William Shakespeare

Table of Contents History Literary Terms Genres Film Adaptations

Free Write What works of Shakespeare have you read before? Have you seen any movie adaptations of Shakespeare works? Have you seen any live theater of Shakespeare plays? What are your impressions of Shakespeare?

You will fill in the blanks with information about William Shakespeare You will fill in the blanks with information about William Shakespeare. You will be take a Quizziz on this information on Friday, April 27rd.

History April 23 1564 (roughly) – April 23 1616 Born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. At age 18, he married 26-year old Anne Hathaway (no relation to the beautiful actress…) He had three children –Susanna, twins, Judith an d Hamnet, his only son, died at age 11.

Theatre Likely began writing plays in the mid-1580’s Initially, his plays were performed only by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Built the Globe in 1599

The Globe Plays were for the general public Open-air theater No artificial lighting Wealthy sat in benches, “groundlings” stood and watched from the courtyard, or “pit”

An, and: If Anon: Soon Aye: Yes But: Except for E’en: Even E’er: Ever Elizabethan Words An, and: If Anon: Soon Aye: Yes But: Except for E’en: Even E’er: Ever

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

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

Important Literary Language Blank Verse Much of Hamlet is written in this Unrhymed verse Iambic (unstressed, stressed) Pentameter (5 “feet” to a line –10 syllable lines) Prose Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song Only characters in the lower social classes speak in prose Plot The sequence of events Exposition Usually begins the plot Introduces: Setting Characters Basic situation Inciting Moment or Initial Incident First bit of action

The turning point –everything begins to unravel Climax The turning point –everything begins to unravel Begins the falling action Resolution The end of the central conflict Denouement Final explanation or outcome of the plot Occurs AFTER the resolution Conflict The struggle in the plot Man vs. man Man vs. self Man vs. society Man vs. nature Crisis The point where the protagonist’s situation gets better or worse

Theme Central idea Dramatic Foil A character whose purpose is to show off another character Round Character Has many personality traits Flat Character One-dimensional Often used for comic relief Static Characters Unchanging in the story Dynamic Characters Somehow change during the story Generally change for the better

One person speaking on stage Monologue One person speaking on stage Soliloquy Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage Aside Spoken in an undertone Not intended to be heard by all characters Can be Unspoken Pun Use of a word with two meanings Big on sexual innuendo Speaking of puns… Direct Address Words that tell the reader who is being addressed Dramatic Irony Contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true

Verbal Irony Words used to suggest to opposite of what is meant Situational Irony An event occurs that contradicts expectations Comic Relief Use of comedy in literature that is NOT comedy to provide relief from sadness

Genres of Shakespeare Comedies Have happy endings (usually in the form of a marriage) More light-hearted than many Shakespearian works 17 comedies written

Comedies A greater emphasis on situations than characters (this numbs the audience's connection to the characters, so that when characters experience misfortune, the audience still finds it laughable) A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders Separation and re-unification Deception among characters (especially mistaken identity) A clever servant

Disputes between characters, often within a family Multiple, intertwining plots Use of all styles of comedy (slapstick, puns, dry humor, earthy humor, witty banter, practical jokes) Happy Ending, though this is a given, since by definition, anything without a happy ending can't be a comedy.

Tragedies The fatal flaw The bigger they are, the harder they fall Protagonist has a weakness that leads to his downfall The bigger they are, the harder they fall External Pressures Fate, evil spirits, manipulative characters

Histories Set against Medieval English history Not historically accurate Social commentary Explores the social structure

Adaptations of Shakespeare Works 19 Things I Hate About you O She’s the Man West Side Story Lion King