shakespeare "blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man's...

SHAKESPEARE

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind,Thou art not so unkindAs man's ingratitude"

Shakespeare: Random Facts

Loveless marriage?His plays reflect the trials of his life.Theatres were seen as ungodly and

immoral.Plague – closed theatresThe Globe Theatre made Shakespeare his

fortune. Julius Caesar was the first played performed.

Audience relied heavily on their imagination.

He transformed the English language.Shakespeare died at the age of 52 without

seeing his plays officially published.

The Globe Theatre

The Scene

Setting was unknown to the audience until the characters talked about it

No curtain to close No scenery to change Some props were used Elaborate costumes Lots of sound effects Actors were boys and men (no women) Actors owned a share in the company Workers on salary were called “hirelings” Acting companies were sponsored by wealthy patrons Patron is a person who attends the theatre From 1594 – 1603, Shakespeare’s company was called

Lord Chamberlain’s Men 1603 – Shakespeare’s company became The King’s Men

Plays

Shakespeare wrote his plays to suit the actors who would play the parts

He also wrote plays to flatter his sponsorsHe wrote his plays in “blank verse” poetry

with no rhymeDisguise played an important role in

Shakespeare’s playsDisguise was easy because actors would

use costumes from different levels of society

Elizabethan View of the World was shaped by…

1. A sense of moral and political order based on religious beliefs, the great chain of being;

2. An interest in history, which they believed taught one practical and moral lessons;

3. A fascination with the supernatural;4. An interest in new inventions, ideas, and

discoveries. (New interest in learning, beginning of science, interest in the New World and in time);

5. Interest in drama, which had only recently been re-discovered following its neglect in the Middle Ages

6. An interest in politics.

Shakespearean Drama: Five Characteristics

Shakespeare’s Divisions (or Shakespeare’s plot chart)

EXPOSITION: Mood, atmosphere, setting, some of the main characters

POINT OF ATTACK (initial incident) establishes the main conflict

RISING ACTION: a series of complications over which the tragic hero triumphs

CLIMAX /CRISIS: the turning point in the affairs of the protagonist

DENOUEMENT: a documentation of the steps in the tragic downfall of the protagonist

CATASTROPHE: the death and destruction of the protagonist and subsequently of others near him

CATHARSIS: the purging of emotion in the audience the finale in which “Good” is seen to come from the tragedy

Elements of Shakespeare’s Plays

PUN: a play on words that are

either identical in sound (homonyms) or very similar in sound, but are sharply diverse in meaning.

e.g. Mercutio in “Romeo & Juliet”, bleeding to death, says: “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man!”

MONOLOGUE:

a lengthy speech spoken by one character to another.

SOLILOQUY:

a lengthy speech by one character who stands alone on stage and reveals his/her private thoughts aloud.

ASIDE:

when a character expresses her/his thoughts or intentions in a short speech in which only the audience can hear but not the characters on the stage

ACT: used to designate the

divisions of a play; a block of stage time that reflects a single setting and action, often divided further into “scenes”, to reflect multiple settings and actions.

SCENE: smaller units of stage

time that mark a change of characters, place, or action and, in certain consecutive sequence, often constitute a full “act.”

STAGE DIRECTIONS: the directions presented

in the play to give readers a sense of the action in the play in relation to the dialogue.

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA:

named after the ruling English monarch, Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603); it provided a unique contribution to the literature of the theatre and was represented by such verse dramatists as Shakespeare and Marlowe.

PROSE: is often used as a general

term for all speech, spoken or written, which is not patterned into the lines and rhythms either of metric verse or free verse.

SUB PLOT:

a minor story line that is subordinate to the major one

BLANK VERSE:

formally referred to as “iambic pentameter”; consists of lines which are unrhymed – hence the term “blank.”

Shakespeare's plays are mainly written in “blank verse.”

The lines which are rhymed are ten syllables long.

The syllables have alternating stresses like normal English speech.

The syllables are divided into five groups or five feet.

e.g. Induction, Scene I

Second Huntsman:He breathes, my Lord. Were he not

warmed with ale,Lord:O’ monstrous beast, how like a swine

he is!Grim death, how foul and loathsome

is thine image!

Senteo Quiz

Literary Terms in Shakespeare’s Plays

LANGUAGE

Understanding Shakespeare’s Language

Archaic words – words no longer in use e.g. aroint thee (begone) runnon (a fat woman) anon (right away)

Use of the apostrophe e.g. e’er – ever look’d – looked

reason – to keep the lines 10 syllables Looked in Shakespeare’s time – two syllables

Understanding Shakespeare’s Language

Use of metaphor, simile One object or idea is expressed as if it were something

else e.g. “That I may prove my spirit in thine ear”The words she wants to say are compared to liquid that

can be poured in the ear “Look like the innocent / But be serpent under ‘it.”How Macbeth should look to hide his evil intentions.

Understanding Shakespeare’s Language

words we still use, but we use with different meaning composition – terms of peace present – immediate choppy – chopped, wrinkled addition – title

Unusual arrangement of words in a sentence Used to create rhythm Emphasized a word e.g. “Shall he dwindle, seak and pine”

he shall

Why is Shakespearean Language still taught?

Well, not only did he come up with the words that we use on an everyday basis . . .

Examples:

accommodation gnarledamazement hurryassassination lonelybloody laughablebump majesticcritic monumentalgloomy obscene

Recurring Shakespearean Metaphors

1. Corresponding planes of reality. Elizabethans saw reality as a series of concentric circles;

2. The garden (An unweeded garden stands as a metaphor for a corrupted kingdom);

3. Time (life often compared to time or to a clock);4. The body politic (The political state is often

compared to the human body. ie., Rebellion rears its ugly head);

5. Sexual metaphor and imagery (ie. A promiscuous woman often used as a metaphor for a morally tainted kingdom);

6. The play as a metaphor of life (ie. “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”)

7. Music / dance metaphor; life as harmony and discord.

Costumes

Queen Elizabeth

In Elizabethan England, what you wore defined who you were. Laws dictated the strict fashions of each social class.

Queen Elizabeth wore a bum-roll (bustle), farthingale (hoop), and a tightly laced corset. Together they made her hips appear four-feet wide and her waist appear as thin as a wasp. She also wore unrestrained jewellery, a bright red wig, a white, lead-based paste on her face, and fancy headpieces and collars.

Queen Elizabeth

Noble Class

The noble class copied the Queen, but in more muted styles. Nobles wore imported fabrics – silk, lace, and velvet – in purple and other royal colors. Many ladies who used white paste to imitate Queen Elizabeth died from lead poisoning. Ladies generally did not corset their waists smaller than the Queen’s.

Middle-Class Citizens

Middle-class citizens included doctors, lawyers, merchants, and other property owners. Their colors were black, white, and bright, jewel-tones such as ruby-red. They could not wear purple, but copied other royal styles in a subdued way.

Peasants

Peasants wore leather, wool, and linen – all common, domestic products. Cotton, silk, or velvet were too expensive. Their colors were earth tones and pastels. They generally had one multilayer outfit, sometimes patched together from several worn out outfits.

Shakespeare in Love Scenes

Scene 1: Her Majesty Costumes, Social Status

Scene 2: 25 - Opening Night The Globe