File shakespeare intro
Download
Report
Transcript File shakespeare intro
William
Shakespeare
His era and writing
To understand a difficult literary
work, it’s helpful to know about…
Life
of the writer
History of the era
How the author used language
Genre(s) of the writing
Who was William Shakespeare?
A
husband and father
An actor
A poet
A playwright
Shakespeare’s Era
Born
1564, died 1616
The Elizabethan Era
Elizabethan Theatre
Popular
with all classes
Few props or costumes
Performed in daylight
No female actors
The NEW Globe Theatre
Shakespeare’s Writing
Stages
of English:
Old
Middle
Early Modern
Modern
What stage of English do you think
Shakespeare wrote in?
Old, Middle, Early Modern, or Modern?
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
--William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, c.1594
The Language of
Shakespeare’s Plays
Early
Modern English
Poetic
Figurative
language
Iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line)
Syntax is often inverted (like Yoda speaks)
The Plays
38
plays (37 alone, 1 collaborated)
Four genres:
History
Tragedy
Comedy
Romance
History Plays
English kings
Battles
Embellished the
truth
10 plays
Henry V, King John,
Richard III…
Tragedies
End
in death (a lot of it)
Show a great man’s downfall
Dark magic, insanity, ghosts,
superstitions
10 plays
Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet,
Hamlet…
Comedies
End with marriages
Relationship problems
Light magic/trickery
Funny
13 plays
Twelfth
Night, As You Like It, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream…
Romance Plays
NOT
like romance novels!
Like fairy tales
Characters separate and
reunite
5 plays
Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter’s
Tale, The Tempest, The Two
Noble Kinsman
When you read or see work by
William Shakespeare, what facts
from this presentation are helpful
to keep in mind?