Thursday, November 13, 2014 Aim: Intro to Shakespeare Bellwork: 1. Take out vocab stories 2. What was an interesting or noteworthy detail from the article on Shakespeare?

Macbeth A tragedy by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Life 1564 – 1616 Married Anne Hathaway – three children Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith; he did not live with them for much of his career - he preferred to stay close to the theater Works published after his death; prospered from his acting/producing career - did NOT enforce publication of his works

Shakespeare’s Works 37 plays & 154 sonnets His stories are not original; he borrowed from many different sources, often taking well-known tales and manipulating them to illuminate character and humanity He wrote for the common people - noblemen and peasant alike would enjoy his shows Realistic characters Influenced literature and culture everywhere: The pilgrims who settled in America spoke Elizabethan English…so Shakespeare’s language and culture were transplanted to the “new continent” in his lifetime

Shakespeare’s Impact Great impact on the English language: –Coined many words and phrases, and used old words in new ways –Helped shaped the modern language that we speak today He is believed to have the largest vocabulary of any writer in history (he was extremely well-read!) We can thank him for preserving in his writing: –phrases that he heard used in and around London –The common speech; he used Latin-inspired and flowery poetic speech for lovers and upper- class…but he was also a master of the plain speech of the common person

The Globe Theater Shakespeare – part owner – built in 1599 Round, open roof (daytime performances) No scenery --> lines in the plays would often describe the scene Elaborate costumes Because the city nobility forbid promotion of the theatre, they used a flagpole to signal: –Black flag = tragedy –White flag = comedy –Red flag = history All actors, no actresses – young boys played women; because of this, he needed to use strong language to bring out the characters of his women Intimacy with audience  aside, soliloquy

Macbeth Historically, Macbeth was an 11 th century king of Scotland; however, Shakespeare had 17th-century current events in mind when he wrote it: –King James I came from a line of Scottish royalty, supposedly beginning in the 11th century –The public, as well as James I himself, had a strange fascination with witchcraft Bill’s version probably written in 1606 The play deals with the rise and fall of a powerful, yet flawed individual Separated into five acts Shortest and bloodiest tragedy – powerful and intense, yet easy to understand because of its familiar conflicts

Pay attention to… Power (kingship vs. tyranny) Hallucinations (yikes!) Prophecies – attempts to control future Blood (violence) Weather (hmm…) Portrayal of men and women Ambition Appearance vs. reality

Insights Into Bill’s Language Use Poetic language and vivid imagery symbolized society’s turning away from strictly religious subjects and focusing on sophistication Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter (five strong beats), wherein occasional variations in rhythm are introduced to create emphasis  utilized for its remarkable resemblance to common spoken English He used rhythm, or meter, to add meaning: –Iambic pentameter is used in most dialogue and for soliloquies –Prose is used to indicate dialogue of the peasantry, or comic crudeness (like a fool, or jester)

Elizabethan London’s Madison Square Garden The front of the stage. It was common to throw anything you could at the actors, the most common item being hazelnuts. Side Gallery

The full gallery, during a performance. The best seats in the house were right on the stage! Groundlings, or the peasant folk, paid a penny to stand in the floor area in front of the stage.