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What You Must Know About William Shakespeare

What You Must Know About William Shakespeare. Short Bio. 1564-1616 Wrote 38 plays Wrote 154 sonnets Wrote 5 other poems Married at age 18 to Anne Hathaway, 26 Three children, including a set of twins Cause of Death – unknown. Black Death or Bubonic Plague.

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What You Must Know About William Shakespeare

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  1. What You Must Know About William Shakespeare

  2. Short Bio • 1564-1616 • Wrote 38 plays • Wrote 154 sonnets • Wrote 5 other poems • Married at age 18 to Anne Hathaway, 26 • Three children, including a set of twins • Cause of Death – unknown

  3. Black Death or Bubonic Plague • 1347 A.D. – Year of the notorious outbreak that killed half of Europe • Still around in Shakespeare’s time (1564-1616) • Outbreaks closed the Globe theatre three times during his career

  4. Queen Elizabeth I • 1533-1603 • Ruled England 1553-1603 (when Shakespeare was born) • Only surviving child of Henry VIII (notorious for decapitating his wives) • Never married • England was having religious problems (between Catholics and Protestants) before, during, and after her reign • “Elizabethan” Language

  5. King James I • 1566-1625 • Ruled England when Shakespeare died1603-1625; ruled Scotland almost since birth • 1607 – Jamestown in North America established by the Virginia Company • 1611 – King James Version of the Bible (a new translation)

  6. Shakespearean Comedy • Young lovers marry; old babblers are silenced; wise men are contented • Very much like today’s romantic comedies • A Midsummer Night’s Dream was probably written just before Romeo and Juliet

  7. Shakespearean Tragedy • Loveable protagonist has a character flaw • Because of this flaw, he/she makes a terrible mistake • He/she may or may not realize it • Always ends in death 

  8. A Few Terms You Must Know

  9. Prose • Ordinary spoken expression written without poetic form – no prescribed rhyme or rhythm • Shakespeare uses prose to indicate characters who are lower in class or education than those who speak in blank verse, or to communicate with those of lower class or education

  10. Blank Verse (iambic pentameter) • Unrhymed poetry consisting of 10 syllables per line, with an unstressed-stressed pattern. • Shakespeare uses blank verse to show the education and station of his characters. In some plays, it denotes order and government. When the blank verse ends, there is trouble!

  11. Allusion • An indirect reference to something else that the intended audience should know about. • Shakespeare’s audience was well-informed and knew a lot about history and myths. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, most of the allusions are to Greek and Roman mythology, as well as Northern European folklore – which only makes sense. 

  12. Double Entendre • A word or expression capable of two interpretations • Shakespeare was a master of language, and most of his humor is arrived through double meanings – double entendres. His is the same kind of double-meaning humor that is popular on television today.

  13. That’s It

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