Understanding Shakespeare Shakespeares Audience Elizabethan Theatre Not very

Understanding Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Audience – Elizabethan Theatre – Not very popular with local merchants, the Puritans, the Church, and to some degree, the government – Think critically: why might this be? – 1 st Elizabethan Theatre – James Burbage – 2 sons: Richard and Cuthbart Globe – Stage: raised platform surrounded by the audience on 3 sides

Shakespeare’s Audience – Attendees: – Nobles • Puritans – Merchants – “Groundlings” – Significance: Shakespeare wasn’t respected during his time so he needed to cater his plays to entertain the groundlings – BAWDY

Shakespeare’s World – Renaissance – Rebirth into thinking – Man became the center of the universe (created in the image of God) – Idea came from the fact that man creates children – What’s the woman’s role in all of this? – Development of codpiece

Shakespeare’s Craft – Bawdy: – Why? – When does it disappear? – – Prose – – Usually spoken by groundling character or nobles behaving badly Blank Verse – Un-rhyming verse written in pentameter – – Engage the masses transition to poetry when the audience is hooked on the story iambic pentameter Couplets – End of long speech or character dialogue – Signifies something important being said But, woe is me, you are so sick of late, So far from cheer and from your former state, That I distrust you. Yet, though I distrust, Discomfort you, my lord, it nothing must…. .

Shakespeare’s Language – Unfamiliar words – Words out of use – Words that are still in use but not how a different meaning – Words used to build a dramatic world – Syntax – Words out of “normal” order to create iambic pentameter – If confused, look first for the placement of subject and verb – “he goes” vs. “goes he” – Omits words

Shakespeare’s Language – Wordplay – Puns – Play on words that sound the same but have different meanings or on a single word that has multiple meanings – Metaphors – Shakespeare makes play on words in which one object or idea is expressed as if it were something else

The Shakespearean Sonnet (take notes now)

What are the characteristics of a Shakespearean sonnet? – 14 lines – 3 quatrains (4 lines each) – 1 couplet (2 lines) – Follows the same rhyme scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG – Each line is written in iambic pentameter – Each line consists of 10 syllables. – The syllables are divided into five pairs called iambs. – An iamb= unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

Examples of iambic pentameter? ba. BOOM/ ba. BOOM • How many syllables? • Pattern?

Examples of Iambic Pentameter When I / do COUNT/ the CLOCK/ that TELLS/ the TIME When IN/ dis GRACE/ with FOR/ tune AND / men’s EYES –How many syllables per line? –Pattern?

– How many syllables per line? – 10 – Pattern – Unstressed

Summary – Write your summary now of 3 -4 sentences.