              tickle-brained      varlot
wayward             toad-spotted        vassal
weedy               unchin-snouted      whey-face
yeasty              weather-bitten      wagtail
cullionly           whoreson            knave
fusty               malmsey-nosed       blind-worm
caluminous          rampallian          popinjay
wimpled             lily-livered        scullian
burly-boned         scurvy-valiant      jolt-head
misbegotten         brazen-faced        malcontent
odiferous           unwash'd            devil-monk
poisonous           bunch-back'd        toad
fishified           leaden-footed       rascal
Wart-necked         muddy-mettled       Basket-Cockle
                    pigeon-liver'd
                    scale-sided

Attributed to http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html