The Authorship Debate

Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare. I'm sick of him and his plays. I wake up in the morning, reciting my Macbeth lines and I've had enough. So tomorrow, I'm performing my Macbeth play, and I would be done with this blog. *PHEW* Eventhough we still have that heavy, heavy booklet that is so difficult to finish in time (speaking from my experience with the TKAM booklet), it still removes some of the Shakespeare that is taking over my brain. But now, I have to write the best blog post I have written in the last 6 weeks, because this is the last chance I get (I'm not promising anything).

So, as you might have already noticed, I couldn't care less if Shakespeare's work was his original work, or someone else has written them. All I know, that the story lines are great, and the language is horrible. However, there are enough conspiracy theories regarding Shakespeare's work.

There are three different ideas as to what's happening/happened:

1. The William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon and the William Shakespeare working in London were two separate people and that they were falsely connected by historians. If this is really what happened, then it's really disappointing -.-
2. Someone called William Shakespeare did work at 'The Globe Theatre', but did not write the plays. Shakespeare was putting his name to plays given to him by someone else.
3. William Shakespeare was a pen name for another writer or a group of writers

There are many reasons as to why people think that it's not Shakespeare who wrote these famous plays:

• He did not have university education to write with such knowledge and skill about the classics, how can a non-educated person write such "touching" plays - although he might have been introduced to it when he was in school in Stratford-upon-Avon
• There is no record of him going to Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar school, (only available school in that area at that time) so he couldn't have learnt about the classics when he was at school  - however, school records were not kept at that time.
• When Shakespeare died, none of his contemporary writers made tribute to him, that's proof that he's not the one who wrote these plays - although references were made during his lifetime

The other possible authors:

Christopher Marlowe

• Christopher Marlowe: He was born the same year as Shakespeare, but died around the same time when Shakespeare started writing his plays. Christopher was the world's best playwright, until Shakespeare came along. So theory is, Christopher didn't really die, and started writing under a different name. Apparently, there is evidence that Christopher was working as a government spy, so maybe his death (stabbed in a tavern) had been choreographed.

• Edward de Vere: Many of Shakespeare's plots were very similar to Edward's real life experiences and encounters. He was educated enough to write these plays, however, their political standing at that time might have ruined his social standing, so maybe he needed to write under pseudonym (A fake name used by writers to hide their real identity)

Edward de Vere

• Sir Francis Bacon: This is a really weak theory that barely has any evidence. The theory is, he was the only man intelligent enough to write these plays, however there is no reason why he would write under a pseudonym.

Doesn't that ruin everything you've read/found out/seen about Shakespeare? It's like the 6 weeks of writing about him has been all lies. I feel like I don't know Shakespeare anymore. Especially after reading the theory about Christopher Marlowe. I mean, he could be a TOTALLY different person, but we can't know. This is not something I could Google and find 1 answer straight away, and now it's going to keep bugging me, and I can never know the answer. This just messed up everything in my head, and it's NOT COOL. It's not that I think it's not fair, all the credit is going to Shakespeare when someone else might have written these plays, or that historians couldn't do their jobs and find out who the author really is.

Sir Francis Bacon

It's just that I'm a very curious person and I might not forget about this for another 2 weeks.

So, if you don't feel the same way as I do right now, maybe you could watch this video.

So, to end this post, I might say that this is definitely not the best blog post I have written. I'm sorry if I bored you with my ranting, but good bye for now! No more new posts every Saturday from me :)

Relevant today?

Is Shakespeare still relevant today? I said yes when I first read the question, because it just made sense, then I disagreed with myself and said no, then I thought about it some more, and decided yes again. It was all very confusing, until I decided to research it and get another opinion.

The first search result was: Five reasons why Shakespeare is still relevant. BUUUT... their points didn't seem to convince me. So I decided to go PAST the first few search results. Finally, I've painfully decided that yes, he is still relevant today.

Shakespeare taught at schools

Firstly, his work is as/even more popular than they ever were, which means many people are interested and entertained by his work. And people have every right to be interested, I mean, they contain a lot of violence (which exists today), strong feelings written with the most expressive words and language (which we can all relate to), and very memorable characters (whether they were EXTREMELY annoying, or extraordinarily lovable). We can all relate to his work somehow, even if it's just one line from one of his plays.

Secondly, Shakespeare lived in a time of social ambiguity, very similar to ours. His plays can reach out better to modern audiences, bewildered by change and violence than to the people of his times who had no clue as to why Shakespeare was writing about changes, deception and senseless violence.

IN THE END, as much as I don't want to admit it, because I hate Shakespeare and I find his work very boring. However, the messages he sends through those plays are genius, and it can relate to the time we live in today, whether it's us personally, or the issues occurring around the world. So yes, I'm concluding that he is still relevant today, as schools all around the world teach high school students about his work. His plays are classics in English literature for their expressive language and dramatic structure. His plays offer actors some of the greatest roles, look at Romeo and Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio). Movies based on Shakespeare plays tend to do well at the modern box office.

Also, have you ever thought of words or quotes you use now that Shakespeare has made up? I know you're probably saying no way, because we don't use words like thou, and i'the. But, there are lots of famous quotes that we say today that Shakespeare made up. I was surprised too, but I was even more surprised to see that some of the MOST USED sentences/words are his. Did you know:

• Knock-knock jokes were based off him?
•  Also,when people say, fight fire with fire, which means to use the same method as another person did to get revenge? (King John) You can read more about the origin of that saying here
• For goodness' sake. 

Have a look at the picture I've found (right). It's actually very surprising, but also VERY interesting.

Shakespeare in the media

I'm sitting here, what exactly is meant by 'Shakespeare in the media'? I spent about 10 minutes researching this topic, and I've spent 15 minutes procrastinating. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to talk about Shakespeare in the media then, back when he lived, or Shakespeare in the media now, so I'm going to try and talk about Shakespeare in the media now.

Movies, raps (tune in, I have a hilarious one), short films, reenacted plays, podcasts, blogs... Those are a few ways that Shakespeare and his plays are being represented today.
There are movies being made that are Shakespeare adapted, such as:

• Coriolanus (2011)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
• The Tempest (2010)

Raps:

Usually, I die of embarrassment on someone else's behalf (the person embarrassing themself) so, I wouldn't say DIED for this rap, I would say.. um.. forced myself to watch till the end, not because it wasn't good, in fact it was really well done, I just wanted to pause it, because I feel like if I stopped it, I would've saved them from the embarrassment they put themselves in. I don't know if that makes sense. Hopefully some of you must know what I'm talking about.

But I think they've done a really good job as a school project, so here is a rap done by students summarizing Macbeth.

As for BLOGSSS, isn't this a perfect example? And all the other people in my class who are spending their Fridays and Saturdays writing a blog about Shakespeare?

These are a few examples of how Shakespeare is used in the media today. Using these methods, I think students all around the world, and even (maybe) adults wanting to learn about Shakespeare find it more appealing. I think relating Shakespeare's genius yet BORING work with modern trends makes it more relatable and fun. (and sometimes embarrassing)

Shakespeare's plays

Let me start by being honest. Shakespeare's plays are B.O.R.I.N.G. Don't get me wrong, they have good storylines... but the way they've been told, or written or whatever, it just bores me to tears. It makes me want to go to sleep. Okay, ending opinion.

There are a lot of well-known and famous Shakespeare plays, such as: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. Then, there are others like: Othello, King Lear, As You Like It and 31 others. However, very few people actually know the stories of the famous plays. To me, Hamlet could be a really boring story about a really small village. Romeo and Juliet, it's known as the best love story written - little do people know it results in death and stuff. I honestly STILL don't know what that play is exactly about, so excuse me if I'm wrong. As for Macbeth, I had NO idea what it was about until I watched an episode of The Simpsons about it. Actually, the only thing that episode taught me, was that it was actually bad luck to say the play's name out loud.

The Simpsons doing Macbeth

I'm not going to go ahead and name ALL the THIRTY-SEVEN plays Shakespeare wrote, and explain briefly what each one is about. So, I'm going to put some "famous" quotes of some of his plays.

• My salad days, when I was green in judgement.
  Antony and Cleopatra
• If music be the food of love, play on.
  Twelfth Night
• By that sin fell the angels.
  Henry VIII

Most, if not all of Shakespeare's plays have been turned into movies.

• Hamlet
• As You Like It
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Othello
• Romeo and Juliet
• Henry V
• Richard III
• King Lear
• Macbeth *SHH*
• Twelfth Night
• Julius Caesar
• The Merchant Of Venice
• By the way guys, if you're still 
• reading this list one by one,
• I congratulate you, and thank you!

These movies can still be boring, but they make the plays a bit more... (I had a word, but I can't think of it right now, so I'll use another one)... interesting. These movies make the plays a bit more understandable, even if you still have no clue what they're saying, at least you can SEE what's happening, instead of reading the plays and assume someone is killing someone else.

References and Websites used:

You can watch The Simpsons' Macbeth episode online here.

• http://www.1728.org/page10.htm
• http://mrsburnham.wordpress.com/english/english-11/macbeth/ 

Elizabethan Theatre

"The English Elizabethan Era is one of the most fascinating periods in the History of England." "The history of the theater is amazing." I'm just going to leave that there for a while.

The Elizabethan theatre was as popular as cinemas and movies in the early 20th century. A lot of money could be made off of it. However, there are many differences between the Elizabethan Theatre and the Modern Theatre.

Elizabethan Theatre

• Acting was not a highly paid or highly respected profession.  Actors were seen as troublemakers who promoted hard living and sin.
• In the 16th century, actors traveled from town to town on a cart, looking for audiences to pay to watch them perform.
• Women were not allowed to act until after 1660, due to acting being not a respected profession. Therefore, teenage boys who hadn't gone through puberty would play the roles of women.
• The most expensive seats in a theater were the in the top row of the theater, farthest from the audience.  The cheap seats were directly in front of the stage. Rich people would want to have the most segregated and exclusive seats in the theater, away from the rowdy, poor people.
• People expected to see a new play everyday in theaters. 

Researching this, I've noticed that this is the TOTAL opposite of theatre/acting today. Let me briefly explain how the theatre works today.

Modern Theatre

• Acting is a very highly paid profession that many people respect and appreciate. (If this doesn't prove how different modern theatre is than Elizabethan theatre , then I don't know what will... But I'll keep going!)
• Theater houses are set up in a permanent location. They often stay open for decades and become part of a community.
• Both men and women are allowed to act on stage or in movies.  Men and women may also play opposite gender roles.
• Going to the theater is considered to be a sophisticated and elegant affair.
•  The most expensive seats in a modern theater are directly in front of the stage. The cheapest seats are in the back of the theater because they have the worst view of the stage.

And that's how much the theatre changed from the Elizabethan era to the Modern era. I think, in my opinion that we've stooped so low. Think about it, in the Elizabethan era, acting was considered not to be a very respectable job. Now, it's one of the most respected occupations and that's how most people become famous. Some people might disagree with me, and say that we've improved and moved on from these times, but to me, I think that the job that wasn't respected and paid very low, became a highly respected, highly paid job. I'll give you a minute.

Since this is a blog all about Shakespeare, then I have to answer this question: How does all this relate to Shakespeare?

The Globe Theatre

The Globe theatre is one of the most famous theatres in the Elizabethan era. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company. The Globe was owned by actors who were also shareholders in Lord Chamberlain's men (playing company whom Shakespeare wrote for most of his career). Two of the six Globe shareholders owned 25% each; the other four men, Shakespeare, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, and Thomas Pope, owned 12.5% each.

Now, let's refer back to what I quoted in the beginning. "The English Elizabethan Era is one of the most fascinating periods in the History of England." "The history of the theater is amazing."

I'm going to be honest here, I thought this topic was going to be really boring, and I would lose interest really quickly, but I've actually learnt a few things, and I found this quite interesting. So, I'm going to have to agree with whoever said these quotes.

If you want to go into more detail, watch this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfM0RFZ5cs

Websites used:

• https://sites.google.com/site/shakespearefunfact/elizabethan-theater
• http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-theatre.htm

Who was Shakespeare?

His Life:

Almost everything about Shakespeare is not very reliable; a lot of information about him is actually guessed and estimated. We're not sure about his birthday as it was guessed, and his face will remain a mystery. However, most people today consider Shakespeare a very influential dramatist. In fact, no one equaled his ability to construct a story by writing dramatic and poetic means.

Shakespeare was born in 1564, the exact date is unknown. He was the third child and first son of John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. It is said the he most likely attended the Local Grammar School. In 1582, at the age of eighteen, he got married to Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. One year later (1583), they had their first child, Susanna. Then, two years later (1585), they had twins; Hamnet and Judith.

 Shakespeare achieved some success as an actor, poet and a playwright a few years after his family moved to London in 1588. The Sonnets especially started his reputation as a gifted and popular poet, however, the 38 plays he wrote or worked with someone else on, established his reputation as the greatest dramatist who ever lived. In 1594, Shakespeare became a licensed member of a theatrical company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He first worked in theatres owned by James Burbage. Later, in 1598 Burbage moved to Bankside, and built the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare profited from the success of being a partner in the Globe. 

After 1608 Shakespeare's creative work decreased and he returned to Stratford. He settled and raised his family in one of the town's finest homes and became a well-known local citizen. Eight years later (1616), he died 52 years old. He was buried in the chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford. His tomb's elegy was written by him: 

“Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones
And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

His works:

Shakespeare's work is generally separated into four major periods:

1. His early plays (1589-95) were experimental. They include history plays, an admired genre of the period of medieval tragedies played out in detail with blood, and a range of comedies.
2. Shakespeare's second period (to 1600) had important plays dealing with English history, his comedies and two major catastrophes. His technique became distinct and recognized as he began to combine elements of tragic events and comic representations.
3. Great tragedies were written during the third period (to 1608) of Shakespeare's career. These include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. He also wrote thoughtful and bitter comedies during this time.
4. During his fourth period (to 1613) Shakespeare wrote his basic romantic tragicomedies including The Tempest, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most beautiful play.