1. The Elizabethan Age During the Renaissance (1485-1603)
REBIRTH of the arts, sciences and humanities
New discoveries (compass, telescope, printing press) enabled man to learn more about the world around him.
Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo changed the face of art.
In England, the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James I allowed for literature and drama to flourish.
During this time, William Shakespeare was born.

2. Types of Plays Middle Ages=Morality plays
All other plays were abolished.
The Renaissance brought a new interest in classical Greek and Roman forms of drama.
Comedies Tragedies

3. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Born in Stratford-on-Avon
75 miles northwest of London
Busy market town/ commercial city
Traveling acting companies
Attended the Stratford Grammar School
Studied Latin, Greek, British and World history
Married at age 18 (1582) and was father to three children
Did not settle down in Stratford; heart was in London, with the theatre
Left family behind to pursue career; once successful, he returned to Stratford

4. Willy Shakes (cont.) By 1594-
Shakespeare developed his reputation as an actor and playwright
Became Principal Playwright of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (company)
In 1603, when James I became king, the company became The King’s Men
No ones know exact dates of plays, but can be dated between periods.
Romeo and Juliet (c. 1595)
1595 to end of 17th century: As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing
First decade of 17th century: (GREATEST TRAGEDIES) Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus
37 plays total

5. The Globe Theater
Built around 1599; in 1613, a cannon blast from Shake’s Henry VIII ignited the roof and theatre burned down; rebuilt the following June, but with tiled gallery roof and circular in shape.
In 1642, Puritans closed all theatres.
Two years later, it was demolished and replaced with tenements.

6. The Globe Theatre What you would find at the Globe: Open-Air Roof
Extra-Large Stage
Balcony
Groundlings
Trap Door
Elaborate Costumes
Gallery Seats
What’s missing from the Globe:
Actresses
Scenery
Props
Restrooms
Intermission
Director
When a performance was scheduled, flags were raised out the theatre—black for tragedy, white for comedy, and red for history.
In Shakespeare’s times, women weren’t allowed to act in public. Female roles were played by young boys.
The Groundlings were a tough bunch who acted like sports fans. They stood near the stage and threw apples and oranges at bad actors.

7. Elements of Drama
Drama- a play; story written to be performed by actors
Characters- people in the play; actors
Conflict- a struggle
Internal Conflict:
External Conflict:
Plot- sequence of events in a story
Climax- the point of greatest tension in the plot
Dialogue- speeches of the characters
Act- a major division of a play consisting of one or more scenes
Stage Directions- tell how the work is to be performed
Sets- the constructions that set the scene for the drama
Props-movable objects that actors use onstage.
Dramatic effect- all the elements of drama combine in performance to produce the vivid illusion of reality
Theme-overall message; an insight into life.

8. Dramatic Conventions (methods)
Tragic Flaw- a mistaken action or defect in a character, which leads to his downfall
Chorus- a group of characters who comment on the action of the play
Prologue- a brief opening section to a longer work. In many 17th and 18th century plays, the prologue states the moral point or tells something about the plot or theme of the work
Dramatic Irony- when the audience or reader is aware of situations or events of which the main character is not aware
Situational Irony- when the opposite of what is expected or deserved occurs
Verbal Irony- when character says the opposite of what he actually means
Types of Dialogue
Monologue- a long, uninterrupted speech delivered by a character to other characters who are onstage but remain silent
Soliloquy- a speech in which a character who is usually alone onstage reveals private thoughts that the audience is allowed to overhear
Aside- a brief remark in which a character expresses private thoughts to the audience rather than to other characters

9. Other terms to know…
Catharsis- a healthy emotional experience; a feeling of pity and fear in the audience invoked by the actions or characters. We feel pity for the character who is not completely responsible for his downfall and fear that the same could happen to us.
Coincidence- the apparently accidental happening together of events
Comic Relief- a comic element inserted in a tragedy for the purpose of lightening the effect on the audience of the heavy emotional scenes or of sharpening the contrast between a very emotional scene and a lighter comic scene
Foreshadowing- a technique whereby the author hints at the events to come; a “shadow” of action that will be revealed later
Fate- the idea that some power predetermines our lives and the events that happen to us. Fate is usually thought of in a negative way as in the bad things that seem to happen to a person.
Oxymoron- a rhetorical device in which contradictory terms are combined, such a deafening silence or jumbo shrimp

10. Elements of a Classical Tragedy
Protagonist struggles with a serious problem.
He is strong enough in character and experience to challenge what opposes him.
He is defeated because of a tragic error in judgment or a tragic flaw in his otherwise admirable character.
The consequences of his actions are disastrous beyond all expectation or anything he deserves.