Transcript William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1564
William Shakespeare is born in
April (probably the 23rd) in
Stratford-On-Avon (94 miles
from London) to John and Mary.
• 1582
Marries Anne Hathaway on
November 27th. When they
married, he was 18 and she was
26. They had 3 children.
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1583
Susanna Shakespeare is born.
• 1585
The twins, Judith and Hamnet
Shakespeare, are born.
• 1587
Shakespeare left for London,
leaving his family behind. He
worked at the Globe Theatre and
appeared in many small parts.
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1592
He became a member of The
Chamberlain's Men.
Theatrical groups relied on the
support of wealthy patrons. Lord
Chamberlain supported this acting
troupe.
• 1593
He first appeared as a poet.
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1596
Hamnet dies at the age of eleven.
• 1599
The Globe Theater is built from
the pieces of 'The Theater' in
July.
• 1603
The Lord Chamberlain's Men
became The King's Men. This
group was directly supported
by King James.
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1611
Shakespeare retired from writing
and he returned to Stratford to
live in a house which he had built
for his family.
• 1613
The Globe Theatre burns during
a performance of Henry VII when
a canon fired on the roof sets fire
to the straw thatch. The theatre
is rebuilt, but Shakespeare
retires.
Important Dates in
Shakespeare’s Life
• 1616
Shakespeare dies on April 23, in
Stratford, on his 52nd birthday.
The inscription from Shakespeare’s gravestone.
Writing . . .
• In his time
Shakespeare wrote 13
Comedies, 13
Histories, 6 Tragedies,
4 Tragicomedies, as
well as many sonnets.
• Some of
Shakespeare's
universal themes are:
loyalty and betrayal,
love and hate, honor
and dishonor.
Writing . . .
• Most of Shakespeare’s play were
based on well-known stories – Romeo
and Juliet was based on an Italian
epic!
• Shakespeare’s style includes puns,
metaphors, blank verse, soliloquies,
asides, and oxymorons.
Writing . . .
• Shakespeare wrote in unrhymed iambic
pentameter
ex:
u
/
u
/
u
/
u
/
u
/
“A horse, a horse! my kingdom for a horse!”
(Unrhymed iambic pentameter is also called
blank verse.)
Life during
Shakespeare’s time
Elizabeth I
James IV with Mary
Noteworthy Events
• 1592-93 Theaters were closed by the Black
Plague.
• 1599
The original Globe Theatre was built.
• 1603
Elizabeth I died (at the age of 70!).
• 1603
Another plague hit London.
• 1604
James IV of Scotland became James I
of England.
• 1613
The Globe is burned to the ground.
The Globe Theatre
• It is important to
understand the Globe
Theatre because it
influenced what
Shakespeare wrote.
• Before theatres, many
plays were performed in
the courtyards of inns.
• In 1576 The Theatre was
built by James Burbage.
This first official theatre
looked like a courtyard of
an inn.
• In 1599 the first Globe
Theatre was built.
The Globe Theatre
Some important facts about Shakespeare’s chosen venue . . .
• Shakespeare himself gave
The Globe a nickname. In
Henry V, Shakespeare
called his theatre a
“wooden O”. The “Wooden
O” was aptly named - it was
round and made of wood.
• All plays were performed in
the afternoon, lighting was
provided by the daylight.
• The theatre announced the
theme of the day by raising
a flag
The Globe Theatre
• Groundlings were people that stood and
watched the play for a penny.
• Since people did not bathe often, the smell
was sometimes quite oppressive.
The Globe Theatre
• Theatrical scenery in
Shakespeare's time was
suggested by the language
of the play.
• Although there were few
sets, characters wore
elaborate costumes.
• Women were not allowed to
be actors, all characters
(including men) were played
by men.
• In 1642 English Parliament
passes an ordinance
sponsored by the Puritans
that all theatre is evil. All
playhouses in London are
closed.
The Globe Theatre - Construction
•
•
•
Round building
Three tiers (stories)
Many acting areas:
1. a large platform stage called a
forestage with trapdoors and open to
the sky
2. small curtained-off stage called the
inner stage
3. small balcony, often called the upper
stage
The Globe’s Connection to the
Modern Stage
The stage has undergone changes since
Shakespeare’s time. . .
• The part of the stage that projected into
the yard got narrower.
• The small curtained inner stage grew
larger. (The modern stage that we see
today is called the proscenium stage – the
effect is like looking inside a window or a
picture frame.)
Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare’s Tragedies
5 part plot structure
ACT
III
ACT
II
EXPOSITION
ACT
I
ACT
IV
ACT
V
CLIMAX AND
RESOLUTION
A tragedy is a narrative about serious and important actions that end
unhappily. A tragedy ends with the deaths of the main characters. In
some tragedies the disaster hits totally innocent characters; in other the
main character are in some way responsible for their downfall.
Exposition
1. establishes the setting
2. introduces the main characters
3. gives background, introducing
previous events necessary to
understand the story
4. introduces the main CONFLICT or
problem
Rising Action
1. this part of plot consists of a
series of complications. These occur
as the main character(s) take action
to resolve the problem
Crisis or Turning Point
1.
2.
3.
moment when a choice is made by the main
characters determines the direction of the
action (often called the “moment of choice”)
if the situation improves then we have a
comedy if the situation gets worse, we have a
tragedy
peak of the play, but not necessarily emotional
the dramatic or tense point when the forces
of conflict come together
FALLING ACTION
1. presents the incidents resulting from
the decision at the turning point
2. emphasizes the tragedy's destructive
forces
3. maintains suspense and relieves
tension as catastrophe approaches
4. with each event we see the characters
falling straight into tragedy
Climax (catastrophe) and
Denouement
1.
2.
Climax - emotional peak
includes the tragedy's catastrophe (the
deaths of the main characters)
Denouement – resolution
conclusion of the play, the loose parts of the
play are tied up and the play is over