1. Macbeth Notes #3
Hellenga

2. Widely regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language
William Shakespeare
Widely regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language

3. Shakespeare 1564-1616 Stratford-upon-Avon, England 38 plays
154 sonnets
Started out as an actor

4. Stage Celebrity
Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London theatre company)
Principal playwright for them

5. Shakespeare wrote
Comedies
Histories
Tragedies

6. The Theatre Plays produced for the general public Roofless
No artificial lighting
Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries

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

8. Staging Areas The stage was a platform that extended into the pit
Dressing & storage rooms were in galleries behind & above stage
There was also a second-level upper stage
A trap door was used for ghosts etc.

9. Differences No scenery Settings were referenced in the dialogue
Elaborate costumes
Plenty of props
Fast-paced, colorful (2-4 hours)

10. Actors Only men and boys
Young boys, whose voices had not yet changed, played women’s roles
Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage

11. Elizabethan (QE1) Words
An, and: If
Anon: Soon
Aye: Yes
But: Except for
E’en: Even
E’er: Ever

12. QE1 Words (cont.) Haply: Perhaps Happy: Fortunate
Hence: Away, from her
Hie: Hurry
Marry: Indeed

13. QE1 Words (cont.) Whence: Where Wilt: Will, will you
Withal: In addition to
Would: Wish

14. Blank Verse unrhymed verse iambic (unstressed, stressed etc.)
pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line)
Each line has 10 syllables (the same as a sonnet)

15. Prose Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song
Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays

16. Tragedy (Shakespearean)
Drama where the central characters suffer disaster/great misfortune
In many tragedies, this downfall results from
Fate
Character flaw
Combination of the two

17. Dramatic Foil
A character whose purpose is to contrast with another character

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

19. Flat Characters One-dimensional
Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

20. Static Characters
Characters within a story who do not change.

21. Dynamic Character
Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot.

22. Monologue
One person speaking on stage (there may be other characters on stage)

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

24. Aside
Words spoken, usually in an undertone, that are not intended to be heard by the other characters on stage.

25. Pun
Humorous use of a word with two meanings (sole/soul, heel/heal etc.).

26. Direct Address
Words that tell the reader who is being addressed

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

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

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

30. Comic Relief
Use of comedy within a tragedy to provide “relief” from seriousness or sadness.