1

William Shakespeare 1564-1616

2

Birth

Born April 23, 1564

Stratford-on-Avon,

England

John and Mary Arden

3

Marriage

Anne Hathaway

Nov. 28, 1582

He is 18 yrs old

She is 8 years older

4

Children

Susanna baptized May 1583

Twins 1yr and 9 months later

Hamnet and Judith

5

Death

April 23, 1616

Buried before the alter of Trinity

Church

Last descendent Elizabeth Hall

Who died in 1670

6

Actor and Playwright

1591 published first play

Comedy of Errors

Wrote 37 plays total

18 were published in his lifetime

7

Life in London

1594 acted before Queen Elizabeth I

1594-1595 Shareholder in Lord

Chamberlains Company

8

1597 published Romeo and Juliet

Based on The Tragical History of

Romeus and Juliet by Arthur

Brooke in 1562 which is a 3,000 line

poem that takes place over nine

months.

9

Globe Theater

1599 Shakespeare is 1/10 owner of the

Globe Theater

It was built across the Thames River

from London.

It was built with stolen lumber.

Octagonal in shape with the center

open to the sky.

10

11

Globe Theatre

Plays were given in the afternoon during good weather. A flag flying from the theatre indicated that a show would happen that day

During a performance in 1613 of Henry VII a fire caused by one of the cannons caused the Globe to burn to the ground. It was rebuilt the following year.

12

13

Life in London Con’t

1603 King James I made

Shakespeare and company the

“King’s Men”

1608 purchased Blackfriars theatre

which was a converted monastery

lighted by chandeliers of candles.

14

Drama

is a story that is written to be acted

out in front of an audience

Four types

15

1. History

Covers the life of one important

historical figure

Example Henry VIII

16

2. Tragedy

Depicts serious and important events in which the main character comes to an unhappy end.

The main character is usually dignified and courageous. His downfall may be caused by a flaw or fate. Usually wins self knowledge and wisdom even though he is defeated.

17

Examples

Romeo and JulietJulius Caesar

18

The Tragic Structure

Act 1: Exposition

Act 2: Rising Action

Act 3: Turning Point

Act 4: Falling Action

Act 5: Catastrophe

19

3. ComedyA story that ends happily

The main character is an ordinary

person who overcomes a series of

obstacles that block what he wants.

Example: Taming of the Shrew

20

4. RomanceIs a story of adventure and love.

Example: The Tempest

21

Recurring Patterns and Devices

1. Contrasting Worlds

In Romeo and Juliet it is Day vs.

Night and Montague vs. Capulet

In Julius Caesar it is Public life vs.

Private life

22

2. Rise of one person at the expense of another

In Romeo and Juliet it is Romeo

over Paris

In Julius Caesar it is Brutus and

Cassius over Caesar

23

3. Disguises

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo uses

one at the ball

In Julius Caesar Brutus and

Anthony “disguise their feelings”

24

4. Supernatural

In Julius Caesar it is Caesar’s

ghost; Comets; “Ides of March”

In Romeo and Juliet it is fortune

and “rising from the dead”

25

5. Redemption

In Romeo and Juliet it is the ending

of the feud

In Julius Caesar it is an honorable

burial for Brutus

26

Other patterns

Eavesdropping

Comic relief scenes

Disorder Yields to order

Parallel characters or foils

27

Special Features of Plays

Dialogue: The speaking parts of a play.

Prologue: This is an introduction. It

gives the reader important background

information. It can also set the tone and

mood of the drama.

28

Special Features of Plays

Chorus: The role of the chorus is

to comment on the action of the

play. This chorus is considered a

character in the drama. Its role is

somewhat like that of an announcer

or narrator.

29

Special Features of Plays

Stage Directions: The stage directions

are instructions for the actors. These

are written in italicized type throughout

the play. They tell who is entering or

exiting during a scene. They also

describe the actor’s gestures,

movements or tone of voice.

30

Special Features of Plays

Acts and Scenes: A play is divided into

acts and acts are divided into scenes.

Footnotes: These will help you

understand what is going on in the play.

They may be located in the margins,

bottom or the end of the text.

31

Theatre DifferencesStage was a platform that jutted out

to the first row of seats.

No curtains-had to write in action to

clear the stage

Curtained area on stage used as an

inner room or tomb

32

Theatre Differences

Balcony

Trap doors

Women were played by men

33