The Man, The Myth, The Legend The Torture-er of Freshmen Everywhere…

William Shakespeare

Well-known Facts about Will Great writer of England Plays translated into all languages, musicals, ballets Born Stratford-upon- Avon Well-to-do, affluent while alive Most quoted, other than the Bible

Lesser-known Facts Teen father: married pregnant 26 year old Anne Hathaway when he was 18 Deadbeat dad: Left wife and children for London stage career Father of twins Elizabethan rapper: uses rhythm and rhyme Plagiarism?

The Competition Bear-baiting Races Gambling Music Drinking/Socializing Public executions

Conditions in London-NOT Pretty! Thames River polluted with raw sewage Trees used up for fuel Poverty

Personal hygiene/health Bathing considered dangerous Body odor!! Children often died before 5 years Small pox Bubonic Plague Ugly!

Living Conditions No running water Chamber pots Open sewers Crowded

Clothes One set used all year long, rarely washed Underclothing slept in, infrequently changed Clothes handed down from rich to poor

Theater in London Performed in courtyards of inns Daytime/open air Limited set design Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description

The Globe Built in 1599 Across the Thames- Wrong side of town Kings Players- Shakespeares company Penny admission

Actors All men Female parts played by young boys No actual hugging or kissing on stage Viewers threw rotten fruit if unpleased.

Romeo and Juliet Tragedy Written in 1595 Set in Verona, Italy Themes: parental control vs. rebellious teens; fate vs. free will; impulsive behavior vs. self- control

Plays source Borrowed from a poem by Brooke-1562 Poem found in French translation by Brooke Shakespeare gave the story new life and beauty

Tragedy Focuses on an individual, concentrating on the suffering of a single, remarkable hero- leading to individual torment, waste and death Will not have a happy ending

Terms Prose- language without metrical structure Verse-poetic language and style Verse will correspond with station: rich ppl speak rhyme. Poor ppl dont. Look out for: Similes, metaphors, personification, foresadowing, irony, puns, odymorons. --its ALL deliberate!

Understanding the Bard Unusual Word Order I ate the banana. Ate the banana I. The banana I ate. I the banana ate. Ate I the banana. The banana ate I. Uses this to emphasize an action, a word, an emotion or just to create a rhythm.

Sonnet Poem form consisting of 14 lines Each line has ten stressed and unstressed syllables known as iambic pentameter Rhyme scheme- ear rhyme (increase/decrease) or eye rhyme (compare/are) If its square…its a sonnet

Sonnet a b a b c d c d e f e f g g scheme Three quatrains (sets of four lines) followed by a couplet (set of two lines) Generally deal with Love, Chastity, Death, Fame, Time and Eternity VIP to notice when Shakespeare uses sonnets in the play.

Questions to Ponder 1. Is the play truly a tragedy? 2. How powerful is the role of fate? 3. How much of your destiny can you control? 4. Does love really conquer all? Is love enough? 5. How do my decisions affect others and am I responsible for that?

Whats Next Homework Read through Act I scene I in your text book. Fill in timeline and character chart In class: PROLOGUE