April 26, 1564 (Baptized) in Stratford-on-Avon Married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and had
three children The Lord Chamberlain’s Men first performed in the
Theatre as women were not permitted on the stage The Globe Theatre was the first theatre built and
run by actors Died in Stratford on April 23, 1616 Most famous playwright in history 38 plays, 154 sonnets
Shakespeare
Divided into three categories: Comedy, history, tragedy
Comedies are usually characterized by: A light-hearted tone A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty Separation Mistaken identities A clever servant Heightened tensions, often within family Multiple, intertwining plots Frequent punning A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy
Plays
Plays continued
Histories
Any of Shakespeare’s plays that retell the story of lives or specific events within their lives.
Examples: King John, Henry V, Richard II
Tragedies
Characterized by a tragic hero whose flaw usually leads to their downfall and a lot of people dying.
Examples: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
"Midsummer Night" is traditionally June 23/24, a festival of partying and dancing and superstitions regarding enchantment and witchcraft, when midsummer madness, probably associated with the heat, brings about an alternate state of mind "when people are most apt to imagine fantastic experiences"
Midsummer is celebrated between June 21-June 25.
Centered upon the summer solstice
http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/mnd1.html
Plots
Main Plot
Fairies drug Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, four young people, to make them fall in and out of love with each other and back into love with each other again
Subplot
The wedding of Duke Theseus and Hippolyta (an Amazon queen who the Duke defeated) is coming up. To celebrate the wedding, the Mechanicals, a group of working class people turned actors, is practicing to perform a play for the wedding.
Theseus and Hippolyta
• Queen of the Amazons (island)• Kidnapped to marry• Powerful• Girdle (power belt)
These are topics the play covers. To make a theme, answer what message the play is sending about each topic below:
Love Art and culture Transformation Gender Versions of reality Foolishness and folly Humans and the natural world The supernatural
Themes
A sprite Mischievous Either plays tricks on people or helps them
with chores depending on his mood Brags about the trouble he has caused the
villagers such as ruining kegs of ale or butter that housewives spend their mornings churning
Puck (Robin Goodfellow)
Bottom – A weaver,
one of the “Mechanicals
Peter Quince -One of the “Mechanicals”
Gives the prologue for the play performed for the wedding
Flute - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of “Thisbe” in the play they perform called “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Starveling - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of Moonshine in “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Snug - One of the
Mechanicals While performing in the
play, he tells the ladies in the audience not to worry because he’s only pretending to be a lion
Snout - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of a wall in their play
Philostrate - Party planner for Duke Theseus
Official title is “Master for the Revels” which was a job in the court during Shakespeare’s time. Duties were to organize the entertainment for the monarch and decide what could be performed. The job was basically a censor
Philostrate doesn’t think the Mechanical’s play is good enough for the Duke to see
Duke Theseus insists on seeing it to which Philostrate replies, “No, my noble lord / It is not for you: I have heard it over / And it is nothing, nothing in the world" (5.1.4).
Theseus Duke of Athens,
most powerful His wedding to
Hippolyta is the subject of the beginning and the end of the play
Hippolyta Amazon Queen Marries the Duke of
Athens The Amazons are a
mythological group of warrior women
Oberon
King of the Fairies Master of Puck Husband of Titania
Titania
Queen of the Fairies Oberon’s wife Expert in magic Gracious, yet sassy Raising a little boy from India
and refuses to give him up Worries about the natural
order that gets upset when her and Oberon have a quarrel
Stands up for what she believes in
The Changling
The Indian boy Titania is caring for
Causes problems in Titania’s relationship with Oberon because she spends all her time with the boy and Oberon wants the boy to perform errands for him.
Does not have any lines
In some performances of the play, he doesn’t even appear on stage
Still important because of his role in Titantia and Oberon’s relationship
Lysander
Hermia’s boyfriend Wants to get married Hermia’s father is against
the marriage Runs off with Hermia to
elope Puck drugs him in the
woods by mistake and he falls in love with Helena
Puck gives him an antidote later
Hermia
Daughter of Egeus Betrothed to Demetrius by
her father but loves Lysander Her father wants her killed
for disobeying him (which is allowed under Athenian law)
Is brought before Duke Theseus for disobeying her father’s wishes and stands up for herself
Demetrius
Betrothed to Hermia Hermia doesn’t love
him and wants to marry Lysander
The fairies drug him so he falls in love with Helena and marries her in the end
Helena
In the beginning of the play, no one is in love with Helena
She spends her time thinking about love and dismisses it
In the end though, she becomes a fool for love
Pities herself often
April 26, 1564 (Baptized) in Stratford-on-Avon Married ____________________________when he was 18
and had three children The Lord Chamberlain’s Men first performed in the
Theatre as ____________________ were not permitted on the __________________
The ________________________________was the first theatre built and run by actors
Died in Stratford on ____________________________ Most famous playwright in history __________ plays, ________________ sonnets
Shakespeare
Divided into three categories: _________________, history, tragedy
Comedies are usually characterized by: A _______________________________________ A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty _________________________________________ Mistaken identities ______________________________________________________ Heightened tensions, often within family Multiple, intertwining plots _______________________________________________________ A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy
Plays
Plays continued
_____________________
Any of Shakespeare’s plays that retell the story of lives or _______________ events within their lives.
Examples: King John, Henry V, Richard II
______________________
Characterized by a __________________ hero whose flaw usually leads to their downfall and a lot of people dying.
Examples: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
"Midsummer Night" is traditionally June 23/24, a festival of partying and dancing and superstitions regarding enchantment and witchcraft, when midsummer madness, probably associated with the heat, brings about an alternate state of mind "when people are most apt to imagine _______________________ experiences"
____________________ is celebrated between June 21-June 25.
Centered upon the _____________________
http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/mnd1.html
Plots
Main Plot
Fairies drug Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, four young people, to make them fall in and out of love with each other and back into love with each other again
Subplot
The wedding of Duke Theseus and Hippolyta (an Amazon queen who the Duke defeated) is coming up. To celebrate the wedding, the Mechanicals, a group of working class people turned actors, is practicing to perform a play for the wedding.
Theseus and Hippolyta
• Queen of the Amazons (island)• Kidnapped to marry• Powerful• Girdle (power belt)
These are topics the play covers. To make a theme, answer what message the play is sending about each topic below:
Love Art and culture Transformation Gender Versions of reality Foolishness and folly Humans and the natural world The supernatural
Themes
A sprite Mischievous Either plays tricks on people or helps them
with chores depending on his mood Brags about the trouble he has caused the
villagers such as ruining kegs of ale or butter that housewives spend their mornings churning
Puck (Robin Goodfellow)
Bottom – A weaver,
one of the “Mechanicals
Peter Quince -One of the “Mechanicals”
Gives the prologue for the play performed for the wedding
Flute - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of “Thisbe” in the play they perform called “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Starveling - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of Moonshine in “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Snug - One of the
Mechanicals While performing in the
play, he tells the ladies in the audience not to worry because he’s only pretending to be a lion
Snout - One of the “Mechanicals”
Plays the role of a wall in their play
Philostrate - Party planner for Duke Theseus
Official title is “Master for the Revels” which was a job in the court during Shakespeare’s time. Duties were to organize the entertainment for the monarch and decide what could be performed. The job was basically a censor
Philostrate doesn’t think the Mechanical’s play is good enough for the Duke to see
Duke Theseus insists on seeing it to which Philostrate replies, “No, my noble lord / It is not for you: I have heard it over / And it is nothing, nothing in the world" (5.1.4).
Theseus Duke of Athens,
most powerful His wedding to
Hippolyta is the subject of the beginning and the end of the play
Hippolyta Amazon Queen Marries the Duke of
Athens The Amazons are a
mythological group of warrior women
Oberon
King of the Fairies Master of Puck Husband of Titania
Titania
Queen of the Fairies Oberon’s wife Expert in magic Gracious, yet sassy Raising a little boy from India
and refuses to give him up Worries about the natural
order that gets upset when her and Oberon have a quarrel
Stands up for what she believes in
The Changling
The Indian boy Titania is caring for
Causes problems in Titania’s relationship with Oberon because she spends all her time with the boy and Oberon wants the boy to perform errands for him.
Does not have any lines
In some performances of the play, he doesn’t even appear on stage
Still important because of his role in Titantia and Oberon’s relationship
Lysander
Hermia’s boyfriend Wants to get married Hermia’s father is against
the marriage Runs off with Hermia to
elope Puck drugs him in the
woods by mistake and he falls in love with Helena
Puck gives him an antidote later
Hermia
Daughter of Egeus Betrothed to Demetrius by
her father but loves Lysander Her father wants her killed
for disobeying him (which is allowed under Athenian law)
Is brought before Duke Theseus for disobeying her father’s wishes and stands up for herself
Demetrius
Betrothed to Hermia Hermia doesn’t love
him and wants to marry Lysander
The fairies drug him so he falls in love with Helena and marries her in the end
Helena
In the beginning of the play, no one is in love with Helena
She spends her time thinking about love and dismisses it
In the end though, she becomes a fool for love
Pities herself often