Born in 1564/Died April 23, 1616 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England Attended Stratford Grammar School where he

studied Latin and the English language intensely Married Anne Hathaway at the age of eighteen

and had 3 children Moved to London sometime between 1585 and

1590 where he became actively involved in the arts scene

Wrote approx. 154 sonnets and 37 plays Retired in 1611 and moved back to Stratford Buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity in 1616 Shakespeare’s works deal with civil harmony,

either restoring or maintaining it, and the effects disruption has on people

Named for the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603); very popular ruler and a lover and great supporter of the arts

Many Puritans and some Aristocrats considered attendees of the theater and actors low-class hoodlums and riff-raff

Renaissance: Age of Discovery and Knowledge Pursuit of scientific knowledge and the

exploration of human nature English Renaissance (1485-1660) was a

rediscovery of Greek and Roman art and literature

Music of Shakespeare=Baroque (strings, woodwinds and brass)

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was built in 1598 in London

Open-air octagonal amphitheater that could seat up to 3000

All shows occurred during the day as there was no artificial lighting

The “pit” is the floor surrounding the stage where “one-penny” spectators stood

Wealthier attendees could purchase a more expensive seat

Globe Theatre burned down in 1613 Current theater built in 1990s by an American actor Floodlights outside the theater are used for night

performances No electronic music equipment, only a small band for

Shakespeare-age appropriate music

Blank (“unrhymed”—no rhyme at the end of lines) Verse: Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Iambic Pentameter (“pent”=five) (“meter”=measure): a line of poetry that contains 5 iambs

Iamb: a metrical foot, or unit of measure, that consists of an unstressed syllable

EX: It was the nightingale, and not the lark, That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.

EX: But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

Quatrains: stanzas consisting of 4 lines that have a rhyme scheme. Sonnet quatrain scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, followed by a couplet.

Couplets: 2 consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. When a scene ends or when a character leaves the scene, Shakespeare usually uses a couplet.

EX: Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

Shakespearean Syntax (Word Order): Notice the following 5 sentences:

I ate the sandwich.I the sandwich ate.Ate the sandwich I.Ate I the sandwich.The sandwich I ate.

Four words can create six unique sentences which carry the same meaning. Shakespeare uses unique word arrangement to write in iambic pentameter. Although it may look and sound goofy, it should help with making sense of Shakespeare.

12 lines of iambic pentameter followed by a couplet = 14 lines total

The couplet will either reaffirm the previous 12 lines or contradict them

Rhyme Scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, gg Often used within the text of his plays,

most often in the prologue Serves as beautiful ‘ear candy’ while

telling a story

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And Summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd: But thy eternal Summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

When I take leave my dog’s heart so does acheBut he is very happy when I’m home;His tails wags so that his hind end does shakeAnd even more when he receives a bone.He loves to play with his green tennis ball;These days of spring and summer make him bark,The shining rays and long warm days do call,And so we find the time to hit the park.As soon as water by the park is seen, This dog of mine takes on a greyhound’s strideHe starts to dart in sun’s bright shining beamAnd ends his flight just where the grass meets tideI’m always up to have a game of catchThough all he really wants to do is fetch.