William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

• The Man, His Writing Style, His Theater
• Oh, and Romeo Juliet, too

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I. A little about Will

• Born April 23, 1564 (we think)
• Lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, a small town NW of
  London
• Attended school, studied Latin and literature
• Married Anne Hathaway at age 18 (she was 26)
• Daughter born in 1583, twins (one of each) born
  in 1585

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More about Will

• Was successful playwright in London by 1592
• Wrote 37 plays
• Romeo and Juliet written in 1594
• Owned part of the Globe Theater and The Kings
  Men acting troupe
• Died April 23, 1616 (his birthday)
• Buried in Holy Trinity Church

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Shakespeares Grave
The slab over his grave reads Good Friend, for
Jesus sake forbearTo dig the dust enclosed
hereBlessed be the man that spares these
stones,And curst be he that moves my bones.
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So why do we bother reading him?

• Huge contribution to the English language
• His vocabulary was 30,000 words (average person
  is 15,000 words)
• 1/10 of the words he used had never been used
  before this means he gave us 3,000 words!
• Popular culture his plays are constantly turned
  into movies
• Universal themes rich characters that still
  work today

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So what are some words he gave us?
academe accused addiction advertising amazement
arouse assassination backing bandit bedroom
beached besmirch birthplace blanket bloodstained
barefaced blushing bet bump buzzer
caked cater champion circumstantial cold-blooded
compromise courtship countless Critical dauntless
dawn deafening discontent dishearten drugged
dwindle epileptic equivocal elbow excitement
exposure eyeball fashionable fixture flawed
frugal generous gloomy gossip green-eyed
gust hint hobnob hurried impede
laughable lonely lower luggage lustrous
madcap majestic marketable metamorphize mimic
monumental moonbeam mountaineer negotiate noiseless
obscene obsequiously ode olympian outbreak
panders pedant premeditated puking radiance
rant remorseless savagery scuffle secure
skim milk submerge summit swagger torture
tranquil undress unreal varied vaulting
worthless zany      


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Quoting Shakespeare

• If youve ever said any of the following, you
  speak Shakespeare already
• Forever and a day (As You Like It)
• Flesh and blood, make your hair stand on end
  (Hamlet)
• The devil incarnate (Henry V)
• Dead as a doornail (Henry VI)
• Charmed life (Macbeth)
• All that glitters is not gold (Merchant of
  Venice)

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The Epic Poems

• We know Shakespeare wrote two
• The Rape of Lucrece
• Venus and Adonis
• Others exist, but their authorship is in question

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The Sonnets

• He wrote 154 of these
• No titles identified by number or the first line
  
• Sonnets were THE way to express your love to your
  girl young men also wrote them to entertain each
  other.

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The Plays

• Histories
• Plays about historical events
• Richard II, Henry VIII
• Comedies
• Plays that have happy endings
• Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It
• Tragedies
• Plays that have unhappy endings
• Macbeth, Julius Caesar

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Tragedy

• Drama where the central character/s suffer
  disaster or great misfortune
• Downfall may be the result of
• Fate
• Fatal character flaw
• A combo of the two

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II. Writing Style

• The Sonnets
• Follow very strict form
• Fourteen lines
• Three quatrains
• One couplet
• Iambic pentameter
• Rhyme Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

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Iambic Pentameter

• One unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
  syllable
• Iamb U / such as pretend, annoy
• When a line has 5 iambs, it is in iambic
  pentameter
• Penta 5 meter rhythmic unit
• But SOFT what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS?

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The Sonnets

• Three quatrains
• Qua 4, so three groups of four lines each
• Main idea introduced and expanded
• Couplet
• Two, a couple of lines
• Signals a turn in the meaning of the poem

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Sonnet 18

• Look at rhyme scheme
• Watch the main idea develop
• The turn (couplet) at the end

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Romeo Juliet

• Written in blank verse
• Unrhymed iambic pentameter
• Parts are written in prose
• Ordinary writing that is not poetry or song
• Characters of the lower social classes spoke in
  prose in Shakespeares plays
• Why do you suppose that is?

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Why is it so hard to read?

• Gigantic vocabulary
• Weird syntax (word order)
• We say The cow jumped over the moon.
• He says Over the moon jumped the cow.
• We say Why do you call for a sword?
• He says Why call you for a sword?
• Words change in meaning over time
• Soft used to mean wait a minute
• Nice used to mean stupid

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III. His Theater The Globe

• Opened in 1599
• Cost 2 pennies to sit on a wooden bench, 1 penny
  to stand on ground in the pit
• Plays produced for the general public
• Roofless, open air theater with no restrooms

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Theater Design

• A flag would fly to signify performances
• Stage was raised so audience members could not
  join in fight/battle scenes
• Trap door in bottom of stage characters from
  hell.
• Second level gallery, upper stage (balcony scene
  in RJ)

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The Globe
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Much Different from Today!

• Plays could only be presented during daylight
  hours no lighting!
• No scenery
• Very elaborate costumes
• Male actors only even for female roles
• Audience members were active yelling, throwing
  food on stage, etc.

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The Globes History

• Burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry
  VIII when a cannon fired and ignited the thatch
  roof. It was burned to the ground in an hour.
• Was rebuilt with a tile roof.
• The Puritans closed all theaters in 1642
• Globe was torn down in 1644.
• Has been rebuilt in London and you can see
  performances there today.

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Acting Profession

• Repertory theater
• Several plays running at the same time
• Actors had to know more than one part
• Several skills required
• Singing
• Playing instruments
• Dancing
• Fencing

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Theater Terminology

• Pit uncovered courtyard in front of the stage
• Groundlings people who paid 1 penny to stand in
  the pit and watch the play
• Galleries areas of seating for wealthy
• Tiring House area behind stage used for
  dressing rooms and storage

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IV. Romeo and Juliet

• One of Shakespeares most popular plays, along
  with Hamlet and Richard III
• Story came from a poem by Arthur Brooke titled
  The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet
• First published in 1562, two years before
  Shakespeares birth
• Reprinted in 1587

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Romeo Juliet

• Story also from Greek mythology Pyramus and
  Thisbe
• they would have married, but their parents
  forbade it (Humphries 83).
• they would fool their guardianscome outdoors,
  run away from home, and even leave the city
  (83).
• A lion scares Thisbe off and she drops her veil.
  Pyramus, seeing the bloody veil, kills himself
  thinking Thisbe is dead.
• So Thisbe fell forward on the blade, still warm
  and reeking with her lovers blood (86).

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Romeo Juliet

• Explores the effects of fate, secrecy, revenge,
  tragedy and love at first sight
• THEMES (insight about life or human nature)
• There are forces in life over which people have
  no control (fate)
• Even well intended deceptions and secrets can be
  destructive
• Revenge can destroy the avenger and victim

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Dramatic Terms

• You will need to know the following terms before
  we begin our study of the play
• Flat character, comic relief, dramatic foil,
  pun, metaphorical language, dramatic irony,
  situational irony, verbal irony, direct address,
  aside, soliloquy, monologue.

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Flat Character

• One dimensional, embodying a single trait
• Often used by Shakespeare in a tragedy to provide
  comic relief

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Comic Relief

• Use of comedy in literature that is NOT comedy to
  provide relief from the seriousness or sadness
  of the story.
• Creates an emotional rollercoaster that deepens
  tragic feelings in audience

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Dramatic Foil

• A character whose traits contrast with and
  highlight those of another character
• Benvolio to Tybalt
• Look for other examples in the play

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Puns

• Humorous use of a word with two meanings
• Shakespeare loved to use these but we often miss
  them due to the Elizabethan language.

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Metaphorical Language

• Comparison of two unlike things to describe one
  of those things
• Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I
  strew Paris standing over Juliets lifeless
  body

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Dramatic Irony

• A contradiction between what a character thinks
  and what the reader/audience knows to be true
• We know Juliet is not really dead
• Romeo believes she is really dead
• Dramatic irony is created when he sees her in the
  tomb and kills himself

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Situational Irony

• An event occurs that directly contradicts the
  expectations of the character, reader or audience
  
• For example, a fire house burning down
• RJ do end up together forever, just not alive

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Verbal Irony

• Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is
  meant
• In the Prologue the families are described as
  Alike in dignity but we soon realize they do
  not behave with dignity thus, they are similarly
  undignified

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Direct Address

• Words that tell the reader who is being addressed
  
• A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
• Ah, my mistresses, which of you all/Will now
  deny to dance?

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Aside

• Words spoken in an undertone, not intended to be
  heard by all characters
• Used to let the audience in on the characters
  thoughts in the moment

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Monologue

• One person speaking on stage, others may be
  present as well
• Lengthy speech
• Mercutios Queen Mab speech
• Prince of Verona commanding the families to cease
  feuding

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Soliloquy

• Long speech expressing thoughts of a character
• That character is alone on stage

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The End!

• Keep these notes in your RJ folder (formerly
  your short story unit folder!)

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Quiz Time!

• Grab the CPS clicker assigned to you.
• Click in your answers for the following
  questions.
• Yes, this is for a grade! ?

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1. Shakespeare was born in the United States.

1. True
2. False

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2. Shakespeare was a playwright, actor and poet.

1. True
2. False

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3. Shakespeare lived during the 1700s.

1. True
2. False

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4. Many women acted in Shakespeares plays.

1. True
2. False

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5. Avon is the name of a river.

1. True
2. False

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6. Queen Elizabeth I ruled during Shakespeares
lifetime.

1. True
2. False

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7. Shakespeare wrote plays only for the noble and
rich.

1. True
2. False

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8. Blank verse has a rhyme scheme.

1. True
2. False

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9. Shakespeare died on his birthday.

1. True
2. False

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10. A line of iambic pentameter has five
syllables.

1. True
2. False

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Shakespeare was part owner of the ________
Theater.

1. Kings Men
2. Globe
3. Elizabethan

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People that paid a penny to stand and watch the
plays were called

1. peasants
2. troupes
3. groundlings

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Which of the following is NOT a Shakespeare play?

1. Marc Antony
2. Richard II
3. Taming of the Shrew

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Shakespeare married ________ in 1582.

1. His cousin
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Anne Shakespeare

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How many plays did Shakespeare write?

1. 15
2. 37
3. 137

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Shakespeare died in ________.

1. 1616
2. 1516
3. 1656

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Shakespeare wrote in

1. Option 1
2. Option 2
3. Option 3