William Shakespeare

1. William Shakespeare Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature

2. Shakespeare • 1564-1616 • Stratford-on-Avon, England • wrote 37 plays • about 154 sonnets • started out as an actor

3. Stage Celebrity • Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London theater co.) • Also their principal playwright • 1599> Lord Ch. Co. built Globe Theater where most of Shakespeare’s play’s were performed

4. Shakespeare wrote: • Comedies • Histories • Tragedies

5. Romeo and Juliet • Written about 1595 • Considered a tragedy • West Side Story (Movie) based on R&J

6. The Theater • Plays produced for the general public • Roofless>open air • No artificial lighting • Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries

8. Spectators • Wealthy got benches • “Groundlings” • Poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard called the “pit” • All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate

9. Staging Areas • Stage - platform that extended into the pit • Dressing & storage rooms in galleries behind & above stage • second-level gallery • Trap door>ghosts • “Heavens”> angelic beings

10. Differences • No scenery • Settings > references in dialogue • Elaborate costumes • Plenty of props • Fast-paced, colorful>2 hours!

11. Actors • Only men and boys • Young boys whose voices had not changed play women’s roles • Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage

12. Elizabethan (QE1) Words • An,and: If • Anon: Soon • Aye: Yes • But: Except for • E’en: Even • E’er: Ever

13. QE1 Words (contin.) • Haply: Perhaps • Happy: Fortunate • Hence: Away, from her • Hie: Hurry • Marry: Indeed

14. QE1 Words (contin.) • Whence: Where • Wilt: Will, will you • Withal: In addition to • Would: Wish

15. Blank Verse • Much of R & J is written in it: • unrhymed verse • iambic (unstressed, stressed) • pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line) • ends up to be 10 syllable lines

16. Prose • Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song • Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays • Why do you suppose that is?

17. Tragedy (Shakespearean) • Drama where the central character/s suffer disaster/great misfortune • In many tragedies, downfall results from> • Fate • Character flaw/Fatal flaw • Combination of the two

18. Metaphorical Language • Comparison of unlike things > • Paris standing over the “lifeless body” of Juliet, “Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew…” • “Thou detestable maw…”Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth…” Romeo

19. Dramatic Foil • A character whose purpose is to show off another character • Benvolio for Tybalt • look for others in R & J

20. Monologue • One person speaking on stage > may be other character on stage too • ex > the Prince of Verona commanding the Capulets and Montagues to cease feuding

21. Soliloquy • Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.

22. Aside • Words spoken, usually in an undertone not intended to be heard by all characters

23. Pun • Shakespeare loved to use them!!! • Humorous use of a word with two meanings > sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and sexual innuendo

24. 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?”

25. Dramatic Irony • A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

26. Verbal Irony • Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

27. Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

28. Comic Relief • Use of comedy within literature that is NOT comedy to provide “relief” from seriousness or sadness. • In R & J, look for moments of comic relief that help “relieve” the tragedy of the situation