Introduction to Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Born 1564, died 1616 Wrote 37 plays Wrote over 150 sonnets Actor, poet, playwright

Sonnet Form A sonnet has 14 lines. A sonnet must be written in iambic pentameter A sonnet must follow a specific rhyme scheme, depending on the type of sonnet. A sonnet can be about any subject, though they are often about love or nature. A sonnet introduces a problem or question in the beginning, and a resolution is offered after the turn.

Iambic Pentameter A line of Iambic Pentameter is a line with ten beats. An “Iamb” is two beats, or one “foot.” “Penta” is five (line has five “feet”). “Meter” is the rhythm of the poem. A “foot” is made of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable (in that order). https://prezi.com/81g-3vxhtfqt/my-mistress-eyes/

Types of Plays Shakespeare wrote: Comedies - light and amusing, usually with a happy ending Tragedies –serious dramas with disastrous endings Histories – involve events or persons from history

The Theatre The Globe Theatre: Open ceiling Three stories high No artificial lighting Plays were shown during daylight hours only

Spectators Wealthy people got to sit on benches The poor (called “groundlings”) had to stand and watch from the courtyard There was much more audience participation than today

Actors Only men and boys Young boys whose voices had not changed played the women’s roles It would have been indecent for a woman to appear on stage

The Big Question This is perhaps the biggest question in all of English Literature: Why does Hamlet delay avenging his father’s murder so long?

Ophelia Syndrome Psychologists have named a particular behavioral disorder after Ophelia. Identify the symptoms of this disorder.

Death Death pervades the play. 8 of the 11 principal characters die during the play. How does Hamlet feel about death? Does he prescribe to the thinking of the time (that death is punishment for sin)? Does he fear death?

Reflection Hamlet the play famously contains a play within the play. It also sets up foils for most of the characters, which are characters who contrast other characters. Further, Hamlet is constantly soliloquizing, or talking to himself. Why is the play so obsessed with mirrors?

Morality In Act 2, Hamlet states, “There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.” How does Hamlet orient his moral compass? Why does he test the statements of his father’s ghost?