Transcript Shakespeare`s World-Macbethx

SHAKESPEARE’S
WORLD
An Introduction to the Scottish Play
MEDIEVAL ASPECTS
• Significance placed on hierarchy
• Emphasis on religion
• Reliance on authority
• There are still, however, many signs of change
• Change known as the Renaissance is especially predominant in urban centers
such as London
• The Renaissance is the revival of art and literature under the influence of
classical models in the 14th–16th centuries.
THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE
During Shakespeare’s lifetime (1564-1616), the achievements in geography,
science, and art would continue to escalate.
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, 1632,
Rembrandt
QUEEN ELIZABETH I
( 1533-1603 )
Ruled England for 45 years.
Nicknamed “the Virgin Queen”
and produced no heir to the throne
Restored Protestantism and formalized the
Church of England
During her reign, the economy was weakened by inflation, food shortages,
and high rent
Outbreak of the black plague, food riots, Catholic conspiracies, threats of
invasion, etc. also occurred
Watch Mini-Bio
KING JAMES I
( 1566-1625 )
Renamed Shakespeare’s acting troupe “The King’s Men”
Believed in the supernatural and was interested in witchcraft
Commissioned a translation of the bible from Latin to English
Published a book about witchcraft called “Demonologie“ in 1597
Watch the Gunpowder Plot: A Simple Plan
Witches and witchcraft were a morbid fascination at the time
Between 1560-1603, hundreds of people (nearly all women) were convicted
as witches and executed
Witches could predict the future, bring on daytime and nighttime, cause fogs
and storms, and change into animals
If convicted, people would be subjected to torture and death by hanging or
burning at the stake
Signs of possession were: trance, change of appearance, inability to pray,
visions, disturbed behavior, lack of fear, indifference to life, and invitations
to evil spirits to possess one’s body
Shakespeare’s audience were religious Christians who believed in heaven and
hell
THE PLAYS
Early plays, 1590’s, were mainly comedy
Comedy (and this could be extended to most of Shakespeare's history plays as
well) is social—leading to a happy resolution (usually a marriage or marriages) and
social unification.
Shakespeare began to focus on tragedy/dramatic themes in the early 1600’s
Tragedy is individual, concentrating on the suffering of a single, remarkable hero—leading to
individual torment, waste and death
1608 marks a change in tone from tragedy to romance, light, magic, and reconciliation
Titus Andronicus 1593-94
Romeo and Juliet 1594-95
Hamlet 1600-01
Othello 1604-05
The Tragedy of King Lear 1605-06
Macbeth 1605-06
Timon of Athens 1607-(?)
Cymbeline 1609-10
The Winter's Tale 1610-11
Tempest 1611-12
PLAYS
Only men were permitted to perform
Boys or effeminate men were used to play the women
Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset
Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by
courtiers
PLAYS
Plays were most often performed in outdoor theaters
Performances took place during the day so that the stage would be
illuminated by natural light
1 shilling to stand
2 shillings to sit in the balcony
1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income
Broadway Today:
$85 Orchestra
$60 Balcony
THE GLOBE THEATRE
THE GLOBE THEATRE
• -Built in 1599
-The most magnificent theater in London
 -Shakespeare was 1/5 owner
-He earned 10% of the total profit, approximately £200-250 a year
 -The Bard retired to Stratford and lived on the profits he earned from the
Globe
THE GLOBE THEATRE
Many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed here
The stage was a large, rectangle that jutted out into the yard
Held 2,000-3,000 people tightly packed
An open playhouse with a wooden structure three stories high
It was shaped like a 16 sided polygon
It was destroyed by a fire in 1613
Rebuilt in 1900’s
THE GLOBE THEATRE
 Aristocrats
 The Queen/King
 The Groundlings
Theatre Then and Now
No scenery
Settings > references in dialogue
Elaborate costumes
Plenty of props
Much more interaction than today
Shakespeare
Exact birth date is unknown
Was christened on April 26, 1564
He died almost exactly 52 years later, on April 23, 1616
He wrote 37 plays &
154 sonnets
He started out as an actor
-Educated at Stratford Grammar School
-Learned business as an apprentice for his
 father
-Married Anne Hathaway November 28, 1582
-She was 8 years his senior and 3 months pregnant when they
married
Prose
Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song
Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s
plays
Prose: language without metrical structure
Verse: poetic language and style
Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter
Iambic Pentameter: five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed
syllables; ten syllables per line.
“So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen”
The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Set in Scotland
• Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England)
• Shakespeare did some historical research
• Banquo is an ancestor of King James I
The Curse
Video Clip
• It is believed to be bad luck to even squeak the word “Macbeth” in a theatre
• Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production—
horribly
• Since 1606, hundreds of actors, stage crew, etc. have been hurt or have died
during the production of this play
• It is believed that Shakespeare included black magic spells in the chants of
the weird sisters
• People refer to this play as the “Scottish Play”
• The only remedy to get rid of this curse is that the offender must step
outside, turn around three times, spit, and whisper a foul word, and wait for
permission to re-enter the theater
The Tragic Hero
• Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy:
• A man of high standard who falls from this position because of a tragic flaw
that has affected many (hamartia)
• This man becomes identified with one interest, object, passion or habit that
is fatal to him
• His conflict is on two levels:
• A) With the universe
• B) With society (he commits horrible acts)
• The hero becomes isolated as a result
• The hero suffers and dies
• Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero