WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature

Shakespeare   Stratford-on-Avon, England  wrote 37 plays  about 154 sonnets  started out as an actor

Stage Celebrity  Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London theater co.)  Also > principal playwright for them  1599> Lord Ch. Co. built Globe Theater where most of Sh. Play’s were performed

Shakespeare wrote:  Comedies  Histories  Tragedies

The Theater  Plays produced for the general public  Roofless>open air  No artificial lighting  Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries

Spectators  Wealthy got benches  “Groundlings”>poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard (“pit”)  All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate  Much more interaction than today

Differences  No scenery  Settings > references in dialogue  Elaborate costumes  Plenty of props  Fast-paced, colorful>2 hours!

Actors  Only men and boys  Young boys whose voices had not changed play women’s roles  Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage

Blank Verse  Much of Macbeth is written in:  unrhymed verse  iambic (unstressed, stressed)  pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line) ends up to be 10 syllable lines

Prose  Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song  Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays  Why do you suppose that is?

Tragedy (Shakespearean)  Drama where the central character/s suffer disaster/great misfortune  In many tragedies, downfall results from> Fate Character flaw/Fatal flaw Combination of the two

Tragedy (Shakespearean) Cont’d  Better placed in drama instead of narratives  Shows; doesn’t just tell  Dramatizes what may happen through a cause and effect chain  Audience can envision themselves as part of the action, so this cause pity and fear

Macbeth  Macbeth is often referred to as the Scottish play.  Shakespeare wrote the play for King James I, who was King of Scotland before coming to the English throne.  The name of the play is thought to be cursed throughout the acting world – several “mishaps” have occurred during practices and performances.

Dramatic Foil  A character whose purpose is to contrast another character  Macbeth and Banquo

Round characters  Characters who have many personality traits, like real people.

Flat Characters  One-dimensional, embodying only a single trait  Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

Static Characters  Characters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.

Dynamic Character  Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better.

Monologue  One person speaking on stage > may be other character(s) on stage too

Soliloquy  Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.

Aside  Words spoken, usually in an undertone not intended to be heard by all characters

Pun  Shakespeare loved to use them!!!  Humorous use of a word with two meanings > sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and sexual innuendo

Dramatic Irony  A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

Verbal Irony  Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

Situational Irony  An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

Comic Relief  Use of humor within literature that provides “relief” from seriousness or sadness.  In Macbeth, look for moments of comic relief that help “relieve” the tragedy of the situation