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Shakespeare and His Times

Shakespeare and His Times. English 11 Honors. Time Period. Elizabeth the I was the ruling monarch Time of national strength and wealth It was an age of exploration (man and English language) Time period was called the Elizabethan Era or the English Renaissance (1500-1650)

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Shakespeare and His Times

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  1. Shakespeare and His Times English 11 Honors

  2. Time Period • Elizabeth the I was the ruling monarch • Time of national strength and wealth • It was an age of exploration (man and English language) • Time period was called the Elizabethan Era or the English Renaissance (1500-1650) • The most widely enjoyed piece of literature was DRAMA • Humans had potential for development • Medieval Christianity—the world is a preparation for eternal life was questioned

  3. Time Period Continued • Heroes—ideal Elizabethan man was a courtier, adventurer, fencer, poet and conversationalist. He was a witty and eloquent gentleman who examined his own nature and the causes of actions • Marriages were arranged (usually for wealth) • Women had a lower social status than men • People felt that their rulers were God’s agents; to kill a king was a heinous crime; the heavens would show ominous signs when such evil was present.

  4. Features of Shakespeare’s Character and Theme Development • Formal versus informal forms of address You was the formal form of address, and thou was the familiar Queen Gertrude to Hamlet: “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended” Hamlet to Queen Gertrude “Mother, you have my father much offended”

  5. Allusions • Shakespeare uses many allusions to Greek and Roman mythological figures, primarly due to new translations of text, but also because he studied about these concepts at the free grammar school.

  6. Motifs • The Garden—serpent • Hamlet’s desire for death • Images of disease and decay • Meta-drama/Meta-fiction (play within a play)

  7. Dramatic Conventions • Soliloquy-when a character is alone onstage and reveals his/her private thoughts to the audience • Aside—character speaks directly to the audience • Allusion—indirect reference to a familiar person, place or thing (mythology)

  8. Author’s Techniques • Use of the Supernatural • Helps to create mood • Madness (real or pretended) • Discussion of Tragic hero (tragic flaw) • Different from epic hero, usually dies in the end • Internal Conflict • Ghosts, girlfriends and graveyards

  9. Tragic Hero • Aristotle • Man (god, demi-god, hero, high-ranking official) who rises to a high position and then falls usually to his death • Possesses a tragic flaw (hamartia) • Compelled by fate • Hubris is a good example of hamartia • The Elizabethan tragic hero is much more responsible for his own demise than fate is

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