1564 - 1616 The world’s most famous playwright William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 The world’s most famous playwright

Biography Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England Middle-class family Attended local grammar school Married Anne Hathaway at 18; had 3 children

Stratford-on-Avon

Life in the theater Moved to London in late 1580’s Became successful playwright and actor Involved in acting group called King’s Men

Globe Theater Most of his plays were performed there Round No roof Seats grouped according to price Groundlings

Elizabethan drama Elizabethan Age (1558-1603) during reign of Elizabeth I Acting was looked down upon Officials tried to close theaters (unsavory, unhealthy)

Comedy vs. Tragedy Comedy = story that ends happily Tragedy = story in which the main character comes to an unhappy end

What causes a character’s downfall? Tragic flaw = serious character weakness Forces beyond the character’s control

More about Elizabethan drama Plots of plays were not original Performances only during daylight Few props Attended by all social classes

No women actors Simple sets Sound effects People talked, ate, drank, etc. so actors had to work hard to hold audience’s attention

Iambic pentameter Iamb = one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable “penta” = five Meter = rhythm of poem IP = five iambs in a line of poetry

Example . . . Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Shakespeare writes blank verse = unrhymed iambic pentameter Inverted word order Accented syllables Commoners speak in ordinary prose R&J has more rhyming than later plays

A few examples of Shakespeare’s language Wherefore = why Thou = you Thine = your, yours Thee = you Hath = has Art = are Anon = soon Prithee = I pray to you; I beg of you Soft = wait a minute Marry = by the Virgin Mary (a mild oath) Hence = here Knave = servant

Literary terms Pun = humorous use of a word that suggests two or more meanings Aside = an actor’s speech that is spoken to the audience but not heard by other characters Oxymoron = statement that seems to contradict itself Dramatic irony = when the audience knows more than the characters do

Comic relief = humorous scenes that relieve the overall emotional intensity of the play Soliloquy = a speech a character gives when he is alone on stage

Format of a five-act play Act I: exposition Act II: rising action Act III: climax Act IV: falling action Act V: resolution