1 / 49

William Shakespeare

Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature. William Shakespeare. Shakespeare. 1563-1616 Stratford-on-Avon, England wrote 37 plays about 154 sonnets started out as an actor. Stage Celebrity. Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London theater co.)

takoda
Download Presentation

William Shakespeare

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


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

  2. Shakespeare • 1563-1616 • 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 > principal playwright for them • 1599> Lord Ch. Co. built Globe Theater where most of Sh. 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

  7. Spectators • Wealthy got benches • “Groundlings”>poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard (“pit”) • All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate • Much more interaction than today

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

  9. Differences • No scenery • Settings > references in dialogue (Shakespeare had to indicate the dawn by having Horatio in Hamlet say: But look, the morn in russet mantle clad Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastward hill. • Elaborate costumes • Plenty of props • Fast-paced, colorful>2 hours!

  10. 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

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

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

  13. QE1 Words (cont.) • Whence: Where • Wilt: Will, will you • Withal: In addition to • Would: Wish • Thee: You • Thine: You • Thou: you • Thou art : you are • Thou wert: you were • Tis: It is

  14. Blank Verse • Much of Shakespeare’s plays are written in it (to help actors memorize lines): • unrhymed verse • iambic (unstressed, stressed) • pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line) • ends up to be 10 syllable lines

  15. 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?

  16. Plot • The sequence of events in a literary work

  17. Exposition • The plot usually begins with this: • introduces>>>> • setting • characters • basic situation

  18. Conflict • The struggle that develops • man vs. man • man vs. himself • man vs. society • man vs. nature

  19. Crisis • The point where the protagonist’s situation will either get better or worse • protagonist>good guy • antagonist>bad guy

  20. Climax • The turning point of the story>everything begins to unravel from here • Thus begins the falling action

  21. Resolution • The end of the central conflict

  22. Denouement • The final explanation or outcome of the plot • If this is included in literature, it will occur after the resolution.

  23. 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

  24. Theme • Central idea or >> • Insight about life which explain the downfall

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

  26. Round characters • Characters who have many personality traits, like real people.

  27. Flat Characters • One-dimensional, embodying only a single trait • Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

  28. Static Characters • Characters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.

  29. Dynamic Character • Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better.

  30. Protagonist • Is the central character or hero • (usually the one with whom the audience tends to identify)

  31. Antagonist • The principal character in opposition to the protagonist or main character.

  32. 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

  33. Soliloquy • Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage. In R & J, Romeo gives a soliloquy after the servant has fled and Paris has died.

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

  35. 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

  36. 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?”

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

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

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

  40. 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

  41. Allusions • Is an indirect reference to another literary work, famous person, place or event.

  42. Stage Directions • Generally in italics and parentheses, they are a guide to readers explaining how actors should move and speak.

  43. Foreshadowing • A writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events and situations that will occur later in the plot.

  44. Tragic Hero • is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle.

  45. Hyperbole • A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.

  46. Othello • Created from original tale, “Of the Unfaithfulness of Husbands and Wives” (Giraldi Cinthio—16th century Italian writer) No character in literature can: • Touch us more than Desdemona • Shock and disgust us more than Iago • Show courage & dignity, and yet humanly be fooled and show a pushover of bad advice as Othello Underlying messages will continue today to reveal how: • Fathers will dislike whomever their daughters marry • Husbands suspect their wives of cheating • Blacks remember slavery • The ambitious court favor & the jealous work deceit

More Related