1 William Shakespeare

2 Birth  Born April 23, 1564  Stratford-on-Avon, England  John and Mary Arden

3 Marriage  Anne Hathaway  Nov. 28, 1582  He is 18 yrs old  She is 8 years older

4 Children  Susanna baptized May 1583  Twins 1yr and 9 months later  Hamnet and Judith

5 Death  April 23, 1616  Buried before the alter of Trinity Church  Last descendent Elizabeth Hall  Who died in 1670

6 Actor and Playwright  1591 published first play  Comedy of Errors  Wrote 37 plays total  18 were published in his lifetime

7 Life in London  1594 acted before Queen Elizabeth I  Shareholder in Lord Chamberlains Company

8  1597 published Romeo and Juliet  Based on The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 which is a 3,000 line poem that takes place over nine months.

9 Globe Theater  1599 Shakespeare is 1/10 owner of the Globe Theater  It was built across the Thames River from London.  It was built with stolen lumber.  Octagonal in shape with the center open to the sky.

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11 Globe Theatre  Plays were given in the afternoon during good weather. A flag flying from the theatre indicated that a show would happen that day  During a performance in 1613 of Henry VII a fire caused by one of the cannons caused the Globe to burn to the ground. It was rebuilt the following year.

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13 Life in London Con’t  1603 King James I made Shakespeare and company the “King’s Men”  1608 purchased Blackfriars theatre which was a converted monastery lighted by chandeliers of candles.

14 Drama  is a story that is written to be acted out in front of an audience  Four types

15 1. History  Covers the life of one important historical figure  Example Henry VIII

16 2. Tragedy  Depicts serious and important events in which the main character comes to an unhappy end.  The main character is usually dignified and courageous. His downfall may be caused by a flaw or fate. Usually wins self knowledge and wisdom even though he is defeated.

17 Examples  Romeo and Juliet  Julius Caesar

18 The Tragic Structure  Act 1: Exposition  Act 2: Rising Action  Act 3: Turning Point  Act 4: Falling Action  Act 5: Catastrophe

19 3. Comedy  A story that ends happily  The main character is an ordinary person who overcomes a series of obstacles that block what he wants.  Example: Taming of the Shrew

20 4. Romance  Is a story of adventure and love.  Example: The Tempest

21 Recurring Patterns and Devices  1. Contrasting Worlds  In Romeo and Juliet it is Day vs. Night and Montague vs. Capulet  In Julius Caesar it is Public life vs. Private life

22 2. Rise of one person at the expense of another  In Romeo and Juliet it is Romeo over Paris  In Julius Caesar it is Brutus and Cassius over Caesar

23 3. Disguises  In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo uses one at the ball  In Julius Caesar Brutus and Anthony “disguise their feelings”

24 4. Supernatural  In Julius Caesar it is Caesar’s ghost; Comets; “Ides of March”  In Romeo and Juliet it is fortune and “rising from the dead”

25 5. Redemption  In Romeo and Juliet it is the ending of the feud  In Julius Caesar it is an honorable burial for Brutus

26 Other patterns  Eavesdropping  Comic relief scenes  Disorder Yields to order  Parallel characters or foils

27 Special Features of Plays  Dialogue: The speaking parts of a play.  Prologue: This is an introduction. It gives the reader important background information. It can also set the tone and mood of the drama.

28 Special Features of Plays  Chorus: The role of the chorus is to comment on the action of the play. This chorus is considered a character in the drama. Its role is somewhat like that of an announcer or narrator.

29 Special Features of Plays  Stage Directions: The stage directions are instructions for the actors. These are written in italicized type throughout the play. They tell who is entering or exiting during a scene. They also describe the actor’s gestures, movements or tone of voice.

30 Special Features of Plays  Acts and Scenes: A play is divided into acts and acts are divided into scenes.  Footnotes: These will help you understand what is going on in the play. They may be located in the margins, bottom or the end of the text.

31 Theatre Differences  Stage was a platform that jutted out to the first row of seats.  No curtains-had to write in action to clear the stage  Curtained area on stage used as an inner room or tomb

32 Theatre Differences  Balcony  Trap doors  Women were played by men

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