William Shakespeare And other odds and ends . . .

Shakespeare Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon Died April 23, 1616 Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 Had a daughter and a set of twins Arrived in London about 1588 Became popular as a poet and playwright

Shakespeare Became involved with the Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men Gave special presentations at the courts of Elizabeth I and James I Wrote sonnets, comedies, tragedies, and history plays Contemporaries included Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser

The Globe Theater Prior to the 1500s, plays took place on temporary platforms In 1576 James Burbage built the first permanent theater The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 Made of wood Octagonal exterior, round interior Shakespeare called it “this wooden O”

The Globe Theatre Had no roof Few seats; most people stood in the yard surrounding the stage Accommodated about 2,000 For one penny, groundlings stood in the pit Few props: skulls, caldrons, weapons, phials of blood, bushes, ladders, rosebushes, box trees, tombs, severed heads

The Globe Theatre Machines let gods or ghosts down from heaven or up from the floor Caterers sold tobacco, apples, nuts, and pamphlets Women discouraged from attending No female actors; boys played parts of women If the audience didn’t like the play, they would throw their garbage at the stage

Literary Terms Comedy - a play that begins with trouble and ends with peace; often romantic in nature Tragedy - a play that begins in calm and ends in tempest; one or more characters dies by the end of the play History plays - draw from historical material; stressed patriotism of the time

Terms Continued Blank verse - unrhymed, regular verse; usually iambic pentameter Quarto - about half of Shakespeare’s plays were printed in quarto editions during his lifetime, probably without his consent; is a book size with four leaves (1/4 the original paper size)

Terms Continued First Folio - the first written edition of Shakespeare’s plays; later revised to account for inaccuracies Prologue - an introduction to a play; explains what the audience will see Soliloquy - a speech a character makes when he or she is alone on stage; lets the audience know what the character is thinking

Terms Continued Aside - spoken by a character in a play to the audience; not heard by the other characters on stage Dramatic irony - the contrast that exists between what is expected and reality; the audience knows something the characters do not

Terms Continued Hamartia - Hamartia is the unwitting but necessary misstep or ignorance expressed through action or inaction of the protagonist. It must express itself through a definite action or the failure to perform a definite action. Tragic flaw is usually associated with a moral or character defect that leads to a character’s downfall.

Terms Continued Foil - A foil is literally a “leaf” or sheet of bright metal placed under a piece of jewelry to increase its brilliance. In literature, by extension,the term is applied to any person or sometimes an object that through strong contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another.