William Shakespeare

an introduction

Shakespeare's life

-no record of birth

-baptised 4-26-1564

-son of a glovemaker

-grew up and retired in Stratford-upon-Avon

-born of moderate social standing (through his

mother's side) and received a good education

-married Anne Hathaway at age 18

-bore three children (none of whom reproduced)

-moved to London where he acted, produced,

wrote, and later, owned stock in his theater

-financially successful

-wrote 38 plays (tragedies, comedies, histories) and 154 sonnets (a form of poetry)

Shakespeare's theater

-after performing his plays at several theaters

in London, co-authorized construction of the

Globe Theater

-built 1599

-first burned down 6-29-1613 when a cannon

(fired during a performance of Henry VIII)

set fire to the stage

-nobody hurt (except a man whose pants

caught on fire- a patron put his flaming pants out by pouring ale on them)

-second Globe Theater was closed down by Puritans in 1642

-torn down in 1644

-had seating for the rich as well as standing room for the average

Londoner

Shakespeare's language

It's difficult to understand for several reasons:

    1. over 400 years have passed- Think about what English might sound like in 2412.

    2. some words, like "beseech" are no longer used

    3. some words rarely used on the street, but are used to create dramatic tension

    4. Some words, although pronounced very similarly, no longer carry the same meaning.  For example, "nice," meant "foolish."

Words Shakespeare coined

-Shakespeare used 1,700 words never used before

-widely credited with adding up to 10,000 words and terms to the English language

- Some words you may be familiar with: accommodation, aerial, bedazzled, belongings, bloodstained, cruel-hearted, dishearten, eventful, eyeball (v), flowery, hotblooded, laughable, mimic, new-fangled, obscene, outbreak, puking, restoration, so-so, vulnerable whirligig (among MANY others)

- Additionally, Shakespeare added many sayings to our language that are still in use today.  Consult the list on the following slide to see if you've used any.

a fool's paradise, a foregone conclusion, all of a sudden, all that glitters is not gold, as cold as a stone, at one fell swoop, a beast with two backs (heh-heh), brevity is the soul of wit, it's Greek to me, fair play, foul play, fancy free, good riddance, heart's content, hot-blooded, not sleep a wink, in a pickle, in my mind's eye, lie low, love is blind, make your hair stand on end, my salad days, night owl, off with his head, primrose path, rhyme nor reason, set your teeth on edge, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, the worm will turn, too much of a good thing, vanish into thin air, wear your heart on your sleeve, wild goose chase, woe is me

Shakespeare's sentences    

-English relies HEAVILY upon word order.  For example, "The dog bit the boy" is much different than "The boy bit the dog."

-Shakespeare often flips around word order.  "goes he" versus "he goes"

-Why?

    1. to create rhythm in his sentences and lines (poetry)

    2. to accent particular syllables in his meter (both blank verse and iambic pentameter- both covered shortly)

From Romeo and Juliet: "Away from light steals home my heavy son."  Compare this to how we might say it: "My son steals home."

prose, blank verse, iambic pentameter

1. prose- Prose is how we write, and hopefully speak.  It is used for the less educated, common characters in the plays.  Often, these characters are used as comic relief and so the uneducated patrons could enjoy the plays.

2. iambic pentameter- Iambic pentameter is five (penta) iambs

        daDUM

        "To be"

        daDUMdaDUMdaDUMdaDUMdaDUM

           ˘     /       ˘      /         ˘      /        ˘     / ˘      /

        "To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells"

Iambic pentameter is used to accentuate the poetic feel of a section, to express a poetic character, or to inject feeling into a section.  After all, it sound good.  Iambic pentameter can be distinguished from blank verse because it rhymes.        

blank verse

3. Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter.  It follows the same meter (a pattern of stressed and unsterssed syllables).

    -Most of the plays are written in blank verse.

Iambic pentameter and blank verse are used when the character is of high class.  Not everyone in the audience always understood these sections- they were often written with the intended audience of educated people. 

issues in Romeo and Juliet

1. love versus lust- Shakespeare is no dummy.  He does not expect us to buy the concept of love at first sight in this play. 

2. women's roles- Romeo and Juliet criticizes women's roles in Medieval Europe.  Many of the female characters in this play are trapped by social circumstances.

3. Sexuality/homosexuality- Shakespeare criticizes sexual repression in this play.  Furthermore, Mercutio, one of Shakespeare's most famous characters, is arguably gay.  Elizabethan England was not an era in which homosexuality was openly discussed.  As a result, clues to Mercutio's sexual preferences are deeply imbedded in his lines and actions.

themes in Romeo and Juliet

1. Lust is far different than love.

2. Hastiness can lead to disaster.

3. Selfishness is destructive.

4. People of different ages have difficulty understanding one another.

5. Love, beauty, and life are transient entities.

6. Gender roles are often dangerous.

7. Fate and free will dictate our lives.

Shakespeare's three types of plays

1. Histories- These plays told historical stories (that are embellished).  Henry V is a strong example of such a play.

2. Comedies- Comedy is not what we associate with the term.  A comedy is a story that begins badly but ends happily. Much Ado About Nothing is an example of such a play.

3. Tragedies- Tragedies, such as Romeo and Juliet, begin happily but end disasterously.  Several criteria must be met in order to classify a play a tregedy.  They are as follows:

    a. begins happily, ends disasterously

    b. tragic hero- There is a character or characters of high status who meet some horrible outcome.

    c. Both fate (things outside of control) and free will (a character's deeds) lead to his or her downfall.

Shakespearean wordplay

-Part of the reason English teachers love this play is due to Shakepeare's use of wordplay. 

    1. Puns- A pun is a play on words in which words that have multiple meanings are used.  The outset of Romeo and Juliet is ripe with punning.  Often, puns are uses in a sexual manner in this play.

    2. Metaphors/similes- Some of Shakespeare's richest metaphors and similes are contained within this play. 

Character list

Montagues (Romeo's family who are rich and powerful)

    -Montague (Romeo's father)

    -Lady Montague (Romeo's mother)

    -Romeo (roughly 16 years old)

    -Benvolio (Romeo's cousin-roughly 16)

    -Abram (a servant to the household- sort-of a hired thug)

    -Balthasar (Romeo's personal servant)

Characters continued

Capulets (another rich and powerful family)

    -Capulet (Juliet's father)

    -Lady Capulet (Juliet's mother)

    -Juliet (a 13 year old girl)

    -Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

    -Nurse (Juliet's servant)

    -Samson (a hired goon)

    -Gregory (another hired goon)

    -Peter (the nurse's idiot manservant)

characters continued

-Escalus, the Prince of Verona- The royal in charge of Verona, Italy (the setting)

-Count Paris (the Prince's royal cousin)

-Mercutio (the Prince's cousin, Romeo's best friend, and Paris' page)

-Friar Lawrence (Romeo's personal priest)

-Friar John

-Apothecary- like a pharmacist