WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR

E

SHAKESPEARE

1

563-1616

S

tratford-on-Avon, England

w

rote 37 plays

a

bout 154 sonnets

s

tarted out as an actor

STAGE CELEBRITYA

ctor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London

theater co.)

A

lso was principal playwright for them

1

599 - Lord Ch. Co. built Globe Theater

where most of Sh. Plays were performed

SHAKESPEARE WROTE:

C

omedies

H

istories

T

ragedies

ROMEO AND JULIET

W

ritten about 1595

C

onsidered a tragedy

W

est Side Story (Movie) based on R & J

THE THEATER

P

lays produced for the general public

R

oofless - open air

N

o artificial lighting

C

ourtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries

SPECTATORSW

ealthy got benches

“

Groundlings” - poorer people stood and watched

from the courtyard (“pit”)

A

ll but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate

M

uch more interaction than today

STAGING AREASS

tage - platform that extended into the pit

D

ressing & storage rooms in galleries behind & above stage

s

econd-level gallery - upper stage - famous balcony scene in

R & J

T

rap door - ghosts

“

Heavens” - angelic beings

DIFFERENCESN

o scenery

S

ettings - referenced in dialogue

E

laborate costumes

P

lenty of props

F

ast-paced, colorful 2 +hours!

ACTORS

O

nly men and boys

Y

oung boys whose voices had not changed play

women’s roles

W

ould have been considered indecent for a

woman to appear on stage

ELIZABETHAN (QE1) WORDSA

n,and: If

A

non: Soon

A

ye: Yes

B

ut: Except for

E

’en: Even

E

’er: Ever

QE1 WORDS (CONT.)

H

aply: Perhaps

H

appy: Fortunate

H

ence: Away, from her

H

ie: Hurry

M

arry: Indeed

QE1 WORDS (CONT.)

W

hence: Where

W

ilt: Will, will you

W

ithal: In addition to

W

ould: Wish

BLANK VERSE

M

uch of R & J is written in it:• unrhymed verse• iambic (unstressed, stressed)• pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line)• ends up to be 10 syllable lines

PROSEO

rdinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song•Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays•Why do you suppose that is?

PLOT

T

he sequence of events

in a literary work

EXPOSITIONT

he plot usually begins with

this:• Introduces the:•setting•characters•basic situation

INCITING MOMENT

O

ften called “initial incident”• the first bit of action that occurs which begins the plot•Romeo and Juliet “lock eyes” at the party

CONFLICT

T

he struggle that develops•man vs. man•man vs. himself•man vs. society•man vs. nature

CRISIS

T

he point where the

protagonist’s situation will

either get better or worse• Protagonist = good guy• Antagonist = bad guy

CLIMAX

T

he turning point of the story;

everything begins to unravel

from here •Thus begins the falling action

RESOLUTION

T

he end of the

central conflict

DENOUEMENT

The final explanation or outcome of the plot•If this is included in literature, it will occur after the resolution.

TRAGEDY (SHAKESPEAREAN)

Drama where the central character/s suffer disaster/great misfortune

• In many tragedies, downfall results from:• Fate• Character flaw/Fatal flaw• Combination of the two

THEME

C

entral idea of the piece:I

nsight about life which explain the downfall

METAPHORICAL LANGUAGE

C

omparison of unlike things:•Paris standing over the “lifeless body” of Juliet, “Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew…”•“Thou detestable maw…”Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth…” Romeo

DRAMATIC FOIL

A

character whose purpose is

to show off another character•Benvolio for Tybalt• look for others in R & J

ROUND CHARACTER

S

C

haracters who have

many personality

traits, like real people.

FLAT CHARACTERS

O

ne-dimensional, embodying

only a single trait•Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

STATIC CHARACTERS

C

haracters within a story who

remain the same. They do not

change. They do not change

their minds, opinions or

character.

DYNAMIC CHARACTER

C

haracters that change

somehow during the course

of the plot. They generally

change for the better.

MONOLOGUE

One person speaking on stage; may be other character on stage too• ex - the Prince of Verona commanding the Capulets and Montagues to cease feuding

SOLILOQUY

L

ong speech expressing the

thoughts of a character alone on

stage. In R & J, Romeo gives a

soliloquy after the servant has fled

and Paris has died.

ASIDE

W

ords spoken, usually in an

undertone not intended to

be heard by all characters

PUN

S

hakespeare loved to use them!!!•Humorous use of a word with two meanings; sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and sexual innuendo

DIRECT ADDRESS

W

ords that tell the reader who is being

addressed:

“

A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.”

“

Ah, my mistresses, which of you all/ Will now

deny to dance?”

DRAMATIC IRONY

A

contradiction between what

a character thinks and what

the reader/audience knows

to be true

VERBAL IRONY

W

ords used to suggest

the opposite of what is

meant

SITUATIONAL IRONY

A

n event occurs that directly

contradicts the expectations

of the characters, the reader,

or the audience

COMIC RELIEF

U

se of comedy within

literature that is NOT

comedy to provide “relief”

from seriousness or sadness.