The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Notes: Shakespeare’s Life Globe Theatre Parts of a Tragedy Poetry in Shakespeare’s Writing

The Life of William Shakespeare Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, England, as the third of eight children Studied Latin and rhetoric in school Married Anne Hathaway on December 2, 1582, at the age of eighteen Children: Susanna- May 1583 Hamnet and Judeth- February 1584

Shakespeare’s Life Continued By 1592 Shakespeare had become an actor and playwright. By 1594 he was a charter member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a theatre company supported by King James He provided plays for the company to produce; Romeo and Juliet was one of his earlier creations, written between 1594 and Before he retired in 1612, Shakespeare had written thirty-seven plays, not to mention numerous poems and sonnets. Died on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52.

The Globe Theater Shakespeare built the Globe Theater in 1599, using wood from the first permanent theatre built in England. Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theatre from 1600 on. Shakespeare designed the Globe to be a “wooden O,” a round building of about three stories with a stage projecting into the center. The middle of the “O” was open to the sky. The stage was divided into two parts, inner and outer, separated by a curtain. Either side of the inner stage had doors that were used for entrances and exits.

The Globe Theater Continued A small balcony above the inner stage served as Juliet’s balcony, the high walls of castles, or the bridge of a ship. Shakespeare also placed trap doors on the main stage to allow for the entrances and exits of ghosts or for characters to descend to Hell. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed plays during the afternoon. The open-air nature of the Globe meant that no other forms of lighting had to be used. The performers used very few props or pieces of scenery; Shakespeare’s words “set the stage.” All of the female characters in Shakespeare’s plays were portrayed by young male actors.

Parts of a Tragedy Act I: Exposition Act II: Rising Action Act III: Crisis Act IV: Falling Action Act V: Climax and Resolution

Parts of a Tragedy Exposition- establishes setting, introduces some of the main characters, explains background, and introduces the characters’ main conflict. Rising Action- series of complications that occurs as the main characters try to resolve their problems. Crisis- (turning point) the moment when the main characters make a choice that determines the direction of the action. – Comedy: crisis takes an upward turn toward a happy ending – Tragedy: crisis takes a downward turn toward a sad ending. Falling Action- presents events that result from the action taken at the turning point. In a tragedy these events lock the characters into disaster. Climax- moment of greatest emotional intensity or suspense in a plot. In a tragedy the climax always comes during the last act and usually results in the deaths of the main characters. Resolution- (denouement) the part of the play in which all the unresolved parts of the plot are resolved. The play ends with the resolution.

Poetry and Literary Devices in Shakespeare Iambic meter- a pattern of a single unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in the word prefer. Iambic Pentameter- five units written in iambic meter, for a total of ten syllables, as in But soft, what light through yonder window breaks. Blank Verse- unrhymed iambic pentameter. Couplet- two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. End-Stopped Line- a line of writing that has some punctuation at its end. Run-on Line- a line of writing that has no punctuation at its end. Aside- words that are spoken by a character in a play to the audience or to another character but that are not supposed to be overheard by the others onstage. Monologue- a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation. Soliloquy- an unusually long speech in which a character who is onstage alone expresses his or her thoughts aloud.

Tips for Reading Shakespeare Lines written in iambic pentameter or other poetic forms are always for characters of noble rank. Commoners speak in prose. Remember to read fluidly until you come to a punctuation mark. Do not stop or pause at the end of a line unless a comma, period, or other end mark directs you to do so.