William Shakespeare He was not for an age

William Shakespeare “He was not for an age but for all time!”

His Life Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England Went to school but never went to college Gave up acting for writing Wrote 38 plays within a span of less than 25 years • Also known for his sonnets • Nick-named the Bard • •

Shakespeare’s school in Stratford-upon-Avon

His Writing • Wrote plays and sonnets • The four genres of plays that he wrote were: histories, tragedies, comedies, and romances • We will be reading Twelfth Night, which is a comedy. However, it has recently been put in the sub genre of Romantic Comedy because it contains elements of both. • In a romantic comedy, the audience is NOT expected to question the rationality of the plot. The end is always resolved by marriage. In Twelfth Night, there will be several.

Twelfth Night It may surprise you to find out that Shakespeare's works, such as his plays and sonnets, are not copyrighted. This is because they were written a very long time ago. Because of this loophole, it is completely legal to post his work on the internet for people to read for free! If you are absent and miss some of the in-class reading, please go to the English tab of the 8 th grade website and click on the link for access to a copy of Twelfth Night.

Things to know about Shakespearean plays before you read one… • Twelfth Night is a comedy. • A comedy is a genre which pits two societies against each other. This creates an amusing conflict. The resolution is always one or several marriages. • The audience is a group of people who participate in an experience. Audience members participate in different ways including clapping, booing, critiquing, etc. • Suspense means, “Tension; feeling of uncertainty and interest about the outcome of certain actions. ”

Things to know about Shakespearean plays before you read one… • A soliloquy is the act of talking to oneself. Normally, this means the actor is alone on stage. • An aside is a literary device where an actor speaks to the audience. This means that the actor is NOT heard by the other characters on stage. It is similar to a monologue or soliloquy. • A pun is the humorous use of a word/phrase that suggests a different meaning. It is a play on words. Example: I used to be a butler but found the work wasn’t my cup of tea.

Other examples of puns… • Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. • I used to be a carpenter, but then I got bored. • Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft, and I’ll show you A-flat minor. • I used to work for H&R Block, but it was just too taxing. • Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis. • I used to be a part-time hairdresser, but I wanted something more permanent. • Energizer Bunny arrested—charged with battery. • I used to be a lumberjack, but then I got the axe. • I used to be a transplant surgeon, but my heart just wasn’t in it.

Words that Shakespeare invented include but are not limited to… • • • Accessible Accommodation Admirable Amazement Anchovy Bachelorship To bedazzle Belongings Bloodsucking Catlike Cold-blooded • • • Critical Day’s work Dawn Fairyland Farmhouse Radiance Weird Yelping Zany

Not only did Shakespeare invent many words in the English language, he also came up with some scathing insults! The Insulter: http: //www. pangloss. com/seidel/Shaker/

The Globe Theater • 1598 -1599 – Built • 1613 – Burned down • 1614 – Rebuilt • 1642 -1644 – Closed down and then torn down • 1996 – A replica is built on the original site

Seating “Groundlings” AKA The Pit • SUPER cheap • BUT • Had to stand the entire time (4 -6 hours) in the mud! • Very difficult to see until you were right next to the stage

Seating - First and Second Floor View • Middle to upper class sat here • The seats wrapped around both sides of the stage.

Seating Third Floor View • Upper class and royalty (Queen Elizabeth was known to visit!) sat here. • For extra money, you could get a padded seat. • The picture to the right was taken from a third floor seat.

Importance of the Globe • For the first time in history, people from every social class had the same entertainment. • Peasants, merchants, laborers, wealthy citizens, lords and ladies, and sometimes even the royalty would all come use the same entrance and view the same play at the same time under the same roof! • It “equalized” social class.

More Facts • No roof – Had to perform in daylight – Had to risk bad weather (which happens a lot in London) • No real “backstage” – Not a lot of props or costume changes