BrickeyShakespeare

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William Shakespeare

Widely regarded as the

greatest writer in English Literature



Shakespeare 1563-1616

Stratford-on-Avon, England

wrote 37 plays

about 154 sonnets

started out as an actor



Stage Celebrity Actor for Lord Chamberlain¶s

Men (London theater co.)

Also > principal playwright for them

1599> Lord Ch. Co. built GlobeTheater where most of Sh. Play¶s

were performed



Shakespeare wrote: Comedies

Histories

Tragedies



R

omeo and Juliet Written about 1595

Considered a tragedy

West Side Story (Movie) based on R&J



The Theater Plays produced for the general

public Roofless>open air

No artificial lighting

Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels

of galleries



Spectators Wealthy got benches

³Groundlings´>poorer people

stood and watched from thecourtyard (³pit´)

All but wealthy wereuneducated/illiterate

Much more interaction than today



Staging Areas Stage>platform that extended into

the pit

Dressing & storage rooms ingalleries behind & above stage

second-level gallery> upper stage>

famous balcony scene in R & J Trap door>ghosts

³Heavens´> angelic beings



D

ifferences No scenery

Settings > references in

dialogue

Elaborate costumes

Plenty of props

Fast-paced, colorful>2 hours!



Actors Only men and boys

Young boys whose voices had not changed play women¶s roles

Would have been considered

indecent for a woman to appear

on stage



Elizabethan (QE1) Words An,and: If

Anon: Soon

Aye: Yes

But: Except for

E¶en: Even

E¶er: Ever



QE1 Words (contin.) Haply: Perhaps

Happy: Fortunate Hence: Away, from her

Hie: Hurry Marry: Indeed



QE1 Words (contin.) Whence: Where

Wilt: Will, will you

Withal: In addition to Would: Wish



Blank Verse Much of R & J is written in it:

± unrhymed verse

± iambic (unstressed, stressed)

± pentameter( 5 ³feet´ to a line) ends up to be 10 syllable lines



Prose Ordinary writing that is not

poetry, drama, or song ± Only characters in the lower

social classes speak this way in

Shakespeare¶s plays

± Why do you suppose that is?



Plot

The sequence of events in a

literary work



Exposition The plot usually begins with

this:

± introduces>>>>

setting

characters

basic situation



Inciting Moment Often called ³initial incident´

± the first bit of action that occurswhich begins the plot

± R

omeo and Juliet ³lock eyes´ at the party



Conflict The struggle that develops

± man vs. man

± man vs. himself

± man vs. society

± man vs. nature



Crisis The point where the

protagonist¶s situation will either get better or worse

± protagonist>good guy ± antagonist>bad guy



Climax The turning point of the

story>everything begins

to unravel from here

± Thus begins the falling

action



R

esolution

The end of thecentral conflict



D

enouement The final explanation or

outcome of the plot

± If this is included in

literature, it will occur after the resolution.



Tragedy (Shakespearean) Drama where the central character/s

suffer disaster/great misfortune

± In many tragedies, downfall results

from>

Fate

Character flaw/Fatal flaw

Combination of the two



ThemeCentral idea or >>

Insight about life

which explain thedownfall



Metaphorical Language Comparison of unlike things >

± Paris standing over the ³lifelessbody´ of Juliet, ³Sweet flower, with

flowers thy bridal bed I strew«´

± ³Thou detestable maw«´Gorged with the dearest morsel of the

earth«´ Romeo



Dramatic Foil

A character whose

purpose is to show off

another character

± Benvolio for Tybalt

look for others in R & J



Round characters

Characters who have

many personality

traits, like real people.



Flat Characters

One-dimensional, embodying

only a single trait ± Shakespeare often uses them to

provide comic relief even in a

tragedy



Static Characters

Characters within a story

who remain the same. Theydo not change. They do not

change their minds,opinions or character.



D ynamic Character

Characters that change

somehow during the

course of the plot. They

generally change for thebetter.



Monologue

One person speaking on stage

> may be other character onstage too

± ex > the Prince of Veronacommanding the Capulets and

Montagues to cease feuding



Soliloquy

Long speech expressing the

thoughts of a character aloneon stage. In R & J, Romeo

gives a soliloquy after the

servant has fled and Paris has

died.



Aside

Words spoken, usually

in an undertone not

intended to be heard

by all characters



Pun

Shakespeare loved to use them!!!

± Humorous use of a word withtwo meanings > sometimes

missed by the reader because of

Elizabethan language and

sexual innuendo



Direct Address

Words that tell the reader who is

being addressed: ³A right fair mark, fair coz, is

soonest hit.´

³Ah, my mistresses, which of you

all/ Will now deny to dance?´



Dramatic Irony

A contradiction between

what a character thinks

and what the

reader/audience knows tobe true



Verbal Irony

Words used to suggest

the opposite of what is

meant



Situational Irony

An event occurs that

directly contradicts the

expectations of the

characters, the reader, or the audience



Comic Relief Use of comedy within literature

that is NOT comedy to provide

³relief´ from seriousness or

sadness.

In R

& J, look for moments of comic relief that help ³relieve´ the

tragedy of the situation

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