Shakespeare

1. Shakespeare The Greatest writer in History

2. Shakespeare’s success as a great playwright chiefly rest on the following five aspects: 1) The progressive significance of his themes; 2) His successful character portrayal; 3) His master-hand in constructing plays; 4) The ingenuity of his poetry; 5) His mastery of English language. 2

3. Shakespeare, a Romantic Playwright • The establishment of romantic drama in England was the work of Shakespeare’s immediate predecessors known as the university wits (kyd, Lyly, Greene, Peele, Marlowe, etc). Shakespeare’s plays follow the example set by these men. In other words, he is a romantic dramatist as distinguished from the classical dramatists of ancient Greece and Rome. • The Principles Behind the Ancient Classical Drama • The classical drama of antiquity was supposed to observe the following principles: • It rigidly maintained a unity of subject and tone. As a result, it kept the spheres of tragedy and comedy entirely separate. A tragedy had to be a tragedy from first to last; it had to maintain the proper tragic pitch and no humorous episode was permitted in it. A comedy, on the other hand, had to be a comedy form first to last, and no tragic element was allowed to enter into its composition. • There was little or no dramatic action on the stage. The incidents composing the plot took place off the stage and were reported to the audience in dialogue. • The three unities of time, place, and action controlled the writing of drama. The entire story of a play had to be confined to a single day; the scene of the entire play remained the same throughout; the plot was to be one, and no sub-plots or minor episodes were permitted

4. Main features of the Elizabethan Romantic Drama • The Elizabethan a drama of Shakespeare and his immediate predecessors departed from all the above principles; • Romantic drama makes free use of variety in theme and tone, often mixing tragic and comic scenes in the same play. • Romantic drama, again , is essentially a drama of action, nearly every incident of the play being exhibited on the stage. • Romantic drama violates also the three unities. It allows the story to extend over months, and even years. It changes the scene as often as necessary, sometimes from one town or country to another. It employs sub-plots and besides the central theme • Romantic comedy: as developed by Shakespeare and some of his Elizabethan contemporaries is concerned with a love-affair that involves a beautiful heroine, the course of this love doesn’t run smooth but overcomes all difficulties to end happily.

5. Elizabethan Theatre • The first London theatre was called The Theatre, built in 1576. • The Rose – 1587 • The Swan – 1595 • All were deliberately built outside the City limits, so they were free from the restrictions of City regulations. • Queen Elizabeth I loved the theatre and often held performances of plays at her court.

6. THEATRE: A COMMERCIAL VENTURE • No longer state or church supported • 6 days a week (NO Sundays) • In the afternoon,(2-5)No lights • Changed plays often to keep the people coming • They announced what kind of play was showing with flags: Black-Tragedy,White-comedy, Red-History • One play could be performed up to ten times in a season • New plays in constant demand

7. A show lasted about 2 ½ hours, usually in open air theatres during the afternoon. There were no acts, but frequent intermissions. There was no scenery, but elaborate props and costumes to give reality. Devices such as trap doors and scaffolds were used to make gods, witches, etc. disappear. Shakespeare’s theatreIn Shakespeare’s Time

8. There were no actresses. All parts were played by men or boys. There were no programs. The closeness of stage to the audience led to use of "asides" and "soliloquies“. In front of stage was a big open area where the "penny-public" stood to watch as they could not afford seats. The Stage In Shakespeare’s Time (continued)

9. Elizabethan Theatre • The audience • It was an entertainment for everyone, like movies today. • The cheapest tickets cost a penny, which most ordinary people could afford. • Because of the crowds, theatres were popular with thieves and pickpockets. • People jeered at the actors and shouted out rude remarks • Some even climbed onto the stage and joined in with swordfights. • People also brought food with them to eat during the performance, or to throw at bad actors.

10. Elizabethan Theatre • Shakespeare’s Players • He is thought to have joined the theatre as an actor and become a writer later. • It was normal for actors to help write plays or change them a lot during rehearsal. Actors often specialized in one type of part – tragic hero, clown, etc. There were no actresses. Women’s roles were played by boys. Women did not act on stage until the Restoration. (1660s)

11. THE GLOBE THEATRE • One of the most famous Elizabethan theatres • Surrounded on three sides by seating “galleries” • Shakespeare’s troupe performed here.He was part owner in the theatre • The acting company had about 25 actors, all male • Half of the actors were share holders in the theatre.

12. “The Globe Theatre, also known as the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, was not only one of most famous playhouses of all time, but the play house where Shakespeare performed many of his greatest plays. Built from oak, deal, and stolen playhouse frames, the 3 storey, 3000 capacity Globe Theatre, co-owned by William Shakespeare has become almost as famous as the playwright himself.” THE GLOBE THEATRE

13. TO BE OR NOT TO BE….. • The Globe theatre was burned to the ground in 1613 • Fire started when a prop cannon explode during the first night performance of Henry VIII. • Rebuilt on the same site. • Was Demolished in 1644 when theatres were closed.

14. Elizabethan Theatre • The shape of the theatres derived from the courtyards where plays had been acted. • All Elizabethan theatres followed the same basic plan. • A stage projected into the auditorium, and at the back of it was a balcony which form a part of a house or the battlements of a castle • A trapdoor in the centre of the stage could be used for sudden entries or exists • No stage lighting – actors carried torches if necessary to convey a night-time scene • Little scenery was used: the settings, time and location were indicated by the characters speeches • No female actors-female parts were played by boys • The audience were never far from the action and about ,3000 people from all classes of society could sit in tiers or stand in the ground around the stage • The theatres were open to the sky when the weather was bad, performances had to be postponed • Private theatres were found in the houses of wealthy people and were lit by candles. Unlike the public theatres, they were not subject to any political or moral censorship.

15. The Globe Theater 1599

16. The New Globe Theater 1999

17. Sketch of the Swan Theatre c. 1596

18. Elizabethan Drama & Theater -Essential Facts: • In 1592 The Plague (The Black Death) closed the theaters. • Shakespeare turned for writing poetry-full-length Poems & Sonnets for two years when the theatres were closed. • Theaters reopened in 1594. • In 1596 Shakespeare and other members of the company financed and built The Globe Theater. • In 1599 Shakespeare became one of the partners in TheGlobe. • Chamberlain's Men: Shakespeare’s company of actors during Elizabethan time. • In 1603 Chamberlain's Men changed to king’s Men when the Queen died and king James 1 became the monarch. • In 1608 King’s Men buy The Blackfriars Theatre. Shakespeare became part owner in the theater.

19. In 1613 Fire destroys The Globe. • In 1614 the second Globe was built . • In 1623 ‘ The First Folio’ is published-seven years after Shakespeare’s death by two fellow actors. It includes 18 plays. • In 1632 The Second Folio is published , The Third Folio in 1663 and the last was The Fourth Folio in 1685 .