William Shakespeare 1564 1616 The worlds most famous

William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 The world’s most famous playwright

Biography Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England n Middle-class family n Attended local grammar school n Married Anne Hathaway at 18; had 3 children n

Stratford-on-Avon

Life in theater Moved to London in late 1580’s n Became successful playwright and actor n Involved in acting group called King’s Men n

Globe Theater n n n Most of his plays were performed there Round No roof Seats grouped according to price Groundlings

Elizabethan drama Elizabethan Age (1558 -1603) during reign of Elizabeth I n Acting was looked down upon n Officials tried to close theaters (unsavory, unhealthy) n

Comedy vs. Tragedy Comedy = story that ends happily n Tragedy = story in which the main character comes to an unhappy end n

What causes a character’s downfall? Tragic flaw = serious character weakness n Forces beyond the character’s control n

More about Elizabethan drama Plots of plays were not original n Performances only during daylight n Few props n Attended by all social classes n

No women actors n Simple sets n Sound effects n People talked, ate, drank, etc. so actors had to work hard to hold audience’s attention n

Iambic pentameter Iamb = one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable n “penta” = five n Meter = rhythm of poem n IP = five iambs in a line of poetry n

Example. . . n Two households, both alike in dignity, n In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, n From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, n Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

n n n Shakespeare writes blank verse = unrhymed iambic pentameter Inverted word order Accented syllables Commoners speak in ordinary prose R&J has more rhyming than later plays

A few examples of Shakespeare’s language n n n n Wherefore = why Thou = you Thine = your, yours Thee = you Hath = has Art = are Anon = soon n n Prithee = I pray to you; I beg of you Soft = wait a minute Marry = by the Virgin Mary (a mild oath) Hence = here Knave = servant

Literary terms Pun = humorous use n Oxymoron = of a word that statement that suggests two or seems to contradict more meanings itself n Aside = an actor’s n Dramatic irony = speech that is when the audience spoken to the knows more than the audience but not characters do heard by other characters n

Comic relief = humorous scenes that relieve the overall emotional intensity of the play n Soliloquy = a speech a character gives when he is alone on stage n

Format of a five-act play n n n Act I: exposition Act II: rising action Act III: climax Act IV: falling action Act V: resolution