William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature

Shakespeare • 1563-1616 • Stratford-on-Avon, England • wrote 37 plays • about 154 sonnets • started out as an actor

Shakespeare wrote: • Comedies • Histories • Tragedies

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

Dramatic Foil • A character whose purpose is to show off another character.

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

Sophomore Assignment • 2-3 page paper (double spaced) • What are “frenemies”? Are they prevelant today? What is your experience with them? How does “frenemeies” relate to what you know about “Othello”? • Due at the end of class.

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

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

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

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?”

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

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

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

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

If you have not already begun to answer the questions on the worksheet, now might be a good time to start!

William Shakespeare