SHAKESPEARE'S INSPIRATIONS

Sources And Resources By Group 6

THE SOCIETY

● The Printing Press - Why was it

important?

● The Renaissance Era and its impact

● The position on reading/books

● Plagiarism

SHAKESPEARE’S READING LIST

★Shakespeare was a borrower

★Some authors he “borrowed” from were:

○ Thomas Lodge, George Whestone,

Raphael Holinshed, Giraldi Cinthio,

Jorge de Montemayor and Plautus.

★Sources were very diverse

○ Ranged from French philosophy to

English Poetry.

HIT AND MYTH

• Famous figures from Greek and Roman myth, such as Cupid, Phaeton, and Hercules, are mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays

• The purpose of these references is to: • appropriate contexts • illustrate a theme• drive home a point • give deeper meaning to passage• offer joke material • explain their behavior to others or

rationalize it to themselves

Biblical verses - intimate part of life

Going to church was mandated by law

Lifestyle revolved around religion

Twisted lines to fit his humorous intentions

Shakespeare’s version more famous than actual biblical verses → irony

** the characters voicing the words are unforgettable

@god this is some gr8 stuf thx u

BIBLICAL BREEZES

• Shakespeare used resources from all around the world to include in his plays and stories. He used different cultures, languages and genres to write his plot in his successful plays.

• Shakespeare approached his sources not as a scholar but as a playwright. He wanted to portray a dramatic truth. No matter how dull he started, the finish product was always exciting, funny and dramatic.

• Shakespeare made tragedy out of biography, comedy out of pastoral. He made dramas and plays from anything.

• Othello was based on the ideas of Italian Giraldo Conthio’s Hecatommithi. The ideas in the essays of the French Philosopher Michel de Montaigne are represented in Hamlet.

SHAKESPEARE'S LAB

TRAGICAL - POETIC• Shakespeare’s talents are based around his ability

to borrow ideas from ordinary texts and create masterpieces.

• Romeo and Juliet is adopted from The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet.

• The original work was too slow, dead and boring for Shakespeare.

• Shakespeare changes the pace from nine months to four days. In-addition, he adds a loveable, yet, treacherous nurse. Finally, he adds a bit of sword fighting.

• The end result is an unforgettable play that contains one of the world's most beautiful poetic language.

Much love, much romance, such Shakespeare

TRAGICAL- HISTORICAL

• Used Holinshed for one-quarter of his plays.

• Based Macbeth out of Holinshed’s Chronicles.

• Wished to impress the new king of England, James I

• Did not want to ruin the reputation of Banquo, as well as James I

• Faced a problem with the central plot of Holinshed’s Chronicles.

• Used the story of the nobleman Donwald to his advantage.

• Fused the stories of Macbeth and King Duff’s murder

TRAGICAL - PLUTARCHAL

● Represents the psychological side of Shakespeare.

● Uses Plutarch’s ideas and Thomas North’s language as inspirations for his plays

● Ex: Antony and Cleopatra○ Changed words such “the

poop whereof was gold” into “the poop was beaten gold...the water to which the follow faster”