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Shakespeare: The Life and Works of a Legendary Playwright

Explore the life and plays of William Shakespeare, from his birth in Stratford-on-Avon to his iconic works performed at the Globe Theatre in London. Discover his influential phrases and contributions to the English language.

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Shakespeare: The Life and Works of a Legendary Playwright

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  1. Shakespeare (1564-1616) • Born in Stratford-on-Avon • Married, 2 daughters • Moved to London • The Chamberlain's Men

  2. Shakespeare’s Major Plays 1599 - Julius Caesar1599-1600 - As You Like It1600-02 - Twelfth Night1600-O1 - Hamlet1597-1601 - The Merry Wives of Windsor1600-O1 - "The Phoenix and the Turtle"1601-02 - Troilus and Cressida1602-04 - All's Well That Ends Well1603-04 - Othello1604 - Measure for Measure1604-09 - Timon of Athens1605-06 - King Lear1605-06 - Macbeth1606-07 - Antony and Cleopatra1607-09 - Coriolanus1608-09 - Pericles1609-1O - Cymbeline161O-1I - The Winter's Tale161I - The Tempest1612-13 - Henry VIII1613 - The Two Noble Kinsmen 1588-93 - The Comedy of Errors1588-92 - Henry VI (three parts)1592-93 - Richard III1592-94 - Titus Andronicus1593-94 - The Taming of the Shrew1593-94 - The Two Gentlemen of Verona1593-94 - "The Rape of Lucrece"1593-1600 - "Sonnets"1588-95 - Love's Labor's Lost1594-96 - Romeo and Juliet1595 - Richard II1594-96 - A Midsummer Night's Dream1590-97 - King John1592 - "Venus and Adonis"1596-97 - The Merchant of Venice1597 - Henry IV (Part I)1597-98 - Henry IV (Part II)1598-1600 - Much Ado About Nothing1598-99 - Henry V

  3. Globe Playhouse, London

  4. 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 • Trap door - ghosts • “Heavens” - angelic beings

  5. The Globe • Many playwrights with nowhere to “play” • Barn turned into theatre (Yeah!) • Puritans burn it down (Evil theatre! Boo!) • Globe built! (Yeah!) • Globe burns (sniff, darn cannon!) • Globe rebuilt! (Yeah!) • Globe burns (Dang that Fire of London!) Reconstructed in the 1990’s

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

  7. Aristocrats • The Queen/King • The Groundlings!

  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. When in a play... • Only men were permitted to perform • Boys or effeminate men were used to play the women • Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset • Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers

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

  11. The Cost of a Show • 1 shilling to stand • 2 shillings to sit in the balcony • 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income • Broadway Today: • $85 Orchestra • $60 Balcony • 10% of a teacher’s weekly salary

  12. Shakespeare • Wrote 37 plays between 1588 and 1613 • About 1.5 per year • Directed and starred in the plays • Wrote 154 sonnets

  13. New Words • Solidified the English language • Dante did the same for Italian • Luther and Goethe did the same for German • Used nouns as verbs • Over 2000 new words • critical, aggravate, assassination • monumental, castigate, countless • Obscene, forefathers, frugal, hurry • Majestic, homicide, summit, reliance • Coined Phrases

  14. "Shakespeare had a huge vocabulary. In the collected editions of his works--the first folio that was published seven years after his death--there are 27,000 different, individual words. In the King James translation of the Bible, which was published twelve years earlier, there are 7,000 words." --Excerpt from Professor Peter Saccio's course "Shakespeare: The Word and The Action"

  15. Shakespeare’s Phrases It’s Greek to me Vanished into thin air Refused to budge an inch Green-eyed jealousy Played fast and loose Tongue-tied Hoodwinked In a pickle Fair play Slept not one wink Stood on ceremony Laughed yourself into stitches Too much of a good thing

  16. Shakespeare’s Phrases If you have seen better days High time The long and short of it Lie low Have your teeth set on edge Without rhyme or reason To give the devil his due If you bid me good riddance and send me packing Dead as a door-nail An eyesore A laughing stock By Jove!

  17. Blank Verse • Most of Shakespeare’s works are written in it • unrhymed verse • iambic (unstressed, stressed) • pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line) • ends up to be 10 syllable lines

  18. 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?

  19. The tragedy of Macbeth • Set in Scotland • Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England) • Queen of Denmark (James’s sister) was visiting • Shakespeare researched The Chronicles - Banquo is an ancestor of King James I

  20. King Duncan of Scotland • Murdered by cousin Macbeth • Honest and good • Malcolm & Donalbain • Sons of the King • Malcolm is the eldest son • Macbeth • Duncan’s most courageous general • Ambition to become king corrupts him causing him to murder Duncan The Characters

  21. Banquo • General and Macbeth’s best friend • Suspects Macbeth in Duncan’s murder • An actual ancestor of King James I • Lady Macbeth • As ambitious as her husband • A dark force behind his evil deeds • Macduff • Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of murdering the king • Macbeth has his family murdered • Swears vengeance

  22. The Curse!

  23. The Scottish Play • It is believed to be bad luck to even squeak the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre • Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production--horribly • MORE ON THAT LATER...

  24. The Tragic Hero

  25. Def. “Man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many” - Aristotle • Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero. However, how could John Proctor also be one?

  26. So what really happens? • Good guy goes bad • Guy wants power • Married to a pushy control freak • She wants power • Kills people- LOTS of people • Gets power • Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy) • Ticks off a lot of people • Want more power! Kill! Kill! • Gets what’s coming to him in the end

  27. Best Line! “Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And is heard of no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” - Act V; s.5

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