WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The Man, The Myth, The Legend!

Life & Times

William Shakespeare born April 23, 1564

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England Married Anne Hathaway; had children Became an actor and playwright; moved

to London Died April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-

Avon

Life & Times

Lived during the Elizabethan Era Named after Queen Elizabeth I Characterized by social class, strict laws

& punishments, Renaissance (arts & literature)

Political turmoil & upheaval Bubonic Plague 1550s-1600s

History of Queen Elizabeth I Her rise to power: Her father, Henry VIII, was originally

married to Catherine of Aragon (Spain) They had a daughter, Mary King wanted a son divorced Catherine Split from the Roman Catholic church to

do so Created The Church of England

(Anglican [Episcopalian] Church)

History of Queen Elizabeth I King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn

had another daughter: Elizabeth King wanted a son accused Anne of

treason and had her beheaded King married Jane Seymour had a son

(Edward VI) Jane died King married again, but had no other

children

History of Queen Elizabeth I Mary was Catholic Elizabeth and Edward VI were Protestant Edward became King died Mary became Queen imprisoned

Elizabeth Mary executed Protestants Mary died Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth executed Catholics became

head of Church of England

Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare lived in London as a playwright and actor

Owned the Globe Theater Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, owned

several businesses London was dirty, smelly, and unsanitary

(Plague)

Conspiracy Theory Some modern scholars question the authorship of

Shakespeare’s plays

Theory 1: If Shakespeare did exist, he was only a pen name for Francis Bacon or Queen Elizabeth I

Theory 2: Christopher Marlowe; history says he was stabbed in 1593 in a bar brawl, but some say he didn’t die and actually became a spy for the Crown, writing under the pen name of Shakespeare

REGARDLESS: We have these wonderful plays!

Drama, Drama, Drama…

A theatrical convention is a

traditional expectation.

No electricity

Women forbidden

to act on stage

Minimal, contemporary

costumes

Minimal scenery

These control the dialogue.These control the dialogue.

Audience loves to be scared.

Audience loves to be scared.

Soliloquy

Aside Types of speechTypes of speech

Blood

Use of supernatural

Use of disguises/

mistaken identity

Multiple marriages

(in comedies)

Multiple murders

(in tragedies)

Last speaker—highest in

rank (in tragedies)

SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY

The Tragic Story Shakespeare's tragedies are primarily

the stories of one person, the ‘hero’ The two exceptions to this rule are

Romeo & Juliet, and Cleopatra, which have both a tragic ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’

A tragedy depicts a troubled part of the hero/heroine’s life which leads up to and includes their death

Suffering and calamity are constant themes in the tragic story

Tragic Flaws The hero’s tragic flaw often takes the

form of obsession (revenge, greed, lust/love, ambition, etc.)

The hero’s tragic flaw is the cause of the calamities, tragedies and deaths that occur in the story

Symbolically, the flaw usually represents the heroes humanity or human frailty

The Tragic Hero’s Internal Conflict

Although external conflicts are present within Shakespearean Tragedies, the most complex conflict is the internal conflict of the tragic hero

The hero is torn by an inward struggle which causes perceived mental instability and tragic actions

Final Notes Shakespearean audiences usually sympathize

with the tragic hero, as when they are introduced, they are people of good standing who befall challenging circumstances

Shakespeare’s tragic heroes illustrate that humanity is not wholly ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and that ‘goodness/greatness’ can easily be wasted due to a tragic flaw

Shakespeare’ tragic heroes are destined to fall from grace - despite the efforts of those around them to ‘save’ them from tragedy, and unfortunately tragedy will also befall all those close to them, whether friend or foe

UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF

A Short History of EnglishWhere did spoken language begin?

The earliest origin of spoken language is in Africa Bantu migrations

What are the stages of development of the English language?

•Proto-English•Old English•Middle English •Early Modern English (Shakespeare’s time)•Modern English

Some Influences on English Germanic Tribes (Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Jutes) Scandinavian Invasion Norman Conquest of Britain (French) Trade with the Roman Empire Christianity (more Latin and Greek words) Invention of Print (Gutenberg – 1500’s) Samuel Johnson’s dictionary (1755) Shakespeare The Internet

What changes a language?

Migration Mixing with other cultures Being conquered Trade with other cultures Religion Books and other print sources Media Centralized government Scholars New Ideas and Technology

Influences onShakespeare’s English Values of the time: clarity preferred over correctness, and brevity

preferred over both clarity and correctness New discoveries = new thoughts that

require new words Revival of classical studies (Greek, Latin) Transitional period of the Language Greater influence of spoken English over

written (more contractions)From A Shakespearean Grammar by Edwin Abbott

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English Add “y” to any word to form an adjective

“Slumbery agitation” – Macbeth 5.1.12

“Unheedy haste” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.237

Articles (a, an, the) may be omitted

“When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar” A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5.1.224 (“a” omitted before “lion”)

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English

Adjectives may be used as adverbs or nouns“Which the false man does easy.” Macbeth 2.3.143 (easily) “Grow not instant old.” Hamlet 1.2.94 (instantly)

Adjectives may be compounded “I am too sudden-bold.” Love’s Labour Lost

2.1.197“Honorable-dangerous” Julius Caesar 1.3.124

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English “-er” and “-est” added where today’s

English doesn’t add them“Horrider: Cymbeline 4.2.331“Certainer” Much Ado About Nothing 5.3.62

Double comparative and superlative“More nearer” Hamlet 2.1.11“Most unkindest” Julius Caesar 3.2.187

Adjective may be placed AFTER the noun rather than before“In the seat royal” Richard III 3.1.164

Adverbs in Shakespeare’s English

Along may mean “along with me”

Forth, hence, and hither may be used to show motion without a verb

“I have no mind of feasting forth tonight”

Merchant of Venice 2.2.37

Double negative: Viola in Twelfth Night says,

“Nor never none /Shall mistress of it be, save I alone,” by which she meant that no one except herself would ever be mistress of her heart.

Prepositions in Shakespeare’s English May be left out

“That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds”

Romeo and Juliet 3.1.122 “to” left out before “clouds”

May differ slightly in meaning to today’s prepositions, but the meaning is usually decipherable

Verbs in Shakespeare’s English

The “-ed” ending may be omitted

“These things indeed you have articulate” Henry IV 5.1.72 (articulated)

“to” may be omitted in an infinitive

“The rest I wish thee gather.” Henry VI 2.5.96 (to gather)

Verbs in Shakespeare’s English Verb tense may be inconsistent: changes in

tense allowed where today’s rules would not allow it

“Therefore they thought (past) it good you hear (present) a play.” Taming of the Shrew

Any noun or adjective could become a verb

“That has so cowarded and chased your blood.” Henry V 2.2.75

Effects of Rhythm on Shakespeare’s Language

Shortening of words by using contractions so words will fit the rhythmO’er; ne’er; i’ ; th’ ; ‘ere

Changing the accent of words so they fit the rhythm“winged” (1 syllable) becomes “wing-ed” (2

syllables)

Compounding

New words created by compounding any parts of speech:

“the steep-up heavenly hill” “Sonnet 7”

“til Henry’s back-return” Henry V Prologue 41

Sentence Order

The most emphatic words may be placed at the beginning of the sentence in spite of grammatical rules:

“In dreadful secrecy impart they did” Hamlet 1.2.207

“Before the time I did Lysander see,

Seem’d Athens a paradise to me.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.205

Ellipses (Words Left Out)

“Elizabethan Authors objected to scarcely any ellipsis, provided the deficiency could be easily supplied from the context.” (Abbott 279)

Little words left out such as : and, as, but, if, ere, or, like, since, than, though, and pronouns

“This is that banish’d haughty Montague,And here is come.” Romeo and Juliet 5.3.52

(here he is come)