1. Shakespeare Ever heard of him? could spit rhymes like no other
invented 1700 words (e.g. bedroom, bloodstained, noiseless)
Shakespeare
makes audience laugh, cry, scream
Ever heard of him?
made some mad $$:
owned 2nd largest house in Stratford;
today’s heirs would receive ~ $15 mil/yr
a true “Renaissance man”: act, write, produce, prob other stuff
had his OWN ideas

2. Unit 4: Romeo and Juliet In the end
multiple choice over Shakespeare info, plot, characters, dramatic lit terms, and basic archaic vocab
In-class essay on one of the following prompts:
Whose fault is it?
What is Shakespeare saying about destiny?
How does Shakespeare use motif to enhance his theme?
Character analysis

3. Destiny What is it? What do you believe?
What does Shakespeare believe?
Dictionary says, “a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency”

4. Astrology What is it? History What does Shakespeare believe?
Read for homework
What does Shakespeare believe?

5. Star-Crossed
“Lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail are said to be “star-crossed” (frustrated by the stars), because those who believe in astrology claim that the stars control human destiny.” -The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

6. Pyramus & Thisbe Narrator Cartoon
Cartoon

7. Hero and Leander
Hero and Leander are crazy in love. Every night, Hero fires up a light in her tower so Leander can see the way and swim to her across the Hellespont.
But one night, a storm blows in and the currents of the narrow strait get all kinds of crazy. To make matters worse, the wind blows out Hero's light, and Leander gets totally turned around in the dark and stormy waters.
When Hero finds Leander's dead body on the beach the next morning, she just can't take it. Overcome with grief, she throws herself from the top of her tower to be with her lover in death.

8. Helen and Paris
Helen, considered to be the most-beautiful woman in the late-bronze-age world, was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Her beauty, it is said, was known far and wide.
Not bothered by the queen's marital status, Paris fell in love with Helen during a diplomatic mission to Sparta.  Wasting little time, Paris abducted her. (Some accounts say they eloped.)
Thus began the Trojan War.
Menelaus, later in the story, thought he should kill his wife because she had been with a prince of Troy. As he raised his sword to kill her, however, Menelaus stopped himself when he saw Helen’s great beauty.

9. Antony and Cleopatra
After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra set her sights on the dashing Roman general Mark Antony. The two began an affair, resulting in twins in 40 B.C. Antony wed Cleopatra in 36 B.C., and appointed his new wife ruler of Egypt, Cyprus, Crete, and Cyria. This abuse of power so outraged the Roman Senate that they denounced him a traitor. After losing a major battle at sea, Antony and Cleopatra were forced to flee to Egypt in 31 B.C. In desperation, Cleopatra spread rumors of her own suicide. Antony, unaware of her plan, stabbed himself to death. When Cleopatra heard of this, she took her own life by inducing a poisonous snake to bite her.

10. Dido and Aeneas Dido is a widow and faithful to dead husband.
God of love causes her to fall for Aeneas and they hook up in a cave.
Gods tell Aeneas he must leave.
Dido mad – curses Aeneas’s people – and then kills herself.

11. Aida and Radames
Radames – captain of Egyptian army – captures group of women from enemy land of Nubia which includes Aida, Nubian princess.
They fall in love.
Radames must marry another woman in order to help Aida’s dad escape
Get caught mid escape; Radames and Aida sentenced to death for treason.
Buried alive together in same tomb.

12. Drama During Shakespeare’s Day
The Elizabethan Stage
Drama During Shakespeare’s Day

13. Can you imagine a play performed outdoors in the daytime?
with part of the audience standing in front of the stage for the entire production?
with male actors playing female roles?
with no background scenery?

14. Early English Theater
Before permanent theaters were built, wandering acting companies performed
in the courtyards of inns or in other open areas
on temporary platform stages
with the audience standing around the stage or sitting in chairs on surrounding balconies

15. The First Permanent Theater
Built by James Burbage in 1576
Located outside the city of London
Called “The Theater”
Dismantled in the middle of the night, moved piece by piece across the river, and rebuilt as the Globe in 1599

16. Typical Elizabethan Theaters
Theaters were three-story circular or polygonal structures with
a courtyard open to the sky
three tiers of seats for spectators

17. Typical Elizabethan Theaters
The stage jutted out into the yard.
“Groundlings” stood in the yard to watch the play.

18. Typical Elizabethan Theaters
The gallery, or balcony, above the stage could be used as
part of the play
a seating area for musicians
a seating area for wealthy spectators

19. Typical Elizabethan Theaters
The trapdoor in the front part of the stage could be used for
David Gentleman
burial scenes
surprise entrances
mysterious exits

20. Typical Elizabethan Theaters
The ceiling over the stage, the “Heavens,” contained another trapdoor. Actors could be
David Gentleman
lowered to the stage below
flown over the heads of other actors

21. Setting the Stage Acting companies did not use
artificial lighting—actors carried torches to convey the idea of night.
scenery or realistic backdrops—playwrights set the scenes with descriptive dialogue.
. . . Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops. from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

22. Setting the Stage Acting companies did use
props—flags, banners, swords, thrones, tables, beds
special effects—actors appearing and disappearing through trapdoors, cannons firing
sound effects—music, thunder
costumes—exquisite suits, robes, and gowns normally reserved (by law) for upper-class citizens and nobility
© Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS

23. Acting the Part In Shakespeare’s time, all actors were male.
Female roles were played by boy actors, who concealed their gender by
wearing long, full skirts
wearing wigs
powdering their faces
© Ali Meyer/CORBIS

24. Capturing the Audience
Elizabethan theatergoers came from various social classes, including
nobility
wealthy merchants
tradesmen
commoners
Playwrights had to include material to appeal to all classes.

25. Capturing the Audience
Elizabethan theatergoers were active and vocal. During a performance, they might
eat and drink
laugh and shout
boo and hiss
Actors had to move around, make grand motions, and speak loudly to keep the audience’s attention.

26. Not Everyone Loved the Theater
Puritans, city officials, and others had low opinions of actors, plays, and theaters.
They feared that playgoers would
catch contagious diseases
be morally corrupted
They objected to
suggestive or obscene language
actors (commoners) wearing upper-class clothing
scenes depicting rebellion

27. What Have You Learned?
1. Most Elizabethan theaters were shaped more or less like
a. circles b. rectangles c. diamonds
2. Audiences consisted of commoners only.
a. true b. false
3. Theater companies used all of the following EXCEPT
a. costumes b. artificial lighting c. special effects

28. Dramatic Lit Terms monologue
Monopolize the conversation; 1 person talks for a long time to others
dialogue
Talking back and forth; conversation
soliloquy
a “solo”; expressing private thoughts to self or audience
aside
a “whisper” or quick comment “to the side”
dramatic irony
audience knows something characters don’t