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William Shakespeare. A bit about Bill…. When did he live? April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616 Where is he from? Stratford-Upon-Avon Wife and kids? Married to Anne Hathaway & had three children What is significant about his education?
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When did he live? • April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616 • Where is he from? • Stratford-Upon-Avon • Wife and kids? • Married to Anne Hathaway & had three children • What is significant about his education? • Only attended school until about 5th grade; self-educated after that!
What did he write? • 37 plays • 154 Sonnets • Where did he work? • London • Globe Theater • Lord Chamberlain’s Men & The King’s Men
What was the theater like?All male actors; groundlings; daytime shows; moral ills
What is the First Folio? • 1623 publication of Shakespeare’s plays, “True Original Copies,” put together by two of Shakespeare’s acting colleagues. It’s the only reliable source for many of his works.
England in 1590 • Teenagers had to obey their parents’ every whim until they married. • Marriages were commonly arranged by the parents for purposes other than love and affection. • Daughters married young for the most part, often as early as 14 or 15. • A father had a God-given obligation to choose a husband for his daughter who would be able to support her materially and protect her physically. • Wives, just like children, were obliged to obey their husbands.
Shakespeare’s Tragedies • Features a person struggling with his or her existence • Main characters come to an unhappy end • Protagonist is typically of high stature, courageous or virtuous…the ideal • Man aspires for more than he can achieve
The tragic hero has a tragic flaw • Destruction or death results from: • Forces beyond the character’s control (fate or destiny) • Decisions the character makes, especially in haste
Endswith a conclusion in whichorderisrestored • Titles are usually about individuals:
Notes about the play • Shakespeare wrote the play between 1594-1596. • As with most of his plays, R & J is based on an older tale, Arthur Brookes’ Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet (1562) • the play was so popular in its own time that it was published twice during Shakespeare's life (1597 and 1599). • switches between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension
Notes, continued • Use of a ‘chorus’ – for Romeo and Juliet, the chorus serves as a narrator of background information in the prologue and summary of information in later acts. In ancient Greek plays, the chorus often served as a ‘conscience’ of the character. • Bawdy humor - Dealing with sexual matters in a comical way; humorously indecent. (ribaldry) In Romeo and Juliet, bawdy humor is used to ‘offset’ the growing drama and tragedy.