1. Notebook Item #2 Shakespeare, The Renaissance and Macbeth
-Take notes on all slides with a #slashtag#
-Please paraphrase/summarize when note-taking
They were called the DARK ages for a reason. What does Renaissance mean? What were they re-birthing from?

2. About Shakespeare William born 23rd April 1564, 3rd of 8 children
Born in Stratford upon Avon, son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous glove maker and meat/wool trader.
Shakespeare attended local school in Stratford till age 13/14-Is considered by many historians to be illiterate by modern standards.
Apprenticed as glove maker
1582 married Anne Hathaway (daughter of farmer in Shottery) - they had 3 children
The lost years till We know nothing else till Shakespeare is in London
Typically wrote one of three genres of play: tragedy, comedy, or history.

3. About Shakespeare
The development of Elizabethan drama was primarily due to Christopher Marlowe( Tamburlaine, Faustus) but Marlowe’s early death ( stabbed in a tavern brawl) left the field open for another dramatist.
Shakespeare was a member of Lord Strange’s Troupe performing in the Rose Theatre as actor and writer
1594 , Shakespeare was a member of the company of Chamberlain’s Men based at the Theatre. From 1594 on, he wrote an average of two plays a year till 1608 and consolidated his place in the company and became, in his lifetime, the most highly sought after dramatist of the time.

4. Before The Renaissance
-People worked long hours, with workers often living on the work premises with their masters. -Throughout the middle ages plays were performed by workers in towns and were based on religious issues, often retelling stories from the Bible. -The departure from religious themes became more acceptabl after Henry VIII’s break from Rome and formation of the Church of England in 1533 (because of wanting a divorce and an male heir). -After this, playwrights took inspiration from the Roman theatre and writers like Seneca, who wrote about crime, revenge, witches and ghosts. -Renaissance writers introduced audiences to horror, the supernatural and GORE
They were called the DARK ages for a reason. What does Renaissance mean? What were they re-birthing from?

5. Renaissance/Elizabethan Age
-1558 to 1603 (Elizabeth I's reign) -Time of exploration and discovery -Diffusion of knowledge and inventions (Inspired largely by Johannes Gutenberg’s Printing Press 1450 which lit the fire) -Male superiority remained (one explanation for a single Queen) -Return to Protestantism -Improvement of the educational system -English language gains importance -Literary movements and developments (Drama, theatres and Shakespeare) -At the end of Elizabeth’s reign, many Puritans (an influential group of Protestants) opposed the theatre because the believed that wickedness was coming from these places of immorality. Many saw the plague as God’s punishment for these places.
They were called the DARK ages for a reason. What does Renaissance mean? What were they re-birthing from?

6. King James Comes to the Throne
There was no successor to the throne of England so Queen Elizabeth I chose James VI of Scotland to succeed her and became James I of England.
Elizabeth I had been instrumental in the death of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was beheaded.
On her deathbed, The Queen may alegedly wanted to ease her way into Heaven, so she chose Mary’s son James to become the next King of England.
The appointment of James I was a good political move as it unifed England and Scotland under one King.
My Question for you…
Question: If the play is Shakespeare’s livelihood, what will happen if the new king sides with the Protestant/Puritans being anti-theatre/play?

7. #Macbeth: A tribute to King James I?
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, during King James’ reign.
The play’s setting is Scotland, King James’ homeland.
Banquo was an ancestor of James and is shown in the play to be a virtuous person.
King James was a devout advocate of the “Divine Right of Kings.” In the play, it is prophesied that Banquo’s ancestor(s) would take hold of the throne.
James believed himself to be an expert on witchcraft, a major plot device in the story.
One lesson from the play was that it is a bad idea to kill the king. This would likely be a message a new king would appreciate a playwright sharing with the general population. This modern use of story for the purpose of manipulation is sometimes referred to as _____________.
Shakespeare even changed his groups name from The Chamberlin’s Men to The King’s Men after James ascended to the throne.
Propaganda

8. Witches and Witchcraft
9/16/2018
Witches and Witchcraft
Between 1560 and 1603, hundreds of people, nearly all of them women, were convicted as witches and executed.
In 1604 an official Act of Parliament decreed that anyone found guilty of practicing witchcraft should be executed.
This happened in America too, just a little later (think Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s)
You would think that these "witches" would be pretty powerful people . . .
. . . but it was mostly single, old women who kept cats that were in danger of being accused of witchcraft. Remember, in 1604 an Act of Parliament decreed that if you were convicted, you were to be executed - and with the methods of "information extraction" used by the interrogators, people were likely to "spill their guts" (literally - know where that term comes from?)..
CHECK - does the group want to get into women's rights in the Seventeenth Century?
. . . here's another idea for your project: maybe you could examine Shakespeare's portrayal of women in Macbeth - very interesting topic . . .

9. #Setting of the Play
King Duncan is the King of Scotland and Edward the Confessor is the King of England.
The time period is set in the eleventh century Scotland ( ), about before Shakespeare's time.
Shakespeare used poetic license to bend some of the historical information. When the play begins, there are two (historically based) wars in progress:
-Civil (National) War – King Duncan vs. Macdonwald’s rebels.
-International War – Scotland (led by King Duncan) against invading Norway (led by King Sweno)

10. #Meet the Characters
Lady Macbeth Persuasive Wife of Macbeth, one of the most notorious female character’s in all of English Lit.
Macbeth Protagonist and noble Thane of Glamis (think Chief/Captain) in the king’s army.
King Duncan-King of Scotland (where play takes place) and father to Malcom and Donalbain.
Banquo Friend of and fellow soldier with Macbeth. Has an important son named Fleance.
Macduff-Another Thane (of Fife). He doesn’t see eye to eye with Macbeth but loves his country

11. Understanding “The Play”
Soliloquy-Sometimes it will seem like a character is giving a long speech to nobody. Playwrights use this technique as a way to let the audience into the mind of the character and how they are thinking and feeling.
Aside-This is similar to a soliloquy, but much shorter, and it is said aside to somebody in the scene, or to the audience to let them in on the character's intentions.
Iambic Pentameter: Shakespeare wrote in this free verse that uses five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables; ten syllables per line.
Examples:
'So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen'
'The course / of true / love nev/er did / run smooth'

12. What Are They Saying?
When you are reading Shakespeare's plays, look for this type of unusual word arrangement.  Locate the subject, verb, and the object of the sentence.  Notice that the object of the sentence is often placed at the beginning (the sandwich) in front of the verb (ate) and subject (I).  Rearrange the words in the order that makes the most sense to you (I ate the sandwich).  This will be one of your first steps in making sense of Shakespeare's language.

13. #What Are They Saying?
ay-Yes “ay, indeed” anon—right now, OR I come right away. “Anon, good nurse!“ art—are, OR skill……“Thou art dead!” dost or doth—does or do……“Dost thou know the time?” ere—before……“We must leave ere daybreak.” fain—gladly……“I would fain bake Mr. Short cookies for an A.” fie—an exclamation of dismay or disgust “Fie! Are you mad?” hark—listen……. “Hark to the owl,” hie—hurry……“Hie thee hence, or lose your life! hence—away…..“Get thee hence, beggar!” hath—has……… “He hath killed many a man.” ho—hey or sometimes now. “Lucius, ho!” or “bring me my longsword, ho.” marry—indeed……. “He says respond quickly; marry, I want to.” pray/prithee—a polite way of asking……“I prithee answer.” thee/thou—you…………“When will I see thee?”; “Thou art a villain.” thy/thine—your……“Thy name is more hateful than thy face.” whence—from where…….. “Whence came that news?” wherefore—why……“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”