William Shakespeare , Personal Life and Background

                   Personal Life and Background

1. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564.
2. He was baptized on April 26, 1564, at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
3. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover (glove maker) and a trader.
4. His mother, Mary Arden, came from a prosperous farming family.
5. Shakespeare was the third child and the first son of his parents.
6. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the county of Warwickshire, England.
7. The river Avon flows through his hometown.
8. He attended the King’s New School (a local grammar school) in Stratford.
9. He did not attend a university, leading critics to question his learning.
10. At age 18, he married Anne Hathaway in 1582.
11. Anne Hathaway was eight years older than Shakespeare (she was 26).
12. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583, just six months after the wedding.
13. In 1585, they had twins named Hamnet (son) and Judith (daughter).
14. His son Hamnet died at the age of 11 in 1596.
15. Shakespeare left most of his property to his eldest daughter, Susanna.
16. In his will, he famously left his wife his "second-best bed".
17. The years 1585 to 1592 are known as the "Lost Years" of Shakespeare's life.
18. Legend says he fled Stratford to avoid prosecution for poaching deer from Sir Thomas Lucy's estate at Charlecote Park.
19. He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in 1616.
20. His epitaph curses anyone who moves his bones.

Professional Career and Theaters

21. Shakespeare was an actor, playwright, and poet.
22. He was a charter member of the acting company Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
23. In 1603, the company was renamed The King’s Men under King James I.
24. He was a shareholder in the Globe Theatre.
25. The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 using timber from an earlier theater.
26. The Globe was an open-air amphitheater on the south bank of the Thames.
27. A flag was flown atop the Globe to signal that a play was being performed.
28. The Globe had two "trapdoors": one in the floor (hell) and one in the ceiling (heaven).
29. The Globe burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII (also titled All is True).
30. The fire was caused by a theatrical cannon that ignited the thatched roof.
31. The theater was rebuilt in 1614 with a tiled roof.
32. Shakespeare also owned a share in the Blackfriars Theatre, an indoor theater.
33. He is known to have acted in his own plays, such as the Ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It.
34. He also acted in Ben Jonson’s play Every Man in His Humour.
35. He retired to Stratford around 1610–1611.
36. He died on his birthday, April 23, 1616, at the age of 52.
37. He purchased New Place, the second-largest house in Stratford, in 1597.
38. The Theatre, built by James Burbage in 1576, was the first permanent playhouse in London.
39. The Rose and the Swan were other contemporary theaters in London.
40. The acting profession was restricted to men and boys; female roles were played by young boys.

Sonnets and Poetry

41. Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 sonnets.
42. His sonnets were published in 1609 by Thomas Thorpe.
43. Most sonnets follow the English (Shakespearean) form: three quatrains and a final couplet.
44. The standard rhyme scheme of his sonnets is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
45. Sonnets 1–126 are addressed to a young man, often called Mr. W.H. (likely the Earl of Southampton or Pembroke).
46. Sonnets 127–152 are addressed to the Dark Lady.
47. The "Dark Lady" is often identified as Mary Fitton.
48. The last two sonnets (153–154) are addressed to Cupid, the god of love.
49. Sonnet 145 is unique because it is written in iambic tetrameter instead of pentameter.
50. Sonnet 126 is an exception containing only 12 lines.
51. Sonnet 99 is an exception containing 15 lines.
52. Venus and Adonis (1593) was his first published work.
53. Venus and Adonis is a long narrative poem written in Sesta Rima (6-line stanzas).
54. The Rape of Lucrece (1594) is a long narrative poem in Rhyme Royal (7-line stanzas).
55. Both Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton.
56. A Lover’s Complaint was published alongside the sonnets in 1609.
57. The Passionate Pilgrim (1599) was a poetic miscellany published under Shakespeare's name, though not all poems were his.
58. The Phoenix and the Turtle is an allegorical poem about the death of ideal love.
59. Shakespeare wrote poetry during the years 1592–1594 when London theaters were closed due to the plague.
60. He is often called the "Bard of Avon".

The Plays: General Facts and Classifications

61. Shakespeare wrote approximately 37 plays (38 if The Two Noble Kinsmen is included).
62. His works are traditionally divided into Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies.
63. The First Folio (1623) was the first collected edition of his plays.
64. It was compiled by his friends and fellow actors John Heminge and Henry Condell.
65. 36 plays were included in the First Folio.
66. Pericles was the only major play omitted from the First Folio.
67. The Second Folio was published in 1632.
68. The Third Folio (1663–64) and Fourth Folio (1685) followed later.
69. Edward Dowden classified Shakespeare's career into four periods.
70. Period 1 (1588–1594): The Workshop (Early experiments).
71. Period 2 (1594–1600): In the World (Rapid growth and histories).
72. Period 3 (1601–1608): Out of the Depths (Great tragedies and bitter comedies).
73. Period 4 (1608–1612): On the Heights (Romances and tragicomedies).
74. The acronym HOKM refers to the four great tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth.
75. The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare's shortest play.
76. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play.
77. Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Tempest are considered to have original plots not borrowed from other sources.
78. His early history plays include the Henry VI trilogy and Richard III.
79. The Tempest is often considered his "Swan Song" (last solo play).
80. The Two Noble Kinsmen was a collaboration with John Fletcher.

Sources and Settings of Plays

81. Holinshed’s Chronicles was the primary source for his English History plays and Macbeth.
82. Plutarch’s Lives (translated by Thomas North) was the source for his Roman plays.
83. Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus are known as the Roman Plays.
84. Hamlet is set in Denmark (specifically Elsinore).
85. Othello is set in Venice and later Cyprus.
86. Macbeth is set in Scotland.
87. The Merchant of Venice is set in Venice and Belmont.
88. As You Like It is set in the Forest of Arden.
89. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy.
90. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in Athens, Greece.
91. Twelfth Night is set in Illyria.
92. The Comedy of Errors is set in Ephesus.
93. Julius Caesar is set in Rome.
94. Measure for Measure is set in Vienna.
95. The Winter’s Tale is set in Sicily and Bohemia.
96. The Tempest is set on a remote island.
97. Troilus and Cressida is set in Troy during the Trojan War.
98. King Lear is set in Ancient Britain.
99. Two Gentlemen of Verona is set in Verona and Milan.
100. Love’s Labour’s Lost is set in Navarre (Spain).

Famous Clowns and Fools

101. Touchstone is the clown in As You Like It.
102. Feste is the fool in Twelfth Night.
103. The Fool in King Lear provides wisdom and social commentary.
104. Bottom (Nick Bottom) is the comic character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
105. Puck (Robin Goodfellow) is the mischievous sprite in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
106. Dogberry is the bumbling constable in Much Ado About Nothing.
107. Falstaff (Sir John Falstaff) is the famous comic knight in Henry IV, Part 1 & 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
108. Grumio is the servant/clown in The Taming of the Shrew.
109. Launcelot Gobbo is the clown in The Merchant of Venice.
110. Costard is the rustic clown in Love’s Labour’s Lost.
111. Autolycus is the "snapper-up of unconsidered trifles" in The Winter’s Tale.
112. Trinculo is the jester in The Tempest.
113. Thersites is the scurrilous slave in Troilus and Cressida.
114. The Gravediggers provide comic relief in Hamlet.
115. The Porter provides a moment of dark comedy in Macbeth.

Critical Comments and Titles

116. Robert Greene called Shakespeare an "upstart Crow beautified with our feathers" in Groatsworth of Wit (1592).
117. Ben Jonson famously said Shakespeare had "small Latin and less Greek".
118. Ben Jonson also called him the "Sweet Swan of Avon".
119. Jonson remarked that Shakespeare was "not of an age, but for all time".
120. Francis Meres in Palladis Tamia (1598) praised Shakespeare as the best for both comedy and tragedy.
121. John Milton wrote a sonnet "On Shakespeare" (1630) calling him "Dear son of memory, great heir of fame".
122. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "myriad-minded Shakespeare".
123. Matthew Arnold wrote in his sonnet Shakespeare: "Others abide our question. Thou art free".
124. John Dryden praised him as the man who "of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul".
125. T.S. Eliot called Hamlet an "artistic failure" due to the lack of an "objective correlative".
126. Thomas Carlyle called Shakespeare the "Hero as Poet".
127. Alexander Pope edited an edition of Shakespeare’s works in the 18th century.
128. Samuel Johnson wrote the Preface to Shakespeare (1765), defending his violation of the classical unities.
129. Virginia Woolf created a fictional sister for him named Judith Shakespeare in A Room of One's Own.
130. George Bernard Shaw coined the term "Bardolatry" to describe excessive worship of Shakespeare.
131. D.H. Lawrence once stated that reading Shakespeare made him feel "intolerably dull" and "irritated".
132. Voltaire once referred to Shakespeare as a "drunken savage" with some "imagination".
133. W.B. Yeats appreciated the "emotional" depth of Shakespeare’s characters.
134. Harold Bloom famously called Shakespeare the "Inventor of the Human."
135. John Keats praised Shakespeare for his "Negative Capability" 

Key Play Plots and Characters

136. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his procrastination or "indecision".
137. Othello’s tragic flaw is sexual jealousy.
138. King Lear’s tragedy is brought on by his blind pride and lack of judgment.
139. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is vaulting ambition.
140. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan and a magician in The Tempest.
141. Portia is the clever heroine who disguises herself as a lawyer in The Merchant of Venice.
142. Shylock is the Jewish moneylender in The Merchant of Venice who demands a "pound of flesh".
143. Beatrice and Benedick are the witty lovers in Much Ado About Nothing.
144. Viola disguises herself as a page named Cesario in Twelfth Night.
145. Lady Macbeth is often referred to as the "fourth witch" for her influence on Macbeth.
146. The Weird Sisters (three witches) provide the prophecies in Macbeth.
147. Iago is the villain in Othello who manipulates the protagonist.
148. Rosalind disguises herself as Ganymede in As You Like It.
149. Cordelia is the only loyal daughter of King Lear.
150. Caliban is the deformed slave and original inhabitant of the island in The Tempest.

Literary Terms and Techniques

151. Shakespeare primarily wrote in Blank Verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter).
152. A Soliloquy is a speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud alone on stage.
153. An Aside is a short remark made by a character to the audience that other characters on stage do not "hear."
154. Comic Relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with a serious one.
155. A Tragic Hero is a person of high status who falls due to a tragic flaw (Hamartia).
156. Catharsis refers to the emotional purging of the audience through pity and fear.
157. Shakespeare’s History Plays often drew from the 15th-century "War of the Roses."
158. Problem Plays (coined by F.S. Boas) include All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, and Troilus and Cressida.
159. Masques (extravagant courtly entertainment) are featured in late plays like The Tempest.
160. Double Plot is a technique used in plays like King Lear where a subplot mirrors the main plot.

 Exam Quick Facts

161. First Traded Play: Titus Andronicus is considered one of his earliest and most violent tragedies.
162. Total Comedies: Approximately 17–18.
163. Total Histories: Exactly 10.
164. Total Tragedies: Approximately 10–12.
165. Romances: The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, Cymbeline, and Pericles.
166. Collaborations: Besides Fletcher, he likely collaborated with George Peele and Thomas Middleton.
167. The Mermaid Tavern was a famous meeting place for writers like Shakespeare and Jonson.
168. Christopher Marlowe was Shakespeare's most important contemporary and early influence.
169. University Wits: The group of educated playwrights (Greene, Marlowe, etc.) who initially looked down on Shakespeare.
170. Folio Dedication: The First Folio was dedicated to the Earl of Pembroke and the Earl of Montgomery.
171. Shakespeare's Will: Written in March 1616, just a month before his death.
172. New Place Garden: Shakespeare was known for planting a mulberry tree there.
173. St. George’s Day: April 23 is also St. George’s Day, the patron saint of England, linking Shakespeare to national identity.
174. Julian Calendar: Shakespeare was born under the Julian calendar, which was used in England until 1752.
175. Greene’s "Tiger's Heart": Greene parodied a line from Henry VI, Part 3: "Tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide".
176. Globe Fire Outcome: Miraculously, no one was killed in the Globe fire.
177. Dark Period: His "Great Tragedies" period coincided with personal and national turmoil.
178. Comedy of Errors Source: Based on Plautus’s Menaechmi.
179. Hamlet Source: Based on the "Ur-Hamlet" and Saxo Grammaticus.
180. Othello Source: Based on Cinthio’s Hecatommithi.
181. King Lear Source: Based on Holinshed and the older play King Leir.
182. Macbeth Source: Based on Holinshed’s account of King Macbeth.
183. Julius Caesar Source: Plutarch’s Life of Brutus and Life of Caesar.
184. Merchant of Venice Setting: Primarily Venice, a major trading hub.
185. As You Like It Setting: Forest of Arden (named after his mother’s family name).
186. Twelfth Night Title: Refers to the feast of Epiphany, the "twelfth night" of Christmas.
187. Merry Wives of Windsor Legend: Queen Elizabeth I supposedly asked to see Falstaff in love.
188. The King’s Men Patronage: King James I was a personal patron, and they often performed at court.
189. Blackfriars Advantage: Being indoor, it allowed for artificial lighting and performances during winter.
190. Shakespeare’s Signatures: Only six of his original signatures exist, mostly on legal documents.
191. Coat of Arms: His father John was eventually granted a coat of arms with the motto "Non Sans Droict" (Not without right).
192. Globe Capacity: Held roughly 3,000 people.
193. Groundlings: The poor audience members who stood in the "pit" of the Globe for a penny.
194. Gentlemen: Wealthy patrons who sat in the galleries or on the stage itself.
195. Plague Closures: Major closures occurred in 1592–94, 1603, and 1608.
196. Cymbeline: Classified as a tragedy in the First Folio but now considered a romance.
197. Troilus and Cressida: Known for its bitter, cynical tone.
198. All’s Well That Ends Well: A "problem play" where the ending is ambiguous.
199. Measure for Measure: Deals with themes of justice, mercy, and hypocrisy.
200. Final Signature: Shakespeare's signature on his will is one of the few surviving pieces of his handwriting.