In Fair Verona

Welcome to . . . Romeo & Juliet

Part I: Shakespeare: Meet the ManShakespeare’s Birth and Death (#1-3, 8)• Born: April 23, 1564; Speculated off of his

baptism on the 26th

• Place: Stratford Upon Avon• Died: April 23, 1616. He was 52 when he died.

(Average life = 48, 78 today)

Marriage and Family (#4)• Married Anne Hathaway, at the age of 18. She

was 26. • Kids: 3 children: Susanna, Hamnet (died at age

11), & Judith (twins)

Acting Groups (#5)• The Queen’s Men, Pembroke’s Men Lord

Chamberlain’s Men*

Stratford-upon-AvonShakespeare’s Home

Anne Hathaway’s Home

Part I: ShakespeareLost Years (#6)• 1586-1592- Between (when he finished

school) and (married Anne) no information about him

• His plays required a lot knowledge of Astronomy and the Law, Seamanship and Military issues. Perhaps he was a sailor or soldier, a Law clerk, a teacher, etc

1593: Breakthrough (#7)• He dedicated a poem to the Earl of

Southhapton that made it big and got published everywhere. It also got him in the good graces of the Earl.

Bard (#9)Poet: He is the world’s greatest poet

Part I: The Globe TheaterGlobe Construction (#10 - 15)• Built from wood from the old

“Theater” after it closed• Peter Smith built it along the south

side of the Thames River in Southwark, London.

• Shakespeare owned 10% of it; it was owned by a group of men

• Famous today for airing Shakespeare’s plays

• Held several thousand people

Flags(#16) Virtual Tour• Indicated a play was running day:• Black = tragedy• White = comedy• Red = historyGlobe Theater

The Globe: Her Majesty’s Theatre

Part II: Elizabethan TheaterActors/Women (#17-18)• Women were not allowed on the stage; men played

women’s roles• Shakespeare’s “Players” (Acting troupe Lord

Chamberlain’s Men or Kings Men) were the main actors of the Globe (26 actors in his company); called “Players.”

• He did perform in his plays – but just enough to keep him in touch with acting, famous for the Ghost in Hamlet.

Audience (#19-21) • You paid a penny to a box (hence term Box Office). It

was collected at the front to be a “groundling.”• You paid one more penny to sit in the first gallery• You paid 6 pennies to set in a box in the third level box• Nobles could sit in chairs on the sidelines• Men and women attend plays; famous women would

wear a mask• If they hated the play, the threw rotten food.• Door on the floor of the stage – trap door – for ghosts to

rise from; heavens for sky

Globe Photos

Elizabethans (Add to Notes)Name Origination: Queen Elizabeth :20 - end

• Named Queen of England – Queen Elizabeth I (She was 25 when she became queen.)

• She was a very strong, independent woman who supported the arts.

• It was during her reign that England flourished. In addition, it was during her time that their was a cultural renaissance – she valued the arts.

London• London was the heart of England –

the leader of culture, trade, drama, poets and literary works. (This is where Shakespeare lived and wrote.)

Elizabethan Life (continued)Elizabethan Life• There were classes of people based on

occupation, wealth and family. • These classes determined what you could wear,

where you could get a job, where you could live, what your kids could do, etc.

Meals• There were three meals eaten: Breakfast (not

formal), Dinner (11am or 12pm), and Supper (6pm).

• The potato is a new item; tomatoes are considered poisonous, chocolate is not around, almond is the most common “sweet” flavor.

• You can’t eat meat on Fridays or Saturdays – not for religion – but to support the fishing industry!

Elizabethan Life (continued)Activities Things To Do

• Gambling, dice playing (craps), Tennis, lawn bowling, badminton, attend the theatre (done in the afternoon because there was no lighting in theaters)

Schools• Noble children got their education from private tutors.• Public schools begin at 7am in the winter and 6am in the

summer. After prayers, they worked until 9am, when they ate breakfast, then they worked until 11. Dinner is from 11 – 1. The school day ended at 5 or 5:30.

• Latin, history, literature, drama, astronomyDay Schedule of a Upper Class Child7:00-7:30 Dancing 7:30-8:00 Breakfast 8:00-9:00 French 9:00-10:00 Latin 10:00-10:30 Writing and Drawing10:30-1:00 Prayers, Recreation, Dinner1:00-2:00 Cosmography(Astronomy)2:00-3:00 Latin 3:00-4:00 French 4:00-4:30 Writing 4:30-5:30 Prayers, Recreation, Supper,

Literary Terms: Page 6

• Fate: A person’s destiny or future – where they are headed with life• Comedy: A type of play Shakespeare wrote where he used words, word play,

metaphors and insults to create humor.• Love is a common theme. • Often a complex plots lots of twists and turns. The climax of the play always

occurs in the third act and the final scene has a celebratory feel when the lovers finally declare their love for each other.

• Mistaken identities: The plot is often driven by mistaken identity. Characters also play scenes in disguise, and it is not uncommon for female characters to disguise themselves as male characters.

• History: Type of play Shakespeare wrote about history, but it was not historically accurate; • He wrote for the entertainment of his audience and changed historical events to

suit his prejudices/beliefs. • Provides social commentary – comments on how society works

Literary Terms: Page 6

• Tragedy: A Shakespearean play where the main character has a fatal flaw. It is this weakness that ultimately leads to their downfall. • The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Shakespeare tragedies often focus on the fall

of someone with money or power.• The tragic heroes often fall victim to external pressures. Fate, evil spirits and

manipulative characters all play a hand in the hero’s downfall. • Iambic Pentameter: Rhyme scheme that Shakespeare used: 2 lines of 10 syllables • Each line has 5 feet (sets of syllables) = pentameter (5 sets of syllables)• And the stressing pattern is all iambs or 2nd syllable• If mu- / -sic be / the food / of love, / play on • Is this / a dag- / -ger I / see be- / fore me? • Flow pattern: da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM

• Prose: An ordinary form of writing or speaking. It has no meter, pattern, or rhyme to it. Example: article, novel, biography, etc.

Literary Terms: Page 6

• Blank Verse: Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Still has the flow, no rhyme though. Most of Shakespeare’s were written in blank verse.

• Soliloquy: Speech a character gives alone on stage where they express their inner most thoughts and feelings. It’s like reading a journal entry.

• Couplet: Two lines of poetry that rhyme• Monologue: A long speech presented in front of (and usually to) other

characters. It goes on uninterrupted.• Comic Relief: Funny scenes or characters who relieve a serious scene. If

the emotion is running to high – writers often add in comic relief to relieve the tension for a short period of time.

Literary Terms: Page 6

• Tragic Hero/Flaw: Tragic Flaw – the weakness or flaw of a character that causes their downfall or demise in a tragedy. Tragic Hero – a main character in a tragedy who has a tragic flaw that leads to his/her downfall

• Allusion: A reference to a person, place or event that is real. An author could also refer to another piece of literature or art.

• Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something that the character does not. We have more insight than those on stage.

• Situation Irony: When the outcome is opposite of what was expected to happen.

• Verbal Irony: When a person writes or says one thing but means another. They use words to convey the opposite meaning.

Prologue/Terms (p. 13)• Prologue: The beginning of the play that focuses the audience on THEME! –

Write in blank space next to the italicized sonnet• Sonnet: A 14-line lyric poem written in iambic pentameter.• Iambic is a stress pattern: “to BE or Not to BE” • Pentameter: number of stressed syllables (Pent = 5; 5 stressed syllables)• It has several rhyme schemes – meaning different lines of it have to rhyme for

it to be a sonnet (see sample on page 13- A lines rhyme)3 – four line sections (ABAB, CDCD, EFEF) (see Page 13)

• Ends with a 2 line couplet (two lines that rhyme (GG) (see Page 13)• Iambic Pentameter: Rhyme scheme that Shakespeare used: 2 lines of 10

syllables • Each line has 5 feet (sets of syllables) = pentameter. • And the stressing pattern is on the iambs or 2nd syllable• If mu- / -sic be / the food / of love, / play on • Is this / a dag- / -ger I / see be- / fore me? • da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM

Prologue/Terms (p. 13)

• Couplet: Two lines of poetry that rhyme• My only love, sprung from my only hate!• Too early seen unknown and known too late!

• Comic Relief: Funny scenes in a play that interrupt or add humor to a serious scene.

• Pun: To use a word in a humorous manner – usually to suggest more meaning to the word

• Monologue: Long speech by one actor in a play that goes uninterrupted. Other characters are on the stage at the same time

R & J PrologueChorus • Two households, both alike in dignity, • In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, • From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, • Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. • From forth the fatal loins of these two foes • A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; • Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows • Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. • The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, • And the continuance of their parents' rage, • Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, • Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; • The which if you with patient ears attend, • What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Prologue:1. Who is the "Chorus" who speaks the prologue? 2. In What city does this play take place?3. How long is the play intended to be? 4. What does the prologue tell us about the story? Why are

Romeo and Juliet called ‘star-cross’d lovers’? 5. Find the couplet at the end.

Literary & Shakespeare Terms: Day 2

Literary & Shakespeare Terms: Day 3

Literary & Shakespeare Terms: Day 4

Literary & Shakespeare Terms: Day 5

Sites Used

• http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/elizabethanengland.html

• http://elizabethan.org/compendium/home.html• http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/index.htm• http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon45.html

(Queen)• http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html (Shake & Globe)• http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-ro

meo-and-juliet.htm (RJ)