William Shakespeare THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Wellknown Facts about Will Born April 1564 in Stratford on Avon Parents John amp Mary Shakespeare Grammar school education Married ID: 749992
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Slide1
O this learning, what a thing it is!
-William ShakespeareSlide2
THE LIFE
OF
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARESlide3
Well-known Facts about Will
Born
April, 1564 in Stratford on Avon
Parents John & Mary ShakespeareGrammar school education
Married
Anne Hathaway
Nov. 28
,
1582
had three
children- Susanna
,
1583 and
twins
Hamnet
& Judith,
1585
The Lost Years, 1585-1592: There is no
record of Shakespeare’s activities between
these years
.
Slide4
Well-known Facts about Will
Shakespeare relocates to London sometime
after the birth
of the twins.1592-94 theaters closed due to the Black Plague Shakespeare used this time to write sonnets which were published in 1609Bought a share of the company Lord Chamberlain’s Men- a good investmentSlide5
Lesser-known Facts
-Plays not published until 7 years after his death
-Plagiarist
-2
nd
most quoted (huge body of work!), after the BibleSlide6
Sound familiar?
“Eaten out of house and home” “flesh and blood”
“Cruel to be kind” “dead as a door-nail”
“Knock,/knock! Who’s there?” “a laughing stock”“Too much of a good thing” “neither rhyme nor reason”“Neither a borrower nor a lender be” “suspect foul play”“Something wicked this way comes” “vanished into thin air”“To
thine
own self be true” “slept not one wink”
“ A tower of strength” “be that as it may”
“tongue-tied” “It’s Greek to me”
“seen better days” “live in a fool’s paradise”
“that is the long and short of it” “it is high time”
“a sorry sight” “one fell swoop”
“method in the madness” “full circle”
“it smells to heaven” “the world is your oyster” Slide7
Will
Why do we still read his work?
Shakespeare’s language
Beautiful lines and phrases
Contribution to English language
Shakespeare’s understanding of the human condition
We still relate to his characters
To understand his plays is to understand what is most important about human beings and lifeSlide8
Will
Not to mention:
Bawdy humor-
sexual innuendo and potty jokesThe supernatural- ghosts, demons, witches
Intense action & violence-
sword fights, blood and gore, stabbings, poisonings, strangulation, beheadings, dismemberment. . .
Powerful emotion-
Anger, vengeance, greed, jealousy, ambition, love, romance, fears, hopes, sorrow, laughter . . .
. . .
All the stuff that still entertains us today!Slide9
The Globe Theatre
Built
in 1599
The most magnificent theater in LondonShakespeare was 1/5 ownerHe earned 10% of the total
profit
The
Bard retired to Stratford
around 1613 and
lived on
the profits
he earned from the GlobeSlide10
Elizabethan Theatre
What was it like to see a play during Shakespeare’s time?Slide11
Elizabethan Theatre
Performed in courtyards of inns
The Theater-first public theater-1576
South of Thames
Daytime/open air
Limited set design
Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description
Male actors onlySlide12
Elizabethan Theatre
Stage platform
that extended into the pit
Dressing & storage rooms in galleries behind & above stage
second-level
gallery/
upper
stage/famous
balcony scene in
R
& J
Trap
door/ghosts
“Heavens
”/
angelic beingsSlide13
Spectators
Wealthy
got benches
“Groundlings”-poorer
people stood and watched from the courtyard (“pit”)
All but wealthy
were uneducated/illiterate
Much more interaction than
today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ii5PLxnNpkSlide14
Shakespearean Drama
Three
forms of Shakespearean drama
Tragedy
Comedy
History
All three share the following:
Written in
blank verse
Contain soliloquies, asides, rhetorical devices, and dramatic ironySlide15
Shakespearean Drama
History:
a play that chronicles the life of an English monarch.often regarded as Tudor propagandabiased criticism of their own countryEarl careerSlide16
Shakespearean Drama
Comedy
a play that ends happily and that usually contains humorous elements
struggles of young loversseparation and re-unification mistaken identities
clever servants
family tensions
multiple, intertwining plots
end with a wedding
Early career/late career shifts back to romanceSlide17
Shakespearean Drama
Tragedy:
Drama where the central character, the
tragic hero
,
suffers disaster/great misfortune
In many tragedies, downfall results from
Fate
Character flaw/Fatal flaw/
Tragic flaw
Combination of the twoSlide18
Shakespearean Drama
Qualities of the
tragic hero
:
Possess importance or high
rank
Exhibits extraordinary
talents
Displays a
tragic flaw
:
an error in judgment or defect in character that contributes to downfallSlide19
Monologue
A speech given by one character on stage, usually spoken to another character
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah. . .Slide20
Soliloquy
a long speech given by a character alone on stage to reveal his or her private thoughts.
"Alas, poor Yorick!” Slide21
Aside
a quiet remark to the audience or another character that no one else on stage is supposed to hear.
She is the woman of my dreams! If only I had the courage to tell her!Slide22
Will says . . .
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
~
William Shakespeare Slide23
Reading Shakespeare
What the heck is this guy talking about?!
But, for my own part, it was Greek to me!Slide24
Shakespeare’s Language
Why is it so hard to understand?
We speak Modern English
Elizabethan’s spoke Early Modern EnglishMany words have changed or been lostSlide25
Elizabethan Words to Know
An, And
Anon
AyeBut
Haply
Happy
Hence
If
Soon
Yes
Except for
Perhaps
Fortunate
Away, from here
Hie
Hither
Marry
Whence
Wilt
Withal
Would
Hurry
Here
Indeed
When
Will, will you
In addition to
WishSlide26
Shakespeare’s Language
Why is it so hard to understand?
Shakespeare had an extensive vocabulary (about 30,000 words!)
and even created words (about 2,000!) that we still use today.Slide27
Shakes. Words-
to name a few!
critical aggravate reliance countless monumental obscene forefathers frugal hurry majestic homicide summit bedroom fashionable lackluster moonbeam outbreak puking zany worthless varied undress
skim milk submerge eyeball laughable luggage mimic
assassinationSlide28
Poetry
vs.
Prose
Dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays is presented in either poetry or prose form. Pay attention to the form of characters’ speech, because it can give you information about that character’s importance or rank.
Important or noble characters tend to speak in poetry.
Less-important or lower-ranking characters tend to speak in prose.
In special situations, a high-ranking character may speak in prose or a low-ranking character may speak in poetry.Slide29
Shakespeare’s Language
Why is it so hard to understand?
Poetry
We speak in prose (language without metrical structure).
Shakespeare wrote both
prose
and
verse
(
poetic language and style
).
So, it is important that you understand these and the following terms:Slide30
Shakespeare’s poetry
Why is it so hard to understand?
Iambic pentameter- 70%!
a pattern of rhythm (meter) of five beats of alternating unstressed and
stressed
syllables; ten syllables per line.
'So
fair
/ and
foul
/ a
day
/ I
have
/ not
seen
'
'The
course
/ of
true
/ love
nev
/
er
did
/ run
smooth
'Slide31
Shakespeare’s poetry
Why is it so hard to understand?
Poetic dialogue may be either
blank verse or rhymed verse.
*
Blank verse
is
unrhymed
iambic pentameter.
Brabantio
:
This accident is not unlike my dream.
Sometimes
, a line of blank verse is divided between
two
or more characters.
Iago
:
Are your doors locked?
Brabantio
:
Why? Wherefore ask you this?Slide32
Shakespeare’s Use of
Poetry
Rhymed
dialogue is usually written in iambic pentameter. Rhymes may occur at the ends of alternating lines, or at the ends of two lines next to each other (called a couplet).Rhymed dialogue may focus on love or other strong feelings. A rhymed couplet may summarize, foreshadow, or dramatically close a scene.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇ
´
ˇSlide33
Shakespeare’s Use of
Prose
Prose
lacks a consistent rhythm and sounds like ordinary speech. Shakespeare usually used prose for common characters. Notice the lack of consistent rhythm in the porter’s speech from Macbeth.
Porter.
Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old
°
turning the key.
(Knock.)
Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub?
°
Here’s a farmer, that hanged himself on th’ expectation of plenty. . . .
(Knock.)
Knock, Knock! Who’s there, in th’ other devils name? . . .
(Knock.)
Anon, anon!
(Opens an entrance.)
I pray you, remember the porter.
°have old:
grown old
°Beelzebub:
the Devil. Slide34
Shakespeare’s Use of Prose
Noble characters
who usually speak in
poetry may lapse into prose to signal a change in tone, attitude, or emotion.In Act V of
Macbeth,
Lady Macbeth, overwhelmed by guilt and madness, speaks in prose.
Lady Macbeth.
Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two: why, then ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt?
°
Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?
°to accompt:
into account.Slide35
Shakespeare’s poetry
Why is it so hard to understand?
Unusual word order
I ate the sandwich. Ate I the sandwich. I the sandwich ate. The sandwich I ate. Ate the sandwich I. The sandwich ate I.
Did people actually talk this way?!
Why can’t he just say it the
normal way?!Slide36
Unusual Word Order
Shakespeare uses
unusual word order
to create a specific poetic rhythm or rhyme
to give a character a specific speech pattern
to emphasize a certain word, action, emotionSlide37
Tips for deciphering
unusual word order
Find the
subject of the sentenceFind the
verb
of the sentence
Find the
object
of the sentence
Then
rearrange the
sentence to make it
easier to understand
Subject
/
Verb
/
Object
=
Doer
/
Action
/
Receiver
=
Who
/
Did What
/
To Whom
?
Ate I the sandwich.
I the sandwich ate.
The sandwich I ate.
Ate the sandwich I.
The sandwich ate I.
I ate the sandwich. Slide38
Shakespeare’s poetry
Why is it so hard to understand?
Omissions/Contractions
Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words. These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak today.
Let’s take aSlide39
Omissions/Contractions
A few examples of Shakespearean
omissions/contractions:
'tis ~
it is
ope ~
open
o'er ~
over
gi' ~
give
ne'er ~
never
i' ~
in
e'er ~
ever
oft ~
often
a' ~
he
e'en ~
even
Slide40
Omissions/Contractions
We say:
"Been to class yet?" "No. Heard Maczuga's givin
' a pop quiz."
"
Wha'sup
wi'that
?"
We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech. If we were speaking in complete sentences, we would say:
"Have you been to class yet?"
"No, I have not been to class. I have heard that Miss Maczuga is giving a pop quiz today."
"What is up with that?"Slide41
What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language?
Shakespeare will be some of the most difficult reading you will ever attempt.
BE PATIENT!
HERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND. . .Slide42
What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language?
Read
the introduction
Read everything at least twice3. Try reading aloud
4. Imagine that you are acting the part: what are you telling the audience?
Keep a list of
characters
Let the punctuation guide your reading.
Do
not pause or stop at the end of a line
unless you
see punctuation
there
.
Do
pause or stop for punctuation that
occurs in
the middle of a line
.
7.
Read the footnotes!!!Slide43
What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language?
8. Watch for archaic words—words that are no longer commonly used in modern English.
Hither,
thither, whither
mean
“to here,”
“to there,”
and
“to where.”
9. Note how Shakespeare uses the pronouns
thou
and
thee
,
and
ye
and
you
.
Th
–
forms were used in talking to one person who was an intimate friend or to a person of a lower of rank.
Y
–
forms
were used in talking to several persons, to one person who was a social equal but not an intimate friend, or to a person of higher rank.
10. Paraphrase Shakespeare’s language using your own words. Slide44
What else can you do to “decode”
Shakespeare’s language?
*If you can’t understand a particular passage, it’s probably about sex.
*Always remember you are reading play scripts that are intended to be spoken, not read silently. Imagine how the scene would look and what the actors would be doing!Slide45Slide46
Shakespeare’s poetry
Why is it so hard to understand?
What else can you do to “decode”
Shakespeare’s language?
You guessed it!
Keep a reading journal!Slide47
Reading Journals
Read
Record
Summarize
Paraphrase
Question
Discuss
Re-read
Answer
React
What the heck does that mean?
I wonder, why did she say that?
OK! Now I get it!Slide48
Meet Othello (1.2.)
We see Othello for the first time in this scene:
Is he what you thought he would be?Is he respected by his associates?How do you know?What contrasts are there between the way Iago, Roderigo, and
Brabantio
have described Othello and the way he looks and behaves when he actually appears?Slide49
Meet Othello (1.2)
Do you notice basic differences in attitude between
Cassio
and Iago in their short conversation following Othello’s exit (lines 50-54)?Why is Brabantio convinced that Othello must have used witchcraft on his daughter? Why does he have difficulty believing his daughter could run to Othello’s
“sooty bosom”?