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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Background. Shakespeare wrote and performed his plays in Elizabethan England. The Elizabethan Age, England’s Renaissance, lasted during Elizabeth I’s reign from 1558-1603.

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William Shakespeare

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  1. William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  2. The Background Shakespeare wrote and performed his plays in Elizabethan England. The Elizabethan Age, England’s Renaissance, lasted during Elizabeth I’s reign from 1558-1603. Elizabeth’s father was King Henry VIII, and her mother was Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was beheaded just before Elizabeth turned three years old.

  3. Queen Elizabeth I Click picture to go to video.

  4. Life in Elizabethan England • The Church of England is the official church. • Women are property of their husbands. • It is considered foolish to marry for love. • Children are property of their parents.

  5. Life in Elizabethan England Class system Plays for entertainment All of the actors were men Setting was established through the words in the play, not elaborate backdrops Think About It: Why were plays so popular?

  6. William Shakespeare Born in April 1564 in the English town of Stratford-upon Avon Married to Anne Hathaway at the age of 18, had three children Joined a theatre company called “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” Built The Globe theatre Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and more

  7. William Shakespeare Click picture to go to video.

  8. The Globe Assignment: Re-construct the Globe Theatre Three-story open-air amphitheatre The stage protruded into the crowd Seating was by class Nicknamed “the wooden O”

  9. Shakespeare’s Plays • Shakespeare wrote 37 plays: tragedies, comedies, and histories • He wrote using a combination of blank verse and a type of poetry called iambic pentameter. • He frequently uses couplets– that is a pair of lines that rhyme. • Most of his plays are divided into 5 acts.

  10. Plot Structure

  11. A Midsummer’s Night Dream • Major Themes: Love & Friendship • Midsummer Night was the summer solstice • Elizabethans believed that sprites were especially powerful on this night. • They also believed that flowers gathered on Midsummer Night and could work magic. • The story presents a play within a play.

  12. The Back Story of Theseus & Hippolyta • Shakespeare borrows the characters of Theseus and Hippolyta from Greek mythology. • Theseus, friend of Hercules, had many adventures including surviving the slaying of the Minotaur. • Hippolyta was the Queen of the Amazons, a group of female warriors. • Theseus took Hippolyta as his prisoner, married her, and they had a child together.

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