Shakespeare the Writer

1
Shakespeare the Writer
2
Shakespeare Wrote

• 37 plays
• about 154 sonnets
• a few long poems for which he earned his initial
  fame

3
Stage Celebrity

• Actor for Lord Chamberlains Men and later The
  Kings Men.
• Also, he was the principal playwright for them.
• 1599He co-owned The Globe Theater where his
  plays were performed

4
Shakespeare wrote

• Comedies
• Histories
• Tragedies

5
Comedies

• 4 categories early, middle, romances, and
  tragic comedies
• All the comedies are driven by love
• Each deals differently with problems of illusion,
  mistaken identity, rivalries for love, and the
  war between the sexes.
• In the comedies, love conquers all.

6
Comedies

• Taming of the Shrew
• Much Ado about Nothing
• Midsummer Nights Dream
• Merchant of Venice
• Twelfth Night
• The Tempest

7
Histories

• The background came from the chronicles of
  British history
• Central theme politics and the struggle for
  power
• Common Traits
• Kings are unhappy or tragic
• Kings are faced with treachery
• Rivalries exist between families
• Characters are motivated by ambition and arrogant
  pride
• Because the histories dealt realistically with
  events from the past, these plays were a novelty
  (new) in Shakespeares time
• Shakespeare himself is often credited with
  inventing this type of literature.

8
Histories

• King John
• Richard II
• Richard III
• Henry IV Parts One and Two
• Henry V
• Henry VI
• Henry VIII

9
Tragedies

• Four of Shakespeares tragedies are considered
  his greatest achievements
• Hamlet
• Othello
• Macbeth
• King Lear

10
Tragedies

• Focus on a powerful central character with a
  tragic flaw
• Each finds his humanity and accepts his destiny

11
The End

• Segments of this presentation are from
• http//jc-schools.net/tutorials/Eng9/BrickeyShakes
  peare.ppt
• and
• http//exchange.guhsd.net/details.php?object_id66