Introduction to the Literature of William Shakespeare

The Life & Times of William Shakespeare

Introduction to the Literature of William ShakespeareThe Worlds Greatest Storyteller1 We do not understand Shakespeare from a single reading, and certainly not from a single play. There is a relation between the various plays of Shakespeare, taken in order; and it is work of years to venture even one individual interpretation of the pattern in Shakespeares carpet. T. S. Elliot, Dante, 1929

2Shakespeares Life (1564- 1616)Early LifeBorn in Stratford, England to John Shakespeare and Mary ArdenFather was a glove makerGrammar school still in use todaySaw a traveling acting show at the age of 4

3Shakespeares Life, Cont.Later LifeMarried Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 (she was 28) (Nov. 1582)Children: Susanna and twins; Hamnet and Judith (Baptized 1583 and 1585)Around 1587 left for London

4Shakespeares Theatrical LifeProfessional LifeMember of the Lord Chamberlains PlayersWrote first plays in 1592 (Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors, Loves Labors Lost). Comedy of Errors is said to be the first.Instant success with the public (patriotic, violent; he was experimenting)Theatres closed down for two years because of the plagueShakespeare turned to writing poetry (sonnets) Venus and Adonis and Lucrece only published works ( great success)

5Theatrical Life, Cont.1594 theatres reopened; Shakespeare began writing for the stage (did not care what literary world thought of him) opened with Romeo and Juliet1599- Globe Theatre opened; Shakespeare part owner; new acting company The Kings Men (1603 King James, King of England)Wrote and acted in 37 plays in his lifetimeRetired to and died in Stratford in 1616; buried in Holy Trinity Church (Cursed be he who moves my bones.)

6Queen Elizabeth (Queen from 1533-1603)Patron of the artsLoved plays; they were presented at court at ChristmasWould not let the Puritans close the theatres; they needed the practice

7The Elizabethan AudienceLoved violence and gore; did not mind that they were already familiar with the plots

All classes of people attended; loved the language of Shakespeares plays; it was to them what music is to us today.

Wealthy got benches

Groundlings = poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard (pit)

All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate

TheatresBegan in inn courtyards; people hanging out their windows to watch1576 - James Burbage built the Theatre in London (Shakespeare was 12 had to be built _out of the city limits)1599 the theatre lost its lease; was rebuilt in another part of town and named the GlobeTheatres were round, opened in the center; a flag was put each day to signify whether a comedy or a tragedy was playing; multilevelVery little use of scenery or props; however, elaborate costumes

Theatres, Cont.Plays performed during the day (around 2 PM)1613 Globe Theatre burned down during a performance of Henry VI1614 rebuilt better, later torn down (1641)Late 1990s rebuilt on its original site on the Thames in East LondonThe theatres were repeatedly closed down during the 1500s and 1600s because it was believed to be connected to many deaths (plague)

10The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre in London was the venue at which the Bard's best known stage works were first produced. The Globe was built in 1599 and had a total capacity of 2,000 -3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted between 2 and 5Acoustics were poor and the actors had to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures. Productions were completely devoid of background scenery. Changes of scene were indicated in the speeches and narrative situations that Shakespeare wrote into the text of the plays. The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt, and remained active until 1642. It was demolished in 1644. Excavation was begun in 1989; finished almost 10 years later

11Props & SceneryHair: wigsMakeup: flour to whiten faces for ghosts or villainsInk: to draw features such as wrinkles, etc.Cheeks: brick dust, or slap them around before going out on stage; charcoal for black faces

12Props & Scenery, Cont.Props: blood, real blood, an animal spleen or heart (Shakespeare one of the first to show violence on stage)Expensive costumes (often reused)Cannons for battle scenesOpen skyMusic created mood and scene; also done by language drums and trumpets (special effects for distance)Bright colors, banners, fireworks, processionsDress easily distinguished social class and profession

ActorsOnly menNeeded to be able to sing, dance, tumble, swordfightHad to have fantastic memories (often had to do several plays a week)Rarely wrote their own playsWere often looked down upon; were not university educated; however, they were respected and well known abroadYoung boys were used for the womens parts (boys were often kidnapped and forced into the theatre lifeuntil their voices changed)The same actor was often well known for a certain type of character, and plays were written with this in mind (Richard Burbage played Othello)

Richard Burbage-most famous Shakespearean actor of the timeSubjects & Themes of Shakespeares PlaysAll of Shakespeares 37 plays were adaptations, not original creationsShakespeare added elements of human nature to all his plays; made cardboard characters more rounded; made plots more complicated, therefore lifelikeIdeas for plays came from:History plays: Holinsheds Chronicles; classical mythology; Englands own historyComedies and tragedies: poems and classical literatureShakespeare was the first to mix comedy with tragedy

15Subjects & Themes of Shakespeares Plays, Cont.Shakespeares plays were criticized during his lifetime because they did not follow the formula that other dramatists followed, particularly university educated writers. Shakespeare wrote for the common man. His plays were not published in his lifetime. The action took place off stage.Frequent themes found in Shakespeares plays are revenge, hate, love, jealousy, powerPlays werent published until 1623 in the First Folio by two members of Shakespeares acting company who issued it as a memorial to their fellow actor.

Language in Shakespeares PlaysWritten in iambic pentameter (unstressed/stressed accent)Blank verseOften rhymed to help actors learn lines and to show when a scene was coming to an endIs rich with new words added to our language (afeared)Shows the development of the English language (you, thou, thee)Is filled with many frequently quoted passages (To be or not to be)Language was used to establish the setting as there was no curtainUsed contractions, elongated words

Quick Write: Please take a minute to write down all the Shakespearean plays you have heard of or read. 18Shakespeare wrote:ComediesHistoriesTragediesAll's Well That Ends WellAs You Like It The Comedy of ErrorsCymbelineLove's Labours LostMeasure for MeasureThe Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merchant of VeniceA Midsummer Night's DreamMuch Ado About NothingPericles, Prince of TyreTaming of the ShrewThe TempestTroilus and CressidaTwelfth NightTwo Gentlemen of VeronaWinter's Tale

Henry IV, Part IHenry IV, Part IIHenry VHenry VI, Part IHenry VI, Part IIHenry VI, Part IIIHenry VIIIKing JohnRichard IIRichard III Antony and CleopatraCoriolanusHamletJulius CaesarKing LearMacbethOthelloRomeo and JulietTimon of AthensTitus Andronicus 20Typical Images of Shakespeare

21Atypical Images

22Q: What do the following words have in common? AddictionAdvertisingBedroomChampionDruggedElbowEyeballGossipHintLonelySkim milkTranquil23A: They were all coined by Shakespeare.William Shakespeare invented over 1700 words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words that were never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising original words.

24The WillThe Bard's will gave most of his property to Susanna, his first child and not to his wife Anne Hathaway. Instead his wife received his "second-best bed".

25The Cursed GraveGood friend, for Jesus sake, forbearTo dig the dust enclosed here;Blest be the man that spares these stonesAnd curst he that moves my bones.

26PublishingWilliam never published any of his plays. We read his plays today only because seven years after his death, fellow actors posthumously recorded his work as a dedication to Shakespeare in 1623. This collection, The First Folio, is the source from which all published Shakespeare books are derived and is proof that he authored his plays. FOLIO: The largest common size of a book or manuscript, usually about 38 cm (or 15 in.) in height and made up of folded sheets. 27The First Folio

28The First Folio When Shakespeare was writing, plays were not really considered Literature were not published with the care that his poems were. But in 1616, Ben Jonson published his complete Works--and included his plays (which he called "poems"). Seven years later, the First Folio was published. Had the First Folio not been published, we would have lost three of Shakespeare's last plays (Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest), four tragedies (Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus), and two of the mature comedies (As You Like It and Twelfth Night). 29Multi-TalentedFact: Few people realize that aside from writing 37 plays and composing 154 sonnets, William was also an actor who performed many of his own plays as well as those of other playwrights (such as Ben Jonson). 30Elizabethan (QE) WordsYou have to understand a little of the Queens EnglishAn,and: IfAnon: SoonAye: YesBut:Except forEen:EvenEer: EverQE Words (cont.)Haply:PerhapsHappy:FortunateHence:Away, from herHie:HurryMarry:Indeed

QE Words (cont.)Whence:WhereWilt:Will, will youWithal:In addition toWould:WishWhy Are These Plays Good?Transcend Time and PlaceReflect Humanity:EmotionsContinual StrugglesReflect HistoryStill relatable

Blank VerseMuch of Shakespeare is written in it:unrhymed verseiambic (unstressed, stressed)pentameter( 5 feet to a line)ends up to be 10 syllable linesProseOrdinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or songOnly characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeares playsWhy do you suppose that is?Structure of The Bards PlaysAll have a Plot: The sequence of events in a literary workAll have Exposition:The plot usually begins with this:Introduces:settingcharactersbasic situation

Inciting MomentOften called initial incidentthe first bit of action that occurs which begins the plotFor example, Romeo and Juliet lock eyes at the partyConflictThe struggle that developsman vs. manman vs. himselfman vs. societyman vs. natureCrisisThe point where the protagonists situation will either get better or worseClimaxThe turning point of the storyeverything begins to unravel from here Thus begins the falling actionResolutionThe end of the central conflictDenouementThe final explanation or outcome of the plotIf this is included in literature, it will occur after the resolution. Metaphorical LanguageComparison of unlike things Paris standing over the lifeless body of Juliet, Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strewThou detestable mawGorged with the dearest morsel of the earth RomeoDramatic FoilA character whose purpose is to show off another characterBenvolio for Tybaltlook for others in R & JRound charactersCharacters who have many personality traits, like real people.Flat CharactersOne-dimensional, embodying only a single traitShakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedyStatic CharactersCharacters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.Dynamic CharacterCharacters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better. MonologueOne person speaking on stage; may be other character on stage tooLogue speech; mono - oneSoliloquyLong 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. AsideWords spoken, usually in an undertone not intended to be heard by all charactersPunShakespeare loved to use them!!!Humorous use of a word with two meanings sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and sexual innuendoDirect AddressWords that tell the reader who is being addressed:A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.Ah, my mistresses, which of you all/ Will now deny to dance?Dramatic IronyA contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be trueVerbal IronyWords used to suggest the opposite of what is meantSituational IronyAn event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience Comic ReliefUse of comedy within literature that is NOT comedy to provide relief from seriousness or sadness. In Hamlet and Othello, look for moments of comic relief that help relieve the tragedy of the situationThe Products of ShakespeareOut of his 37 plays the top 6 most popular are:HamletOthelloMacbethRomeo and JulietThe TempestJulius Caesar

59Words of Wisdom from ShakespeareTo be or not to be; that is the question. HamletLove all, trust a few, do wrong to none. Alls Well That Ends WellBe not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Twelfth NightIts not enough to speak, but to speak true. Midsummer Nights Dream

60Helpful WebsitesThe Shakespeare Glossaryhttp://shakespeare.about.com/library/blglossary.htm

Romeo and Juliet Online Quizzes http://www.edhelper.com/books/Romeo_and_Juliet.htm

William Shakespeare Biographyhttp://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/61

62