Shakespeare’s World (1564-1616)

What Is the Ultimate Love Story? Together in groups of four, decide on the best love story you have ever read or watched: what is it? Mention reasons for your choices. What is the criteria you used to make such judgment? Did you make up your mind on whether or not the story had happy ending, the two lovers are in harmony, they have overcome hardships …… It takes almost every single one of us the same period of time to fall in love. How far do you agree with this statement?

Objectives of this Unit Identify Shakespearean Drama and tragedy Identify Shakespearean language including word play and blank verse Identify character foils and the tragic hero Identify and analyze soliloquy, aside, and allusion Analyze influence of historical and cultural context Interpret literature in relation to its literary period Paraphrase passages as an aid to comprehension

England in Shakespeare’s Day The greatest writer in the English language The greatest playwright of all time Lived in England during the Renaissance Europe adopted Humanism during the Renaissance Started his literary career during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, a time that witnessed the peak of English Renaissance The Lord Chamberlain’s Men was the name of the company Shakespeare started writing for.

Theater in Shakespeare’s Day London bragged the fact that it had more theaters than any other European capital at that time. In the English/Elizabethan theater, both the upper class and the working one/ the rich and poor could mix. Shakespeare mastered poetic speech, fast-paced humor, exciting action, vivid character portrayal, and wise observation about human nature.

Around the Globe The Globe was the name of the theater Shakespeare’s plays were performed in. P.927 An open theater, where the audience interacted with the play; they would boo, cheer, hiss and even throw rotten vegetables in case they didn’t like the show Women weren’t allowed on stage. You can imagine the amount and kind of training men would have to undergo in order for them to behave and act like women.

Impact on the Language A master of dramatic language and spoken English Added more words, phrases and expressions to the English language than nay other writer. Ex: assassination, bump, lonely, for Goodness’ sake … Described as the “word musician”

What kinds of Characters Are You Familiar with in Literature? Tragic hero: the protagonist, the central character, usually fails or dies at the end, a character of high rank who shows no fear while dying or facing his destiny Antagonist: a character or a thing that works against the protagonist Foil: a minor character whose actions are opposite to another character’s

Shakespearean Dramatic Convention Soliloquy: a speech a character gives alone on stage which gives the audience a chance to understand more about the character “think of you talking to yourself about your own thoughts on stage” Aside: a remark made by a character to another character or to the audience; other characters on stage don’t hear it Dramatic irony: think of Titanic; before the ship sets sail, you know that the ship will sink and hundreds of people on board will die. This technique helps build suspense Comic relief: a humorous scene or speech given to lighten the mood and heightens the main action by contrast

The Language of Shakespeare Blank Verse: Poetry that resembles or looks like natural speech. unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter: a line that has five unstressed syllables, each of which is followed by a stressed syllable Ex: Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all Here’s much to do with hate but more with love

Puns (Playing with Words) Jokes that result from multiple word meaning or rhyming sounds Always trust a glue salesman. They tend to stick to their word. Guerrilla warfare is more than just throwing a banana. A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired. Juvenile Court Tried Shooting Defendant Big Rig Carrying Fruit Crashes on 210 Freeway – Creates Jam Give it a try: Page 933

Allusion A reference to something that the audience already knows Shakespeare includes allusions to the Greek and Roman mythology—he refers to Venus, the Roman goddess of love; and Cupid, the Roman winged god of love