HOMEWORK TASK 1

CLECV PLUS 2

Homework Task 1

Submission date: See Activities Calendar

Read the general instructions to do Homework Task 1 on page 19 of your Study Guide (Unit
5)

NAME: ___________________________________________________

EXERCISE I (50 pts)

Read the text proposed and answer the multiple-choice questions that follow. Write your
answers in the box provided below.

A sharer’s feast: Shakespeare’s birthday party 398 years on

The twenty-third of April 1564, or a day or two earlier, saw the birth of William Shakespeare,
and on that same day fifty-two years later, also in Stratford, he died. This congruence of dates
lends some credibility to the account given by the local vicar many years later of the way the
playwright spent his final hours:“Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and
it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.”These fellow poet-
playwrights were close members of Shakespeare’s social circle. Drayton is recorded receiving
treatment in the medical diaries of Shakespeare’s son in law, Dr. Hall, and it was Ben Jonson who
composed the leading epitaph on the ‘sweet swan of Avon’ for the complete edition of his plays.
There is good reason, then, to imagine this company toasting Shakespeare’s fifty-second birthday
on or around 23 April 1616.

If we imagine that this party really happened, how would Shakespeare

have related to these fellow dramatists? Oddly, some biographers paint
a dark picture of Shakespeare’s retirement—imagining his alienation,
marital troubles, and even conjuring a diagnosis of syphilis. Beyond the
rather cutting bequest of a ‘second best bed’ to his wife, Anne,
however, there is no basis for such a negative assessment.
Shakespeare was famous: his plays were still in the repertory and more
than half of them (and all of his poems) were also available in print. If
fame was not enough, there was also money. We are used to thinking
of Shakespeare as set apart from his generation by his genius; we are less used, perhaps, to
thinking of him as set apart by his wealth.

Pure talent will only take us far as an explanation for this special position. Jonson was a
great poet, but grumbled that ‘of all his plays he never gained two hundred pounds’. Professional
writers of the age, popular or otherwise, suffered continually from a lack of money. Almost all had
acute financial troubles and even successful playwrights such as Drayton or Jonson left no
substantial wealth at the time of their death. The reason that Shakespeare would have been able
to celebrate his fifty-second birthday in style (and leave a very substantial inheritance afterwards)
can be traced to a decision that he had made twenty-four years earlier.

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CLECV PLUS 2

Unlike any of his contemporaries, Shakespeare had invested in London’s public theatre. In
an age before copyright, this was arguably the smartest financial decision that an artist had ever
made. In the summer of 1594 (already established as a famous poet) he had bought a one-eighth
share in a company of actors, becoming a Fellow in the newly formed Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He
became a joint decision maker at their meetings and a joint owner of their costumes, performance
properties, and plays. Before this time Shakespeare had pitched his plays to multiple acting
companies, getting a fixed fee when he made a sale. Afterwards, as a shareholder, he had a
continuing income from the performance receipts of his plays and those of others. No literary
playwright had ever been in this position. Though Shakespeare must have laid down the equivalent
of around a year’s income to make this investment and made him very rich.

The contrast between Shakespeare’s wealth and that of those who might have joined him
for his birthday party remains oddly under-reported. In 1600—as Shakespeare continued to
acquire land, tithes, and additional property, Jonson was imprisoned for debt. Debtor’s jail was a
common abode for the playwright profession: Chapman, Dekker, and Middleton, to name but
some, suffered the same fate. His position as a shareholder also brought special artistic privileges.
After 1594, Shakespeare wrote for one company and without immediate financial pressure; he
could specify the actors who would perform the roles he created; and he had a long-term stake in
the life of his plays on the stage.

If Shakespeare did toast his birthday with Jonson and Drayton on 23 April 1616 he did so
from a privileged position. Above all, he had the year 1594 to thank for that. He could look out over
what was known as “the Great Garden” of New Place, the owner of other property, including a
residence in the exclusive Blackfriars district of London. Reason enough to hold a ‘merry meeting’
and ‘drink deep’.

Source: http://blog.oup.com/2013/04/shakespeare-birthday-party/

Part A: Choose the right answer

1. According to the text, Shakespeare…

a. had a chaotic life.
b. got married more than once.
c. had been wealthy since he first started writing.

2. The word “alienation” in paragraph 2 is closes in meaning to:

a. isolation
b. incorporation
c. integration

3. The word “them” in paragraph 2 refers to:

a. all his poems
b. his plays
c. his wives

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CLECV PLUS 2

4. In paragraph 3, the word “grumbled” means…

a. complained
b. approved
c. praised

5. According to paragraph 3, why was Shakespeare able to celebrate his 52nd birthday in style?
a. Because he had savings.
b. Because he inherited some money
c. Because he made an important business decision back in time.

Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Part B: Write true or false in the box provided below:

6. Shakespeare’s decision of investing in London’s public theater was considered dull.

7. Shakespeare became a key element of decision making in his performance properties, and
plays.

8. Shakespeare and his contemporaries were all wealthy because of investments they made.

9. As a shareholder he had no privileges.

10. Shakespeare became wealthy because of his playwrights.

Answers
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

EXERCISE II (50 pts)

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CLECV PLUS 2

Match each word or phrase to its meaning. Write your answers in the box below.

1 infant a. showing great knowledge or understanding

2 arbitrary b a line or small fold in your skin
3 confinement c the state of being forced to stay in a closed space
4 facet d to begin to happen or affect something
5 sparse e a personal account of an event
6 wrinkle f to choose or to make a decision about something after think
thinking about it
7 settled on g a baby or very young child
8 creep in h using power without restriction and without considering
other people.
9 profound i a particular part or aspect of something
10 anecdote j only present in small amounts or numbers and often spread
over a large area.

Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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