introduction to the literature of william shakespeare the world’s greatest storyteller

Introduction to the Literature of William Shakespeare The Worlds Greatest Storyteller

We do not understand Shakespeare from a single reading, and certainly not from a single play. There is a relation between the various plays of Shakespeare, taken in order; and it is work of years to venture even one individual interpretation of the pattern in Shakespeares carpet. T. S. Elliot, Dante, 1929

Shakespeares Life (1564- 1616) Early Life Born in Stratford, England to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden Father was a glove maker Grammar school still in use today Saw a traveling acting show at the age of 4

Shakespeares Life, Cont. Later Life Married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 (she was 28) (Nov. 1582) Children: Susanna and twins; Hamnet and Judith (Baptized 1583 and 1585) Around 1587 left for London

Shakespeares Theatrical Life Professional Life Member of the Lord Chamberlains Players Wrote first plays in 1592 (Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors, Loves Labors Lost). Comedy of Errors is said to be the first. Instant success with the public (patriotic, violent; he was experimenting) Theatres closed down for two years because of the plague Shakespeare turned to writing poetry (sonnets) Venus and Adonis and Lucrece only published works ( great success)

Theatrical Life, Cont. 1594 theatres reopened; Shakespeare began writing for the stage (did not care what literary world thought of him) opened with Romeo and Juliet 1599- Globe Theatre opened; Shakespeare part owner; new acting company The Kings Men (1603 King James, King of England) Wrote and acted in 37 plays in his lifetime Retired to and died in Stratford in 1616; buried in Holy Trinity Church (Cursed be he who moves my bones.)

Queen Elizabeth (Queen from 1533-1603) Patron of the arts Loved plays; they were presented at court at Christmas Would not let the Puritans close the theatres; they needed the practice

The Elizabethan Audience Loved violence and gore; did not mind that they were already familiar with the plots All classes of people attended; loved the language of Shakespeares plays; it was to them what music is to us today. Wealthy got benches Groundlings = poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard (pit) All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate

Theatres Began in inn courtyards; people hanging out their windows to watch 1576 - James Burbage built the Theatre in London (Shakespeare was 12 had to be built _out of the city limits) 1599 the theatre lost its lease; was rebuilt in another part of town and named the Globe Theatres were round, opened in the center; a flag was put each day to signify whether a comedy or a tragedy was playing; multilevel Very little use of scenery or props; however, elaborate costumes

Theatres, Cont. Plays performed during the day (around 2 PM) 1613 Globe Theatre burned down during a performance of Henry VI 1614 rebuilt better, later torn down (1641) Late 1990s rebuilt on its original site on the Thames in East London The theatres were repeatedly closed down during the 1500s and 1600s because it was believed to be connected to many deaths (plague)

The Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre in London was the venue at which the Bard's best known stage works were first produced. The Globe was built in 1599 and had a total capacity of 2,000 -3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted between 2 and 5 Acoustics were poor and the actors had to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures. Productions were completely devoid of background scenery. Changes of scene were indicated in the speeches and narrative situations that Shakespeare wrote into the text of the plays. The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt, and remained active until 1642. It was demolished in 1644. Excavation was begun in 1989; finished almost 10 years later

Props & Scenery Hair: wigs Makeup: flour to whiten faces for ghosts or villains Ink: to draw features such as wrinkles, etc. Cheeks: brick dust, or slap them around before going out on stage; charcoal for black faces

Props & Scenery, Cont. Props: blood, real blood, an animal spleen or heart (Shakespeare one of the first to show violence on stage) Expensive costumes (often reused) Cannons for battle scenes Open sky Music created mood and scene; also done by language drums and trumpets (special effects for distance) Bright colors, banners, fireworks, processions Dress easily distinguished social class and profession

Actors Only men Needed to be able to sing, dance, tumble, swordfight Had to have fantastic memories (often had to do several plays a week) Rarely wrote their own plays Were often looked down upon; were not university educated; however, they were respected and well known abroad Young boys were used for the womens parts (boys were often kidnapped and forced into the theatre lifeuntil their voices changed) The same actor was often well known for a certain type of character, and plays were written with this in mind (Richard Burbage played Othello) Richard Burbage-most famous Shakespearean actor of the time

Subjects & Themes of Shakespeares Plays All of Shakespeares 37 plays were adaptations, not original creations Shakespeare added elements of human nature to all his plays; made cardboard characters more rounded; made plots more complicated, therefore lifelike Ideas for plays came from: History plays: Holinsheds Chronicles; classical mythology; Englands own history Comedies and tragedies: poems and classical literature Shakespeare was the first to mix comedy with tragedy

Subjects & Themes of Shakespeares Plays, Cont. Shakespeares plays were criticized during his lifetime because they did not follow the formula that other dramatists followed, particularly university educated writers. Shakespeare wrote for the common man. His plays were not published in his lifetime. The action took place off stage. Frequent themes found in Shakespeares plays are revenge, hate, love, jealousy, power Plays werent published until 1623 in the First Folio by two members of Shakespeares acting company who issued it as a memorial to their fellow actor.

Language in Shakespeares Plays Written in iambic pentameter (unstressed/stressed accent) Blank verse Often rhymed to help actors learn lines and to show when a scene was coming to an end Is rich with new words added to our language (afeared) Shows the development of the English language (you, thou, thee) Is filled with many frequently quoted passages (To be or not to be) Language was used to establish the setting as there was no curtain Used contractions, elongated words

Quick Write: Please take a minute to write down all the Shakespearean plays you have heard of or read.

Shakespeare wrote: Comedies Histories Tragedies

All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline Love's Labours Lost Measure for Measure The Merry Wives of Windsor The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Pericles, Prince of Tyre Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter's TaleAll's Well That Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline Love's Labours Lost Measure for Measure The Merry Wives of Windsor The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Pericles, Prince of Tyre Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter's Tale Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part II Henry V Henry VI, Part I Henry VI, Part II Henry VI, Part III Henry VIII King John Richard II Richard III Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus

Typical Images of Shakespeare

Atypical Images

Q: What do the following words have in common? AddictionAdvertisingBedroomChampion DruggedElbowEyeballGossip HintLonely Skim milk Tranquil

A: They were all coined by Shakespeare. William Shakespeare invented over 1700 words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words that were never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising original words.

The Will The Bard's will gave most of his property to Susanna, his first child and not to his wife Anne Hathaway. Instead his wife received his "second-best bed".

The Cursed Grave Good friend, for Jesus sake, forbear To dig the dust enclosed here; Blest be the man that spares these stones And curst he that moves my bones.

Publishing William never published any of his plays. We read his plays today only because seven years after his death, fellow actors posthumously recorded his work as a dedication to Shakespeare in 1623. This collection, The First Folio, is the source from which all published Shakespeare books are derived and is proof that he authored his plays. FOLIO: The largest common size of a book or manuscript, usually about 38 cm (or 15 in.) in height and made up of folded sheets.

The First Folio

When Shakespeare was writing, plays were not really considered Literature were not published with the care that his poems were. But in 1616, Ben Jonson published his complete Works --and included his plays (which he called "poems"). Seven years later, the First Folio was published. Had the First Folio not been published, we would have lost three of Shakespeare's last plays (Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest), four tragedies (Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus), and two of the mature comedies (As You Like It and Twelfth Night).

Multi-Talented Fact: Few people realize that aside from writing 37 plays and composing 154 sonnets, William was also an actor who performed many of his own plays as well as those of other playwrights (such as Ben Jonson).

Elizabethan (QE) Words You have to understand a little of the Queens English An,and: If Anon: Soon Aye: Yes But:Except for Een:Even Eer: Ever

QE Words (cont.) Haply:Perhaps Happy:Fortunate Hence:Away, from her Hie:Hurry Marry:Indeed

QE Words (cont.) Whence:Where Wilt:Will, will you Withal:In addition to Would:Wish

Why Are These Plays Good? 1.Transcend Time and Place 2.Reflect Humanity: Emotions Continual Struggles 3.Reflect History 4.Still relatable

Blank Verse Much of Shakespeare is written in it: unrhymed verse iambic (unstressed, stressed) pentameter( 5 feet to a line) ends up to be 10 syllable lines

Prose Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeares plays Why do you suppose that is?

Structure of The Bards Plays All have a Plot: The sequence of events in a literary work All have Exposition: The plot usually begins with this: Introduces: setting characters basic situation

Inciting Moment Often called initial incident the first bit of action that occurs which begins the plot For example, Romeo and Juliet lock eyes at the party

Conflict The struggle that develops man vs. man man vs. himself man vs. society man vs. nature

Crisis The point where the protagonists situation will either get better or worse

Climax The turning point of the story everything begins to unravel from here Thus begins the falling action

Resolution The end of the central conflict

Denouement The final explanation or outcome of the plot If this is included in literature, it will occur after the resolution.

Metaphorical Language Comparison of unlike things Paris standing over the lifeless body of Juliet, Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew Thou detestable mawGorged with the dearest morsel of the earth Romeo

Dramatic Foil A character whose purpose is to show off another character Benvolio for Tybalt look for others in R & J

Round characters Characters who have many personality traits, like real people.

Flat Characters One-dimensional, embodying only a single trait Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

Static Characters Characters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.

Dynamic Character Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better.

Monologue One person speaking on stage; may be other character on stage too Logue speech; mono - one

Soliloquy Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage. In R & J, Romeo gives a soliloquy after the servant has fled and Paris has died.

Aside Words spoken, usually in an undertone not intended to be heard by all characters

Pun Shakespeare loved to use them!!! Humorous use of a word with two meanings sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and sexual innuendo

Direct Address Words that tell the reader who is being addressed: A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. Ah, my mistresses, which of you all/ Will now deny to dance?

Dramatic Irony A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

Verbal Irony Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

Situational Irony An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

Comic Relief Use of comedy within literature that is NOT comedy to provide relief from seriousness or sadness. In Hamlet and Othello, look for moments of comic relief that help relieve the tragedy of the situation

The Products of Shakespeare Out of his 37 plays the top 6 most popular are: Hamlet Othello Macbeth Romeo and Juliet The Tempest Julius Caesar

Words of Wisdom from Shakespeare To be or not to be; that is the question. Hamlet Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. Alls Well That Ends Well Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Twelfth Night Its not enough to speak, but to speak true. Midsummer Nights Dream

Helpful Websites The Shakespeare Glossary http://shakespeare.about.com/library/blglossary.htm http://shakespeare.about.com/library/blglossary.htm Romeo and Juliet Online Quizzes http://www.edhelper.com/books/Romeo_and_Juliet.htm http://www.edhelper.com/books/Romeo_and_Juliet.htm William Shakespeare Biography http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/

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