Introduc)on to Shakespeare

Introduc)on to Shakespeare

The Elizabethan Era Refers to the era during Elizabeth I s reign in England Main religions were Protestan)sm (supported by the Royalty, and Catholicism. Elizabeth was kinder to Catholics than her predecessors had been. There was a great deal of poverty during this period The rise of the Bri)sh Empire gets its roots during Elizabeth s reign some point to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 as the turning point.

Queen Elizabeth Ruled from November 17, 1558 un)l her death (44 years) She was known as the Virgin Queen because she never married. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (his second wife).

Shakespeare (1564-1616) Born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23 rd, 1564 Married Anne Hathaway and had 2 daughters Moved to London in 1592 Actor, playwright and owner of The Lord Chamberlain's Men

Career Wrote 37 plays between 1588 and 1613 About 1.5 per year, compared to the one wriven every 3-5 years most playwrights today write. Directed and starred in the plays Wrote 154 sonnets Had a par)al share in his London theater, The Globe

Type of Plays Shakespeare s plays can be categorized into three areas Comedies usually ended with a wedding Different than you and I think of comedy, related closer to our roman)c comedies A Midsummer Night s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest Tragedies Usually ended with the death of the main character (or character s) Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello Histories Mixture of history and historic fic)on Features the heroes and villains of Bri)sh History Henry V (hero), Richard III (villain)

The Globe, London

The rich people would sit in the seats up here. The stage had lots of doors and trapdoors for the actors to come in and out of. Theatres were circular and had no roof. They didn t use scenery, just a bare stage. The stage stuck right out into the audience. Women were not allowed to be actors. Female parts were played by men! Poor people would stand at the front they were called Groundlings.

The Globe, Shakespeare s Theater Constructed in 1599 Large polygonal building, three stories U)lized a thrust type stage backed by a small balcony Performances were conducted during the day, why? Limited scenery used the stage was set by the language of the play Costumes were ogen cast offs of the aristocracy and thus were elaborate All roles were performed by men and boys (no girls in theater) Almost no stage direc)ons were leg by the author and roles were hand wriven for each character, ogen )mes not being finished un)l well ager the rehearsal period had begun

New Words Solidified the English language Dante did the same for Italian Luther and Goethe did the same for German Used nouns as verbs Over 3000 new words critical, aggravate, assassination monumental, castigate, countless Obscene, forefathers, frugal, hurry Majestic, homicide, summit, reliance Coined Phrases

Type of Language Shakespeare wrote in a period of English language known as Early Modern English Spoken un)l the mid to late 17 th century when it transi)ons to Modern English. We speak Modern English, this means we are only one genera)on removed from Shakespearean language.

Personal Pronouns

Verbs Early Modern English Verbs were s)ll conjugated to some capacity. Modern English Early Modern English EME Verb Used by Shakespeare Do Dost Why dost thou smile so? Does Doth How doth thy husband? Did Didst/Didest Thou didst it excellent Thus didest thou. Can Canst Canst thou quake ce Will chill Chill not let go Are Be Be my horses ready? Are Art Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful Have Hast Hast the kind heart he doth.

English Language History Early Modern English developed from its cousin Middle English (Chaucer The Canturbury Tales) Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour,! Old English (Beowulf) wæs se grimma gaést Grendel háten this ghastly demon was named Grendel, maére mearcstapa sé þe móras héold infamous stalker in the marches, he who held the moors,

Sonnet Form A sonnet has 14 lines. A sonnet must be wriven in iambic pentameter A sonnet must follow a specific rhyme scheme, depending on the type of sonnet. A sonnet can be about any subject, though they are ogen about love or nature. A sonnet introduces a problem or ques)on in the beginning, and a resolu)on is offered ager the turn.

Iambic Pentameter A line of Iambic Pentameter is a line with ten beats. An Iamb is two beats, or one foot. Penta is five (line has five feet ). Meter is the rhythm of the poem. A foot is made of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable (in that order). Da dit, da dit, da dit, da dit, da dit

English Sonnet An English Sonnet is also called a Shakespearean Sonnet. It includes three quatrains (groups of four lines) and a couplet (two lines). 14 lines total The rhyme scheme is often abab cdcd efef gg. The turn is either after eight lines or ten lines.

Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Prologue to Romeo and Juliet Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mu)ny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star- cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death- mark'd love, And the con)nuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with pa)ent ears avend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Romeo and Juliet From the prologue, what do we know this play is going to be about? What has been established in these fourteen lines?

Introduc)on to R&J Based on a long narra)ve poem by Arthur Brooke which was published in 1562 Based on an older Italian story Depicts two young members of feuding families falling into an idealized, almost unreal, passionate love. Tragedy what do we know is going to happen to our protagonists?

How it is wriven Shakespeare wrote in 3 different modes Prose: refers to ordinary speech with no regular pavern of accentual rhythm used when verse does not make sense such as long levers, proclama)ons and a character expressing their madness Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter used most ogen and is meant to sound like the best possible version of the English language everyday speech heightened Rhymed Verse: rhymed iambic pentameter (usually in couplets) songs, choral odes, plays within plays, soliloquy, great speeches

Serng " Refers to )me and geographical loca)on. " Shakespeare s plays are interpreted in many different ways in many different loca)ons " According to the script, the Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona and Mantua. " Both found in northern Italy.