Shakespeare: Original Plays, Anatopisms, and Key Facts

Shakespeare's Original Plays

According to the textbook, the following Shakespearean plays are considered completely original:

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Love's Labour's Lost
• The Tempest

Anatopism in Shakespeare's Works

What is Anatopism?

Anatopism refers to instances where an author demonstrates misconceptions or provides misinformation regarding the location and geography of a play in relation to real life.

Examples of Anatopism in Shakespeare:

• The Taming of the Shrew: Places a sailmaker in Bergamo, a landlocked city in Italy.
• The Tempest and The Two Gentlemen of Verona: Have Prospero and Valentine set sail from Milan and Verona, respectively, even though both cities are a considerable distance from the sea.

Key Facts and Figures in Shakespeare's World

The Merry Wives of Windsor

• Anne Page's Choice: Anne Page ultimately marries Fenton.
• Suitors of Anne Page: Doctor Caius, Slender, and Fenton all seek to marry Anne Page.
• Brooke: The alter ego of Master Ford.
• The Garter Inn: The name of the inn managed by The Host.

Shakespeare's Theaters

• Blackfriars Theatre: Became the King's Men's theater in 1608. It served as a template for subsequent indoor theaters and was arguably more important to posterity than the Globe.
• The Chamberlain's Men: The acting company for which Shakespeare wrote for most of his career. Later known as the King's Men.
• The Globe: Distinctly designed for theatrical performances, "built by actors for actors."

The First Folio

• First Folio: A large collection of Shakespeare's plays.
• Folio Definition: From the Latin for "leaf," it refers to a book where each sheet has been folded once, creating two leaves or four pages, approximately 15 inches high.
• Assembly of the First Folio: Compiled by Condell and Heminges, using Shakespeare's handwritten drafts and papers.

Sources and Inspirations

• Dido, Queen of Carthage: Directly taken from Virgil's Aeneid.
• King Lear: Inspired by the earlier play King Leir.
• Doctor Faustus (Marlowe): Taken from the German Historia von D. Johann Fausten, with an English translation.
• Romeo and Juliet: Based on Arthur Brooke's poem, "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet."

Other Key Facts

• Gunpowder Plot: A failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.
• Shakespeare's Income: Primarily derived from his share of ownership in his theater company, not from the plays themselves.
• New Place: The second-largest house in Stratford, purchased by Shakespeare after his son Hamnet's death.