Shakespear e and Elizabethan Theatre William Shakespeare 0

Shakespear e and Elizabethan Theatre

William Shakespeare 0 A playwright, poet, actor, and director who is responsible forty plays, one hundred fifty-four poems (or “sonnets”), and one thousand seven hundred words in our modern English language 0 NOT Old English! This is early modern English, and is more of the beginning of the way we speak.

Real Old English vs. Shakespeare 0 Hwæt we gardena ingear dagum, þeod cyninga þrym ge frunon huða æþelingas elle[n] fremedon. 0 As opposed to… 0 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

What Did He Do? 0 While living, Shakespeare founded the “Lord Chamberlain’s Men”, a travelling theatre company that became so famous, it eventually performed for the Queen and King of England 0 Wrote and directed the plays that they would put on, usually writing a part for each actor he had 0 Plays came in two genres… 0 Comedy: A play with a happy ending 0 Tragedy: A play with a tragic ending

Words Shakespeare Created 0 0 0 0 0 Beached 0 Critic Elbow 0 Undress Rant 0 Mimic Gossip Luggage 0 Blushing Torture 0 Obscene Drugged 0 Assassination Bedroom 0 Advertising Bet 0 Addicting Worthless 0 Bump 0 Fashionable 0 Eyeball 0 Hint 0 Lonely 0 Majestic 0 Blanket 0 Amazement 0 Buzzer 0 Deafening 0 Lower 0 Fixture 0 Gloomy 0 Puking 0 Scuffle 0 Swagger 0 Flawed 0 Excitement 0 Dawn

Not only that… 0 Shakespeare is often remembered for the dialogue and expressions that he created. We still use many of them today 0 Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all 0 All’s fair in love and war 0 All that glitters is not gold 0 In a pickle 0 Heart of Gold 0 And even one of the first “yo mama” jokes 0 “Thou hast undone our mother” 0 “Villain, I hath done thy mother!”

Performances 0 Shakespeare was NOT a high-brow writer; meaning, he did not write for those who were educated or wealthy 0 The majority of his audience were illiterate and lower class 0 Not a very forgiving audience…where we get the idea of throwing vegetables at performers 0 While they did travel, they eventually settled in The Globe Theater

Why We Read What We Read 0 Had to consistently remind audience of what was happening 0 Props and sets were minimal—no electricity and limited machinery 0 Written in iambic pentameter 0 Needed to write something for each character. Why there is often… 0 A comic relief: For the comedian of the group 0 A chorus: A group of ensemble members with lines read as a group 0 Also a Greek idea

Helpful “Translations” 0 Thee/Thou: You 0 Thine: Your 0 Art: Are 0 Hath: Has 0 Wherefore: Why 0 Dost/Doth: Does or Do 0 Marry: Indeed 0 Hence: Away 0 Ere: Before

Cast of Characters 0 Macbeth: The thane (kind of like a duke) of Glamis who wants more power. 0 Lady Macbeth: Macbeth’s wife, even more ambition than he is. 0 The Three Witches: Like the fates, give prophecies and represent evil or black magic. 0 Banquo: A noble general whose morals mean more than power 0 King Duncan: The good King of Scotland 0 Macduff: A noble who is hostile towards Macbeth