William Shakespeare

1564-1616 Stratford-on-Avon - England

Overview

Who was he? Why is he so famous

? Life Works

Tragedy Comedy History Poetry

Chronology Elements of drama Dramatic technique Poetic technique

Elizabethan theatre Sonnet XVIII Macbeth Hamlet Julius Caesar Romeo and Juliet Much ado about noth

ing The Merchant of Veni

ce Links

Who was he?

Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature

Poet and dramatistWrote 37 plays: comedies, histories,

tragediesComposed about 154 sonnets and a few

poemsStarted out as an actor

Life

Born around April 23, 1564; 3rd of 8 children Family lived in Stratford-on-Avon, a market town about 100 miles NW of London

Father (John) a shopkeeper. A man of considerable standing in Stratford. Served as Justice of the Peace and High Bailiff (mayor)

Attended grammar school, where he studied Latin, grammar and literature, Rhetoric (the use of language). No further formal education known

Marriage to Anne Hathaway, 8 years older than he, 3 children: Susanna (1583), Judith and Hamnet (twins, 1585)

Later life 1594 - became shareholder in a company of

actors called Lord Chamberlain’s Men 1599 - Lord Chamberlain’s Co. Built Globe

Theater where most of S. Play’s were performed

1599 - Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men and principal playwright for them

1603 – James I became king of England; acting company renamed King’s Men

1610 – Shakespeare retired to Stratford-on-Avon April 2

1616 – died at the age of 52

Works

Editions of works: First Quarto (1603), Second Quarto (1604), Folio (1623)

Comedy A Midsummer Night's

Dream All's Well That Ends

Well As You Like It Cymbeline Loves Labours Lost Measure for Measure Much Ado About

Nothing Pericles, Prince of

Tyre The Comedy of Errors

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Taming of the Shrew

The Tempest Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of

Verona Winter's Tale

Tragedy

Antony and Cleopatra

CoriolanusHamletJulius CaesarKing Lear

MacbethOthelloRomeo and

JulietTimon of AthensTitus Andronicus

History

Henry IV, part 1Henry IV, part 2Henry VHenry VI, part 1Henry VI, part 2

Henry VI, part 3Henry VIIIKing JohnRichard IIRichard III

Poetry

A Lover's ComplaintSonnets (about 154)The Passionate PilgrimThe Phoenix and the turtleThe Rape of LucreceVenus and Adonis

Why is he still so famous? His plays portray recognizable people in situations

we experience in our lives: love, marriage, death, mourning, guilt, the need to make difficult choices, separation, reunion and reconciliation

They do so with great humanity, tolerance, and wisdom

They are constantly fresh and can be adapted to the place and time they are performed

Their language is wonderfully expressive and powerful

They help us to understand what it is to be human, and to cope with the problems of being so

Chronology

The problem with any timeline of Shakespeare's works is that most dates are subject to interpretation. While it is easy to say that The Comedy of Errors is an early work and The Tempest is quite later, exact dates are not - and may not ever be -proved.

Title Date

Written Date

Range First

Published

The Comedy of Errors 1590 ? - 1594 1623

Titus Andronicus 1590 ? - 1594 1594

The Taming of the Shrew

1591 ? - 1594 1623

2 Henry VI 1591 ? - 1592 1594

3 Henry VI 1591 ? - 1592 1595

1 Henry VI 1592 ? - 1592 1623

Richard III 15921592 -

15971597

Love's Labor's Lost 1593 ? - 1597 1598

Two Gentlemen of Verona 1593 ? - 1598 1623

A Midsummer Night's Dream 1594 1594 - 1598 1600

Romeo and Juliet 1595 ? - 1597 1597

Richard II 1595 1595 - 1597 1597

King John 1596 ? - 1598 1623

The Merchant of Venice 1596 1594 - 1598 1600

Henry IV Part 1 1596 1595 - 1598 1598

Henry IV Part 2 1597 1596 - 1598 1600

The Merry Wives of Windsor 1597 1597 - 1602 1602

As You Like It 1598 1598 - 1600 1623

Much Ado About Nothing 1598 1598 - 1600 1600

Henry V 1599 1599 1600

Julius Caesar 1599 1598 - 1599 1623

Twelfth Night 1600 1600 - 1602 1623

Hamlet 1601 1599 - 1601 1603

Troilus and Cressida 1602 1601 - 1603 1609

All's Well That Ends Well 1603 1598 - ? 1623

Measure For Measure 1604 1598 - 1604 1623

Othello 1604 1598 - 1604 1622

King Lear 1605 1598 - 1606 1608

Macbeth 1606 1603 - 1611 1623

Antony and Cleopatra 1606 1598 - 1608 1623

Timon of Athens 1606 1598 - ? 1623

Pericles Prince of Tyre 1607 1598 - 1608 1609

Coriolanus 1608 1598 - ? 1623

Cymbeline 1609 1598 - 1611 1623

A Winter's Tale 1610 1598 - 1611 1623

The Tempest 1611 1610 - 1611 1623

Henry VIII 1613 1612 - 1613 1623

Language Used over 20,000 words in his works The average writer uses 7,500 The English Dictionary of his time only had

500 words. He’s credited with creating 3,000 words in

the English Oxford Dictionary He was by far the most important individual

influence on the development of the modern English

He invented lots of words that we use in our daily speech

Words invented by the Bard

accommodation

amazement assassination baseless bloody bump castigate changeful control (noun) countless courtship critic

eventful exposure frugal generous gloomy hurry impartial indistinguishable invulnerable laughable lonely majestic

misplaced monumental

obscene

pious

premeditated

radiance

reliance

road

sportive

submerge

suspicious

Stratford-upon-Avon

Elements of drama 5-part dramatic structure corresponds to a

play’s5 acts Exposition (introduction)

Establishes tone, setting, main characters, main conflict

Fills in events previous to play

Rising action Series of complications for the protagonist (main

character)flowing from the main conflict

Crisis or Climax Turning point in story Moment of choice for protagonist Forces of conflict come together

Falling action Results of protagonist’s decision Maintains suspense

Resolution or Denouement Conclusion of play Unraveling of plot May include characters’ deaths

Elements of drama

Dramatic techniquePun: play on words involving

Word with more than one meaning Words with similar sounds

Soliloquy Speech of moderate to long length Spoken by one actor alone on stage (or not heard

by other actors) Aside

Direct address by actor to audience – Not supposed to be overheard by other characters

Poetic technique

Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter

Iambic pentameter 5 units of rhythm per line primary rhythm is iambic ( U / )“Shal Ì compàre Thée to a sùmmer’s

dày”

Typical 16th century theatre

Building: 3 stories Levels 1 & 2, Backstage: dressing and storage

areas Level 3, Upper Stage: could represent balcony, walls of a castle, bridge of a ship

Resembled courtyard of an inn

The Globe Theatre

Elizabethan Theatre

The Globe Theatre

Proscenium stage A large platform without a curtain

or a stage setting 2 ornate pillars supported canopy Stage roof (underpart of canopy)

called “the heavens” elaborately painted to depict the sun,

moon, stars, planets

Trap doors: entrances and exits of ghosts; area under stage called Hell

2 large doors at back: actors made entrances and exits in full view of audience

Inner stage: a recess with balcony area above

Floor: ash mixed with hazelnut shells from snacks audience ate during performance Effect on performance: plays held in afternoon No roof No artificial lighting No scenery

Acting companies

Developed from the medieval trade guilds

Were composed ofOnly boys and men Young boys performed female

roles

Audience

2000-3000 people from all walks of life

Well-to-do spectators sat in covered galleries around stage

Most stood in yard around platform stage – “groundlings”

King James I

• King James unites Scotland, England, and Ireland

• Believed in witches and demons– Wrote a book called “Demonolgie”

• As part of as his duty as king, James allowed people to be executed as a witches.

History is written by the winners

• The real Macbeth and Duncan lived in the 11th century.

• Duncan becomes King of Scotland in 1034

• Macbeth feels he had claim to the throne being Duncan’s cousin.

• Duncan was seen as an ineffective king and poor leader in battle.

• Macbeth battles Duncan in 1040 and defeats him in battle. – Macbeth becomes the King of Scotland

• Macbeth rules successfully for nearly twenty years. – Seen as a strong and fair ruler.

• Macbeth is thrust into battle against Siward, working to return the throne to Duncan’s son, Malcolm.

• In 1057, Macbeth is killed by Malcolm. – Malcolm becomes the King of Scotland