1 / 39

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. Stage Celebrity. Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London Theater Co.)

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

  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.) • He was the principal playwright for them • 1599: Lord Ch. Co. built the Globe Theater where most of Shakespeare’s plays were performed

  4. Shakespeare wrote: • Comedies • Histories • Tragedies

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

  6. 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

  7. 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

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

  9. Actors • Only men and boys • Young boys whose voices had not changed played women’s roles • Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage

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

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

  12. QE1 Words (contin.) • Whence: Where • Wilt: Will, will you • Withal: In addition to • Would: Wish

  13. 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?

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

  15. Exposition • The plot usually introduces: • setting • characters • basic situation

  16. Inciting Moment • Often called “initial incident” • the first bit of action that occurs which begins the plot

  17. Rising Action • Action that leads up to the climax • This is where the story gets exciting!

  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 • begins the falling action

  21. Falling Action • This takes place after the climax, but before the resolution

  22. Resolution • The end of the central conflict

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

  24. 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

  25. Theme • Central idea or • Insight about life which explains the downfall

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

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

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

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

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

  31. Monologue • One person speaking on stage (there may be other character on stage, too)

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

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

  34. Pun • Shakespeare loved to use them!!! • Humorous use of a word with two meanings; this is sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and other innuendos

  35. 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?”

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

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

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

  39. Comic Relief • Use of comedy within literature that is NOT comedy to provide “relief” from seriousness or sadness.

More Related