William Shakespeare 1564-1616. To be or not to be What light through yonder window breaks? Frailty...
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Transcript of William Shakespeare 1564-1616. To be or not to be What light through yonder window breaks? Frailty...
William Shakespeare
1564-1616
To be or not to be
What light th
rough yonder
window breaks?Frailty thy name is woman
Et tu, Brute?
All the world’s a stage
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Bew
are
the id
es o
f M
arch
Such stuff as dreams are made of
Shall I Shall I comparcompare thee e thee to a to a summersummer’s day’s day
To thine own self be
true
Life of William Shakespeare
Recognized birthday:
April 23, 1564. He died
the same daysame day 52 years
later.Born in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon to
John and Mary Shakespeare.
John Shakespeare worked as a glover (as well
as many other things) and achieved the
position of bailiff which similar to a town
mayor.
Life of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare attended grammar school
where he studied Latin and classical
Roman authors. He did not attend
University. His school day
would have lasted
from 6 a.m. to 5
p.m.!!!
Life of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in
1582. He was 18 and she was 26!!
Their children included Susanna, and twins:
Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died at age 11,
some say from the bubonic plaque.
Not her
her
Shakespeare the Playwright and The and The
ControversyControversy Due to the limited amount of documented info. about his life, some critics
have questioned the truth behind Shakespeare.
Anti-StratfordiansAnti-Stratfordians – modern scholars who question the authorship of
Shakespeare’s plays. They argue that he either never existed, or if he did,
didn’t write any of the plays we associate him with. In fact, they believe they
could have even been written by Queen Elizabeth I!!!Queen Elizabeth I!!!
? ?
Shakespeare the Playwright
His first plays were written ~1590 (the chronology
of his works is arguable). Romeo and Juliet was
written around 1595; published in 1597.
Most plays at the time were not published, they
were just written for performance. Due to this,
most early publications of Shakespeare are
considered inaccurate –they were sold illegally/
pirated. 18 of these were printed in Shakespeare’s
lifetime –all in quarto format.
In fact, it wasn’t until 7 years after his death that
two fellow actors published an authentic copy of his
collection which included 36 plays in folio format.
Shakespeare the Actor In 1594 he joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men – an acting company which
performed at the famous Globe TheatreGlobe Theatre
Public officials & the Church banned theatres to outside the city limits due to
their sometimes vulgar nature (the Globe is located on the Thames River).
Additionally, they worried about the spreading of the Plague in such overcrowded
spaces – theatres could hold 2,000-3,000 people!
Theatres were restricted to the same area of town as dog-fighting, bear-baiting,
& prostitution!
Plays were censored by the Office of the Revels – making sure scripts didn’t
include politically or socially offensive material.
The GlobeThe Globe caught on fire during a performance of Henry VII in 1613, and was
rebuilt the following year only to be destroyed by the Puritans in 1644. In the
1990s the Globe was rebuilt!
Shakespeare & the Renaissance Renaissance – Renaissance – rebirth; period of English history known for
its development of art, lit., science, & politics. Now often
referred to as Early ModernEarly Modern; dates include ~1450-1750.
Renaissance Influences on “the Bard”:Renaissance Influences on “the Bard”:
Cosmology – the nature of the universe was in question.Cosmology – the nature of the universe was in question.
Humors – belief that all things were composed of 4 elements: Humors – belief that all things were composed of 4 elements:
earth, air, water, and fire. earth, air, water, and fire.
In the body they were in the form of: blood (light-In the body they were in the form of: blood (light-
heartedness), phlegm (dull and kind), yellow bile heartedness), phlegm (dull and kind), yellow bile
(irritability), and black bile (melancholy). The balance of the (irritability), and black bile (melancholy). The balance of the
humors were believed to determine personality types. humors were believed to determine personality types.
The ReformationThe Reformation
Romeo (vs. Romeus) and Juliet
Like most of his works, the storyline of
R&J was not his originally. It primarily
came from the famous 1562 Arthur Brooke
poem, The Tragical History of Romeus and
Juliet.
Differences
Dramatically shortened the time frame from 9
months to a rapid 5 days!!!5 days!!!
Decreased Juliet’s age from 16 years to only 13!
Romeo and Juliet: The Structure
Tragedies follow the structure below:
Act I – Exposition
Act II – Rising Action
Act III – Turning Point
Act IV – Falling Action
Act V - Catastrophe
The structure of R&J mimics the motif of
dichotomy throughout the play – scenes
of tragedy are followed by scenes of
comedy.
Dichotomies in R&J Age vs. Youth
Hate vs. Love
Death vs. Life
Poetry vs. colloquial/ vulgar speech
Light vs. Dark
Use of puns and use of oxymoron
Dual nature of good and evil
Foil Characters
Romeo vs. Mercutio
Juliet vs. Nurse
O, mickle is the powerful grace that
lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true
qualities:
For nought so vile that on the earth
doth live
But to the earth some special good
doth give,
Shakespearean Language
Iambic Pentameter
Shakespeare wrote in unrhymed
iambic pentameter. A pattern of
unstressed (da) and stressed (DA)
syllables.
Pay attention to when he switches to
prose. Iambic Pentameter is used for
characters of high social standing,
while prose is the language of the
common people.
A Rhythm Exercise!!! Find the rhythm by tapping out the beats:
I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not eat them with a mouse.
I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.
I do not eat green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
A Rhythm Exercise!!! Find the rhythm by tapping out the beats:
But soft, what light through yonder window
breaks?...
See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O that I were a glove upon her hand!
Shakespearean Language
Iambic Pentameter-
Iamb = a stress pattern of two
beats, unstressed to stressed (da
DA)
Pent = five. Refers to five pairs
of iambs.
Meter = number of syllables in a
line of poetry
Shakespearean LanguageOther terms you will need to know:
Puns
Aside
Oxymoron
Soliloquy
Apostrophe Addressing someone not present, or a personified object or
idea
Shakespearean Sonnets
14 lines, ending with a rhyming couplet
For never was there a story of For never was there a story of more woemore woe
Than this of Juliet and her Than this of Juliet and her RomeoRomeo……