Romeo and Juliet (an easy to follow introduction to Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet)

Romeo and Juliet(an easy to follow introduction to Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet)

Shakespeare Background • Wrote in bars and pubs because: • Free light from candles • Cheap food • Inspiration

Globe Theater • Nicknamed “The Wooden O” • Pennystinkers/ Lower Class • First level– closest to the stage • Middle Class • At the bottom, on the benches behind the Pennystinkers • Royalty/ Clergy • Upper two levels, away from Pennystinkers

Levels of Shakespearean Writing • Sex/ love/ magic/ innuendo– Lowest or basest level. For the uneducated. • Plot– for the middle class & those that want to know first and foremost what happens. • Poetic Language– Reserved for the educated, usually the clergy or royalty. • Universal Truths– Reserved for those that think and are educated. (Critics, clergy, and/or royalty)

Types of Writings • Shakespeare wrote • Sonnets • Three types of plays • Histories • Tragedies • Comedies

Sonnets • 14 lines long • Written in iambic pentameter • 3 quatrains • 1 couplet • Usually about love • Written to the “Dark Lady” • Could be an older female lover • Could be a young royal

Histories • Tell the history of the kings of England • Boring for American students • Often ignored

Tragedies Five Elements • Very Important People • (e.g., kings, princes, movers and shakers in Renaissance society) • Very Important Things • (e.g., wars, coronations, marriages, battles as the story begins) • Tragic hero with a tragic flaw • Tragic flaw– A personality defect that will cause the protagonist’s downfall. • Magic or fantasy • (e.g., ghosts, magical storms, witches, or witchcraft) • Hero dies

Comedies Five elements: • End well and not necessarily funny • Usually end in at least one marriage • Bestiality • Confused gender/ identity • Magic or fairy involvement

Poetry Terms • Monologue– One person speaking on stage • E.g., Antony’s speech to the plebeians about Caesar • Soliloquy– A long speech wherein a character tells his innermost thoughts and feelings. • e.g., Antony speaks aloud to himself after he shakes all the conspirators’ hands and tells of his plans for vengeance. • Aside– One person telling the audience something in a short statement. • Tragic flaw– A personality trait that leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a Shakespearean tragedy. • Brutus is gullible and trusts the wrong people.

Well-known Facts about Will Great writer of England Plays translated into all languages, musicals, ballets Born Stratford-upon-Avon Well-to-do, affluent while alive Most quoted, other than the Bible

Lesser-known Facts Teen father: married pregnant 26 year old Anne Hathaway when he was 18 Deadbeat dad: Left wife and children for London stage career Father of twins Elizabethan rapper: uses rhythm and rhyme “Plagiarism” ?

The Competition Bear-baiting Races Gambling Music Drinking/socializing Prostitution Public executions

Conditions in London-BAD! Thames River polluted with raw sewage Trees used up for fuel Poverty

Personal hygiene/health Bathing considered dangerous Body odor strong Childhood diseases Children often died before 5 years Small Pox Bubonic Plague

Living Conditions No running water Chamber Pots Open Sewers Crowded

Clothes One set used all year long, rarely washed Underclothing slept in, infrequently changed Clothes handed down from rich to poor

Theater in London Performed in courtyards of inns The Theater-first public theater-1576 Daytime/open air Limited set design Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description

The Globe Built in 1599 Across the Thames- “Wrong side of town” King’s Players - Shakespeare’s company Penny admission

Actors All men Female parts played by young boys No actual kissing or hugging on stage

The groundling Poor audience member Stood around stage in “the pit” Women not allowed (had to dress up as men to attend) Threw rotten vegetables at bad performances

“Romeo and Juliet” Tragedy Written in 1595 Set in Verona, Italy Themes: parental control/rebellious teens; fate/freewill; impulsive behavior/self-control

Play’s source Borrowed from a poem by Brooke-1562 Poem found in French translation by Brooke Shakespeare gave story new life and beauty

The Renaissance 1500-1650 “Rebirth” of arts, culture, science Discovery of “New World” Copernicus: Sun-centered Universe (1543) King Henry VIII = renaissance man (ideal) Reformation of Catholic Church

Romeo and Juliet (an easy to follow introduction to Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet)