ELIT 17Class 7

AGENDA Recitations Lecture: Elizabethan Theater

The Globe Actors

Discussion Discussion Questions QHQs

Exam #1 Preparation: The Comedies

Recitations: 2

The First Theater Houses: Inn YardsPerformances were often held in private

inns.For a small fee, lodgers could access the

yard. For an additional fee, they could go to the balcony.

Audience capacity was generally around 500 people.

Inn Yards were very popular as they provided alcohol and lodging!

Elizabethan Theater, theater performed in a playhouse, didn't occur until 1576 when James Burbage built the first playhouse called "the Theater"--a permanent building dedicated to showing plays for commercial interest.

Actors, writers and theatre owners had a difficult time during Elizabeth’s reign. Until the coronation of England’s following monarch, James I, theatre in England was considered akin to prostitution, thievery, and vagrancy.

Theatres were usually considered to be disreputable places, so all theatres in London were required to be built outside the city walls along with brothels, prisons, and asylums.

Some thought theaters were the breeding ground for the plague; consequently, whenever the plague flared up, they were the first places to be closed.

The epidemic that began in London in the summer of 1592 was one of the longest closures. More than 14% of the population of the city died during this period.

The most famous Elizabethan playhouse was the Globe Theatre (1599), built by the company in which Shakespeare had a stake

The Globe Theater

The Theater

The old Globe Theatre was a magnificent amphitheater. Maps of London clearly show the architecture of the Globe Theatre, and these have enabled an approximate picture of the old Globe Theatre to be drawn.

The Globe

THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE Capacity: 1500 people in the audience, around 3000 people could

be crowded outside the theater. Queen Elizabeth I would have not seen plays at the globe, except for the opening of Henry V

Plays occurred in the afternoon due to natural lighting purposes Women and men attended plays, but high-born women usually

covered their faces with masks The audience ate, talked, and drank throughout the performance

THE COMMONERS WOULD HAVE STOOD IN THE THEATRE PIT AND PAID AN ENTRANCE FEE, PUTTING A PENNY IN A BOX, HENCE THE TERM,“THE BOX OFFICE”

Prices:– NOBILITY PAID FOR BETTER SEATS IN THE

LORD”S ROOMS – CUSHIONS COULD BE PURCHASED FOR

ADDITIONAL $$

THE NEW GLOBE THEATER: SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE

Interest to rebuild was sparked in the 1970’s by Sam Wanamaker and the Shakespeare Globe Playhouse Trust

It is often referred to as Shakespeare’s globe Construction began in 1989; while digging, workers discovered the

foundations of the original Globe. The new theatre was located around 100 yards from the presumed site of the old Globe

In 1997, the Globe reopened with the performance of Henry V

Discuss your answers to the homework questions from classes 5 and 6

In Groups

Questions As Olivia is in the process of revealing her

feelings for Cesario, she makes use of metaphors drawn from the animal kingdom— Act III, Scene 1, lines 115–140. State what these animal metaphors are, and then explain their significance. How do they illuminate the depth of Olivia’s feelings at the moment?

OLIVIA Give me leave, beseech you. I did send,After the last enchantment you did here,A ring in chase of you. So did I abuseMyself, my servant, and, I fear me, you.Under your hard construction must I sit,To force that on you in a shameful cunningWhich you knew none of yours. What might you think?Have you not set mine honor at the stakeAnd baited it with all th’ unmuzzled thoughtsThat tyrannous heart can think? To one of your receivingEnough is shown. A cypress, not a bosom,Hides my heart. So, let me hear you speak.VIOLA I pity you.

OLIVIA That’s a degree to love.VIOLA No, not a grize, for ’tis a vulgar proofThat very oft we pity enemies.OLIVIA Why then methinks ’tis time to smile again.O world, how apt the poor are to be proud!If one should be a prey, how much the betterTo fall before the lion than the wolf. The clock upbraids me with the waste of time.Be not afraid, good youth, I will not have you.And yet when wit and youth is come to harvest,Your wife is like to reap a proper man.There lies your way, due west.VIOLA Then westward ho!

“Have you not set mine honor at the stake,And baited it with all th’ unmuzzled thoughtsThat tyrannous heart can think?” (3.1.123-25).

This is referring to bear-baiting, a sick and inhumane form of entertainment where it is not even about “fishing out” bears. It is a blood sport involving bears, with a chain restraining them, and the people will have dogs go and attack a bear until either the dogs die or the bear dies. So in this metaphor, Olivia uses her honor as the representation of the captive bear tied to a stake while Cesario’s (Viola’s) thoughts are the dogs attacking Olivia’s honor.

“If one should be a prey, how much the betterto fall before the lion than the wolf” (3.1.135-36)

Am I wrong in reading this as a dig toward Orsino?

Olivia is admitting she is weak by comparing herself to prey in the animal kingdom. This weakness only makes her love for Viola seem more genuine. She admits to preferring being prey to a lion rather than a wolf. Lion’s are very independent. They hunt and eat their food alone. Wolves on the other hand run in packs. Wolves hunt and eat together. Olivia would rather be prey to a lion because he will break her heart immediately, versus the wolf that would do it multiple times.

Questions Many characters in Twelfth Night adopt a role or otherwise disguise their identities. Viola is the most obvious example of this ruse in the play, but why others can you name? Consider Fester, Orsino, and Olivia among others.

Viola conceals her sex, hiding behind the clothes and mannerisms of a man. Olivia hides behind the death of her brother, concealing her rather passionate nature behind a shroud of grief.

In addition to Viola posing as Cesario, various others perform ruses throughout the play. One of these is The Fool–one of his more literal disguises is as the Priest Topas, in which he impersonates a sort of exorcist in order to progress Maria’s prank against Malvolio. It is worth noting that his priestly outfit is unnecessary, as Malvolio is unable to see him and can only hear his voice through the door. Thus, in a sense, The Fool’s disguise is not only for Malvolio, but for the audience as well.

What is the significance of Feste’s and Viola’s interaction in Act 3 Scene 1? What differentiates them as tricksters?(What truths are illuminated in a conversation between fools?)

In Act 3, Scene 1, Feste, the Fool, and Viola, under the name Cesario, meet for the first time since Viola saw him sing in Orsino’s court. Both of these characters are trickster archetypes, moving freely within society and illuminating truths to fellow characters in the play. As Feste says to Viola:

“Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun,it shines every where. I would be sorry, sir, butthe fool should be as oft with your master as withmy mistress: I think I saw your wisdom there.” (3.1.32-35)

Q: Why do we have comparatively few female tricksters? Is there something about the idea of a female as a trickster that makes people uncomfortable?

Q: Is Shakespeare the true Trickster of the play, and does he intend for the audience to become tricksters as well?

Questions Discuss the outcome of

the plot against Malvolio. Is the yellow garter scene funny or cruel? Is his fate deserved? How does his reappearance affect the end of the play?

The part which I find most disturbing is in scene 4 when Maria and Sir Toby have the fool play the priest Sir Topas. The ultimate goal of ”Sir Topas” is to have Malvolio believe he has gone mad:

“Sir Topas, never was man thus wronged. Good Sir Topas, do not think I am mad. They’ have laid me here in hideous darkness”(4.2.26-28).

It seems to me that the yellow garter scene can’t help but be interpreted humorously. Malvolio’s actions are the exact opposite of what Lady Olivia expects or would want. For example, he wears the “yellow stockings” Maria had mentioned previously that Olivia detested. [. . .] Also, Malvolio’s quoting Maria’s forged letter saying, “some achieve greatness” and “some have greatness thrust upon them” reveals his belief that he’s worthy to marry Olivia, even though class and royalty are emphasized heavily in society — seen by Olivia’s asking Viola about her parentage (3.4.46,49-50). It’s because this situation is so painful and cringe worthy, the scene gains its humor despite Malvolio’s misfortunes.

Malvolio didn’t deserve to be thrown into a dungeon but the maybe he did have that yellow stocking situation coming to him.

Malvolio’s yellow garter scene Act 3 Scene 4 Lines 6-31 2:39

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDPT2e26SgY

Questions

What do you make of the fact that Cesario and Sebastian are apparently interchangeable for Olivia? What does this play seem to say about love and about marriage as a social institution? 

1:58-2:03 Amazon Prime

Twelfth Night 1996Helena Bonham Carter

Q: In the ending, several marriages have been put in place. Is it possible to believe that this is true love?

Throughout the play, Shakespeare allows his characters to court each other in beautiful ways, and builds up a sense of tension between Cesario and Olivia, Viola and the Duke, and Sebastian and Antonio. However, by the end, the only pair that actually has a history together is Viola and the Duke. On the other hand, the second most powerful character (in terms of rank) in the story unknowingly weds herself to a stranger.

[Olivia] is in love with a look – one that Sebastian shares, near identically. And she is in love with the words Cesario speaks. And throughout the play, we are given evidence that, while maybe not quite the poet that his sister is, Sebastian is very good with words. His language is beautiful in the scene with Antonio, and very reminiscent (absolutely intentionally, I believe) of the way Viola turns a phrase. And, in a telling remark, Sebastian says “Fare ye well at once: my bosom is full of kindness, and I am yet so near the manners of my mother, that upon the least occasion more mine eyes will tell tales of me” (2.2.38-41). He is saying here that he is sensitive, and gentle, and that he wears his heart on his sleeve. These are traits that certainly would have been seen as feminine traits, so I think it’s safe to say that Shakespeare is communicating that this young man is very like his sister, and therefore, will not be unappealing to Olivia when all is revealed at the end. It’s contrived, of course. But it’s not out of the blue. Sebastian has been portrayed from the start as someone who Olivia would be able to love, if she loves Cesario.

Queerness?Was Shakespeare attempting to explore homosexual themes in Twelfth Night, or was it just played for laughs?

The obvious example to point to in this play of homoerotic behavior is Olivia pining for Viola (Cesario). Viola is clearly not interested, but Olivia clearly finds her attractive: “ ‘I am a gentleman.’ I’ll be sworn thou art. / Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit / Do give thee fivefold blazon” (1.5.296-298).

Compare a scene in the movie She’s the Man to the corresponding scene in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In some cases, there will not be a direct correlation. In that case, you may refer to themes as long as you use textual evidence. How does the director both stay true to Shakespeare and make the film more relevant? Which is more successful? Why?

The director has stayed true to

Twelfth Night because the movie

has young people, specifically

Viola, who rebels against the

social order, which Shakespeare

has wrote in his plays in his youth.

The scene I’m going to compare in She’s the Man is at the soccer game when Viola reveals that she is really a girl disguised as her brother, Sebastian. Sebastian comes out onto the field with Viola so everyone sees them together. This is much like the scene in Twelfth Night when Viola and Sebastian are seen together for the first time in Olivia’s courtyard in front of Duke Orsino and others.

“Conceal me what I am, and be my aidFor such disguise as haply shall becomeThe form of my intent. I’ll serve this duke.Thou shalt present me as his eunuch” (1.2.56-59).

While Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night isn’t as clearly feminist as She’s

the Man, both works highlight that the basis of gender is less

biological but, rather, whatever cultural attributes are ascribed as

masculine or feminine.

The pairing of Olivia and Sebastian stays true to the source material, yet feels more believable to the modern day audience, because of the way Olivia was wooed into falling for him in the first place. In Shakespeare’s version, Olivia falls for Viola’s words. While the latter might have been sent as a messenger for Orsino, she chose what words to say, and it was that which made Olivia fall for Cesario. However, in the movie, Olivia initially warms up to Viola because of what she says, especially in their first meeting where Viola compliments Olivia’s shoes. In addition, she shows more feminine attributes, especially sensitivity and empathy, which seem to be missing from the boys in the school, because of their constant quest to seem the most macho or to conform to their own ideas of masculinity. Yet, it is Sebastian’s song lyrics which makes her feel romantically towards him. Therefore, unlike the play, there is a basis for Sebastian and Olivia’s relationship, which makes it more believable for them to become a couple.

Observing both Duke Orsino and Duke similarly reveals the virtually unchanged societal standards for male and female. After realizing Viola’s true identity, Duke Orsino commands, “Give me thy hand, and let me see thee in thy woman’s weeds.” (Act 5 Scene 1), meaning essentially “let me see how you look as a proper woman”. She’s the Man’s Duke has an equally unaccepting reaction to Viola’s disguise, and can finally accept her character as normal when she conforms to the standard gender role for a young straight woman. Audiences should ask themselves not why Viola disguises herself as a man, but rather why it seems so taboo in our culture for her to appear masculine. The reason both pieces succeed as comedies stems from our perspective of “normal” males and females, despite the fact that our society is filled with a diverse spectrum of people who don’t fit either category perfectly.

Exam #1:Introduction

Exam Review

1. Passage identification by worka. My wife, more careful for the latter-born,

Had fast'ned him unto a small spare mast2. Character identification

a. Viola’s twin brother. After the shipwreck, he was rescued by Antonio, and spent three months in his company.

3. Who said it? Name the Speakera. O time! thou must untangle this, not I;

It is too hard a knot for me to untie!

Exam Review1. Matching:

1. Simile ____2. Couplet _____3. Slant Rhyme _____

A. Away before me to sweet beds of flowers!Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers.

B. You spurn me hence, and he will spern me hitherIf I last in this service, you must case me in leather

C. No longer from head to foot than from hip to hip:she is spherical, like a globe

Terms: Fill in the blank1. __________ ruled England from 1558-1603.

Short essay/Long answer: two or three paragraphs

2. Name several types of Shakespearean humor; provide examples and explain the connection to comedy.

3. Compare and contrast the wooing scenes in Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors

4. Discuss the use of misidentification in both plays. Which is more effective and why?

Read Sir Thomas More’s History of King

Richard III 1518 Horace Walpole’s Historic Doubts on the

Life and Reign of King Richard III, 1768 A short bio of Richard III. Note the

source. Is it credible? The link is under “Secondary Sources”

Post #7: choose 11. Shakespeare based his Richard III on the

writings of Sir Thomas More. After reading both Thomas More and Horace Walpole, who do you find more credible? Why?

2. How might More (and Shakespeare) have answered Walpole’s questions?

Due before Friday