4/7/14 1 Introduction to Shakespeare The Elizabethan Era • Refers to the era during Elizabeth I’s reign in England • Main religions were Protestantism (supported by the Royalty, and Catholicism. Elizabeth was kinder to Catholics than her predecessors had been. • There was a great deal of poverty during this period • The rise of the British Empire gets its roots during Elizabeth’s reign – some point to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 as the turning point. Queen Elizabeth Ruled from November 17, 1558 until her death (44 years) She was known as the Virgin Queen because she never married. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (his second wife). Shakespeare (1564-1616) Born in Stratford- on-Avon on April 23 rd , 1564 Married Anne Hathaway and had 2 daughters Moved to London in 1592 Actor, playwright and owner of The Lord Chamberlain's Men Career Wrote 37 plays between 1588 and 1613 About 1.5 per year Directed and starred in the plays Wrote 154 sonnets Had a partial share in his London theater, The Globe Type of Plays Shakespeare’s plays can be categorized into three areas Comedies – usually ended with a wedding Different than you and I think of comedy, related closer to our “romantic comedies” A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest Tragedies Usually ended with the death of the main character (or character’s) Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello Histories Mixture of history and historic fiction Features the heroes and villains of British History Henry V (hero), Richard III (villain)
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4/7/14
1
Introduction to Shakespeare
The Elizabethan Era • Refers to the era during Elizabeth I’s
reign in England • Main religions were Protestantism
(supported by the Royalty, and Catholicism. Elizabeth was kinder to Catholics than her predecessors had been.
• There was a great deal of poverty during this period
• The rise of the British Empire gets its roots during Elizabeth’s reign – some point to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 as the turning point.
Queen Elizabeth
" Ruled from November 17, 1558 until her death (44 years)
" She was known as the Virgin Queen because she never married.
" Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (his second wife).
Shakespeare (1564-1616)
" Born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23rd, 1564
" Married Anne Hathaway and had 2 daughters
" Moved to London in 1592
" Actor, playwright and owner of The Lord Chamberlain's Men
Career " Wrote 37 plays between
1588 and 1613 " About 1.5 per year
" Directed and starred in the plays
" Wrote 154 sonnets
" Had a partial share in his London theater, The Globe
Type of Plays " Shakespeare’s plays can be categorized into three areas
" Comedies – " usually ended with a wedding " Different than you and I think of comedy, related closer to our
“romantic comedies” " A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest
" Tragedies " Usually ended with the death of the main character (or character’s) " Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello
" Histories " Mixture of history and historic fiction " Features the heroes and villains of British History " Henry V (hero), Richard III (villain)
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Globe Playhouse, London
Poor people would stand at the front – they were called ‘Groundlings’.
The stage stuck right out into the audience.
Women were not allowed to be actors. Female parts were played by men!
The rich people would sit in the seats up here.
Theatres were circular and had no roof.
The stage had lots of doors and trapdoors for the actors to come in and out of.
They didn’t use scenery, just a bare stage.
The Globe and Shakespeare’s Theater
" Constructed in 1599
" Large polygonal building, three stories
" Utilized a “thrust” type stage backed by a small balcony
" Performances were conducted during the day, why?
" Limited scenery used – the stage was set by the language of the play
" Costumes were often cast offs of the aristocracy and thus were elaborate
" All roles were performed by men and boys (no girls in theater)
" Almost no stage directions were left by the author and roles were hand written for each character, often times not being finished until well after the rehearsal period had begun
Give a brief summary of two of his plays most famous plays What was the name given to the audience members who stood at the front of the stage during a performance? Why were they called this and how much did they have to pay to watch?
IdenKfy three differences between the theatre now and the theatre in Shakespeare’s Kme. Where was Romeo and Juliet set? How many producKons have been staged? What was it based on?
Which two monarchs reigned during Shakespeare’s lifeKme Research and idenKfy 4 customs of Shakespeare’s era. Look at food, manners, gender roles, professions, the economy etc
Shakespeare helped shape the modern English language, find 5 phrases used today that were invented by Shakespeare
Groups – Use an iPad to explore and research the following items in groups. Present your findings in 15 minutes
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
History of English in 10 Minutes Clip
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Type of Language
" Shakespeare wrote in a period of English language known as " Early Modern English – Spoken until the mid to late
17th century when it transitions to Modern English
Personal Pronouns
Verbs
" Early Modern English – Verbs were still conjugated to some capasity
" http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Verb-forms
English Language History
" Early Modern English developed from its cousin
" Middle English – (Chaucer – The Canturbury Tales) Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour,
² Old English – (Beowulf)
wæs se grimma gaést Grendel háten this ghastly demon was named Grendel,
maére mearcstapa sé þe móras héold infamous stalker in the marches, he who held the moors,
Sonnet Form
" A sonnet has 14 lines.
" A sonnet must be written in iambic pentameter
" A sonnet must follow a specific rhyme scheme, depending on the type of sonnet.
" A sonnet can be about any subject, though they are often about love or nature.
" A sonnet introduces a problem or question in the beginning, and a resolution is offered after the turn.
Iambic Pentameter " A line of Iambic Pentameter is a line with ten
beats.
" An “Iamb” is two beats, or one “foot.”
" “Penta” is five (line has five “feet”).
" “Meter” is the rhythm of the poem.
" A “foot” is made of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable (in that order).
" Da dit, da dit, da dit, da dit, da dit
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English Sonnet " An English Sonnet is also called a Shakespearean
Sonnet.
" It includes three quatrains (groups of four lines) and a couplet (two lines). – 14 lines total
" The rhyme scheme is often abab cdcd efef gg.
" The turn is either after eight lines or ten lines.
Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Prologue to Romeo and Juliet
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Romeo and Juliet
" From the prologue, what do we know this play is going to be about?
Introduction to R&J
" Based on a long narrative poem by Arthur Brooke which was published in 1562
" Based on an older Italian story
" Depicts two young members of feuding families falling into an idealized, almost unreal, passionate love.
" Tragedy – what do we know is going to happen to our protagonists?
How it is written
" Shakespeare wrote in 3 different modes " Prose: refers to ordinary speech with no regular pattern
of accentual rhythm – used when verse does not make sense such as long letters, proclamations and a character expressing their madness
" Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter – used most often and is meant to sound like the best possible version of the English language – everyday speech heightened
" Rhymed Verse: rhymed iambic pentameter (usually in couplets) – songs, choral odes, plays within plays, soliloquy, great speeches
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" Refers to time and place " Shakespeare’s plays are interpreted in many different
ways in many different locations
" According to the script, the play is set in Verona and Mantua which are cities in northern Italy.
Setting
Modern Day “Verona” beach on southern California
Traditional interpretation set in the Italian Renaissance
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