1. English Renaissance Folklore

2. Honors English Mrs. Dengler – Period 7-8
Joseph Kinsey
Honors English
Mrs. Dengler – Period 7-8 a

3. Early English Folklore
Stories spread for centuries by word of mouth
Carried over from Medieval times
Full of dark and scary creatures
Witches
Boggarts
Brownies
Goblins
During Renaissance folklore changed from oral to written form

4. Early English Folklore
Common Folklore Stories
Robin Hood
Jack in the Beanstalk
King Arthur
Lesser status during Renaissance
Tom Thumb
Set in Arthurian times
Oberon & Titania
Ancient King and Queen of the Fairies

5. Shakespeare and Folklore
Often changed folklore (and history) to meet his needs / fit his plays
Changed look and feel of folklore creatures
Fairies were:
Human sized
Gross
Clumsy
Bad

6. Shakespeare and Folklore
“A Midsummer’s Night Dream”
Used figures from ancient Celtic and Greek mythology
Included Oberon and Titania
Fairies became:
Tame
Beautiful / Peaceful
Small / Childlike
Changed image of Fairies forever

7. Shakespeare and Folklore
Other Shakespeare Plays Involving Folklore
“Merry Wives of Windsor”
Fairies / Magic
“Romeo and Juliet”
References Queen Mab – mythological figure
“King Lear”
Based on a Celtic myth
Includes “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum”
“Macbeth”
Witches
Mention of fairies dancing in a ring

8. Renaissance Folklore Today
Stories endure through:
Nursery Rhymes

9. Renaissance Folklore Today
Stories endure through:
Movies

10. Renaissance Folklore Today
Images endure:
Fairies

11. English Renaissance Folklore
Built on Ancient Traditions
Expanded upon by Shakespeare
Continues to be influential

12. Works Cited
"Jack and the Beanstalk: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <
"English Fairies | Mysterious Britain & Ireland." Mysterious Britain & Ireland | Mysteries, Legends & The Paranormal. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <
"Folk-lore of Shakespeare: Chapter I. Fairies." Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <
Howarth, Sarah. Renaissance Places (Information Books - History - People & Places). Brookfield, CT: Mullbrook Press, Print.
"Scary Fairies." Baltimore Shakespeare Festival - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <
"Shakespeare for Elizabethan England." MusesRealm.Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <
"The Elizabethan fairies; the fairies of folklore and the fairies of Shakespeare." WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept < and-the-fairies-of-shakespeare/oclc/219093>.
"Tom Thumb” Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus.. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept <

13. Thank You!