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Shakespeare

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.)

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Shakespeare

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  1. Shakespeare

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

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

  4. Stage Celebrity • Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London theater co.) • Also > principal playwright for them • 1599> Lord Ch. Co. built Globe Theater where most of Sh. Play’s were performed

  5. Shakespeare wrote: • Comedies • Histories • Tragedies

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

  7. The Globe Theatre

  8. 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

  9. 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

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

  11. Romeo and Juliet • Written about 1595 • Considered a tragedy • West Side Story (Movie) based on R&J

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

  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 do you suppose that is?

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. Dramatic Foil • A character whose purpose is to show off another character • Benvolio for Tybalt • look for others in R & J

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

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

  19. 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

  20. Soliloquy • Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage. In R & J, Romeo gives a soliloquy after the servant has fled and Paris has died.

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

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

  23. Comic Relief • Use of comedy within literature to provide “relief” from seriousness or sadness. • In R & J, look for moments of comic relief that help “relieve” the tragedy of the situation

  24. Elizabethan Language • Type of speech spoken and written by Shakespeare • Many words now “Extinct” • Many words spelled differently than modern translations

  25. Elizabethan Language

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