Shakespeare Unit Terms

1. Shakespeare Unit Terms Background & Introduction

2. Renaissance – a rebirth Blank verse – unrhymed poetry in iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter – a line of poetry with five stresses per line Aside – talking to the audience (not heard by other characters on stage) Soliloquy – talking to oneself on stage (alone on stage, tells the character’s private thoughts) Conceit – extravagant, fancy ideas Puns – a humorous play on words Wit – a clever remark made with the purpose of being amusing

3. End stop – punctuation at the end of each line of poetry Run on – no punctuation at the end of a line in a poem Sonnet – a poem 14 lines long, usually about love Couplet – two lines in a row that rhyme, usually at the end of a sonnet Simile – a comparison of two different things using LIKE or AS Metaphor – a comparison of two different things stated indirectly Archaic – something that is no longer in use (archaic words)

4. Image from: byrnesenglish12ap.blogspot.com Globe Theater The wooden “O” Flag The Heavens Tiring House Upper stage Galleries Inner Stage Main Stage Open Yard

5. More about Globe Theater • Opened its doors on south side of Thames River in London in 1599 • Octagonal shape (nearly round) • Bare stage, lack of scenery, lack of lighting • Audience could be up to 3,000 people • All social classes attended • Groundlings = stood on ground and paid a penny to get in

6. More about Globe Theater • Stage about 40 feet across and 27 feet deep • Actors close to audience • Three tiers of seating for more prosperous patrons • Flag flew white for comedy, black for tragedy and red for history • Trapdoor in the main stage allowed for rise or descent of witches, ghosts, devils, etc.

7. Ordering Words Around • Shakespeare often used a different word order than we do • We use Subject → Verb → Object • I lost my homework. • Rewrite that sentence four times, changing the word order each time. • Notice, no matter how you write it – the meaning is still the same. • Write your own and try switching the word order.

8. Tips for Tackling the Language • Get the structure • Where does the complete thought end? • Where are the subject & the verb? • Remember: Shakespeare sometimes puts the verb before the subject • Skipping for now • Guessing the meaning • Get the joke • Get the point • What are the key words? What main idea do they express?

9. Getting the Joke – PUNS • Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it, too. • A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named “Ahmal.” The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him “Juan.” Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband reponds, “They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.

10. Romeo & Juliet – essential understandings • Rash decisions can lead to tragedy. • Each person determines how fate may play a role in his or her life. • Prejudices, whether old or new, can interfere with how we react to others. • Passion is an influence on people’s choices. http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MCG/LF119~Romeo-and-Juliet-Posters.jpg

11. Questions to Ponder • What is a rash decision? • How does thinking about possible consequences help us when making a decision? • What is fate? • Does fate truly determine one’s direction in life? • How do our personal prejudices interfere with interactions with others? • How are our personal prejudices a result of our parents’ prejudices? • Where does passion exist in life? • Is passion always good or always bad when making decisions?

12. The Tragic Pattern of Shakespeare • Exposition – mood, conditions, main characters & positions, circumstances & relationships to one another • Complication – begins the conflict that will continue throughout the play • Rising Action – series of events leading up to climax; provides intensity for readers • Climax – turning point of play • Falling action – climax to hero’s death • Catastrophe – hero’s death & resolution