T HE E NGLISH R ENAISSANCE AND W ILLIAM S HAKESPEARE How The Great Bard Was Born British Literature November 18, 2014 Objectives Students will understand the context of the literary period of the Renaissance Students will be able to explain why Shakespeare wrote in Iambic Pentameter. *MAKE-UP SOCRATIC SEMINAR TODAY DURING ADVISORY*

“He was not of an age, but for all time” Ben Johnson on William Shakespeare

W ILLIAM S HAKESPEARE CIRCA 1609 The most famous writer in history was just as influenced by the culture he was born into as he influences modern culture. In learning about his life and reading his works, we learn about ourselves and about human nature. It is no mistake that every high school student in this country studies Shakespeare. He is quite simply the best and you are about to experience the power of his writings.

T HE R ENAISSANCE P ERIOD

T HE R ENAISSANCE P ERIOD  Renaissance literally means “rebirth” Rebirth of classical literature and art forms  A Renaissance occurs when life is good (people are not fighting for survival)  It is a high time for art and literature

I TALIAN R ENAISSANCE Occurred from A.D. Marked as high time in art (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles— Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo) Influenced the English Renaissance Period

E NGLISH R ENAISSANCE Occurred between A.D. Began with Henry VIII and ended with King James I Highest point occurred during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign High time in literature: Sidney, Spencer, Marlow, Shakespeare Courtiers (professional kiss- ups) were very important Social classes were strictly enforced Theaters thrived but were considered low-class

S OCIAL M OBILITY During this time period, it was nearly impossible to rise above your birth— if you were born a peasant, you died a peasant. Family name and nobility were very important One way to try and rise above your birth was through the practice of patronage—though how far you could rise was pre-determined by your family name.

T HE T UDORS English Reformation and Renaissance

H ENRY V III From the Tudor line Had SIX wives: Catherine of Aragon(divorced), Anne Boleyn(beheaded), Jane Seymore (died), Ann of Cleves(divorced), Kathryn Howard (beheaded), Katherine Parr (survived) Divorced the Catholic Church in order to marry his mistress Wanted a male heir Fathered two daughters (Mary and Elizabeth) and one son (Edward) Was Catholic, Protestant, Catholic, Protestant....

P RINCE E DWARD The sole male heir to Henry’s throne He was Protestant and upheld this faith in the country once in power Was ill and died shortly after gaining the throne Left behind no heir (too young to do so)

B LOODY M ARY After Edward’s short reign and early death, Mary took the English throne. Devoutly Catholic and looking to vindicate her mother (Henry’s first wife), Mary vowed to wipe out Protestantism. Ordered the mass execution of Protestants to restore the Catholic faith. Died of cancer

Q UEEN E LIZABETH I “Bastard” Queen, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Was both acknowledged and disowned by her father when he was alive Devoutly Protestant “Virgin Queen”—never married, used her feminine wiles to gain and maintain power The art of flirtation became a lucrative enterprise during her reign Encouraged poetry and theater Powerful, wise, and important monarch Sustained many plots against her life

K ING J AMES I Was Queen Elizabeth’s Godson, inherited her throne. Patron of theater— Shakespeare’s King’s Men were his favorite acting troupe. Solidified the Protestant faith with the creation of the King James Bible

W HAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH S HAKESPEARE ????

The Italian Renaissance influenced the English Renaissance Henry VIII is the King at the start of the English Renaissance, his children ruled during most of this period, the era ended soon after all of his children were dead William Shakespeare was born while Elizabeth was Queen and became wealthy through King James I

B RIEF B IOGRAPHY OF W ILLIAM S HAKESPEARE April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616

T HE F IVE P ROVABLE F ACTS A BOUT S HAKESPEARE He was baptized on April 26, 1564 There were no such things as birth certificates at this time. However, babies were usually baptized three days after their birth—hence Shakespeare’s birth date of April 23, 1564 He was married at the age of 18 to 26 year old Anne Hathaway (she was pregnant) He fathered three children (two girls, one boy) His son died young He was part owner of the Globe Theater He died on April 23, 1616

I T IS A M YSTERY... Everything else that is “known” about the world’s greatest writer is speculation, best guesses, and agreed upon facts. Due to the lack of actual evidence of Shakespeare’s life, many people have questioned whether he really existed or not. The collection of works credited to him are all too similar to be the works of more than one person. Others argue that Shakespeare could not have been smart enough to write such important literature. Pure genius is often misunderstood

S HAKESPEARE ’ S C AREER Wrote 37 plays Wrote comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances Also wrote 154 sonnets and several narrative poems all dedicated to Sir Henry Wriothesley He was an actor, writer, director, and business man Became known for his imaginative use of language and timelessness

E FFECTS OF THE M ONARCHY Shakespeare had to adjust his writings based on who was in power in England. Under Elizabeth—women were portrayed as strong, Catholicism was mocked, marriage was not made to be the ultimate goal for characters Under James—the practice of courtiership was mocked and Shakespeare was freer to fully develop his characters

SHAKESPEARE’S METER

I AMBIC P ENTAMETER IAMB = metrical FOOT with one unstressed syllable and a 2 nd STRESSED syllable. PENTA = FIVE!

Ta-TUM Five Feet!

Shall I com PARE thee TO a SUM- mer’s DAY?

How sweet the moon light sleeps uponthis bank!

WHY DID S HAKESPEARE USE IAMBIC PENTAMETER ? To show emotion or importance Shakespeare was meant to be heard! It made it easier for the audience to follow the lines. It helped the actors to memorize their lines. It made sure that the actors emphasized the words Shakespeare wanted to emphasize.

F IVE (PENTA) FEET (IAMBS) = IAMBIC PENTAMETER! As YOU can SEE it’s NOT that HARD to LEARN. You CAN see it’s not THAT hard TO learn THIS. You CAN write JUST like SHAKE speare DID back THEN. Did YOU know THAT I’m WRIT ing LIKE that NOW? And IT gets EA si ER the MORE you TRY. I AMB ic PEN ta ME ter’s NOT that BAD!

H OW D O Y OU W RITE I N I AMBIC P ENTAMETER R EGULARLY ? Iambic pentameter creates a rhythm to help his actors remember his lines. However, it can be difficult to write in Iambic Pentameter. Shakespeare accomplishes this feat with the use of two punctuation marks: APOSTROPHES : Used to replace letters and omit syllables ACCENT MARK: Used to add syllables

C ONTRACTIONS Don’t Can’t O’er I’th’ How many syllables are in each contraction?

A CCENT MARKS Longed Damned Banished How many syllables are in each contraction?

I AMBIC P ENTAMETER WRITING A SSIGNMENT Write 5 lines in iambic pentameter about what you are going to do over break on an index card. Skip lines. Do not write which syllables are stressed or unstressed on your index card. You have 5 minutes!