Revised 2004 © Copyright. Academic Year 2004-2005, by M. Chavez. (http://www.mschavez.org)

Survey of Literature

NOTESThe Life of

Shakespeare

The Renaissance

The Rennaisance Literally means “to be born again”

Re (again) Redo, recapture, reiterate, recant

Naissance (birth) Nativity, native, natal

A rebirth of classical ideas from Greece and Rome

Studied the achievements of past scholarly work in philosophy, religion, science, literature and art

ROME(Modern Day Italy)

GREECE

British

Isles

William Shakespeare

1564-1616

Recognized as the world’s most famous playwright.

No other writer’s plays and poetry have been produced so many times or in so many countries or translated into so many languages.

Wrote tragic and comic plays

Produced 37 plays in 20 yearsStudied Latin and Greek

Wrote over 154 sonnets

William Shakespeare Shakespeare’s most productive

years were from 1594 to 1608, the period in which he wrote all of his great tragedies, such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet. During these fourteen years,

he furnished his acting company with approximately two plays annually.

Lived on Stratford on Avon, England

William Shakespeare Became an actor Focused on the lives

of kings Lived during reign of

Queen Elizabeth I and King James I

Formed Lord Chamberlain’s Men (acting company)

The GlobeOpened in 1599

First theater in London

Famous theater that was commissioned to be built by Lord Chamberlain’s Men (Acting/Production company)

Burned down in 1613 and was immediately rebuilt.

Closed by the Puritans in 1642.

Now, 200 yards from its original site, after almost 400 years, the Globe Theatre has been opened to the public again

Revised 2004 © Copyright. Academic Year 2004-2005, by M. Chavez. (http://www.mschavez.org)

Survey of Literature Class Notes

Shakespearean

Sonnets

About SONNETS Sonnet

A lyric poem which contains 14 lines written in iambic pentameter form. Shakesperean Sonnet

Consists of three quatrains (four line units) Ends with a couplet*

Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg octave (first 8 lines) sestet (last 6 lines)

Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet octave (first 8 lines) rhyme scheme:

abbaabba sestet (last 6 lines) rhyme scheme:

cdecde or cdccde

About SONNETS

Functions of OCTAVES and SESTETS Octave- presents a

situation, attitude, or problem

Sestet comments upon or resolves the problem, situation or attitude posed in the octave

Sonnet Definitions

Iambic Foot - Consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Iambic foot is usually depicted with these symbols:

Iambic Pentameter A line of verse with five feet is known as pentameter (Greek penta, "five"). Five feet in each verse, each containing an iamb (the second of two syllables stressed).

Meter - The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables or the units of stress pattern.

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ / / / /1 foot 2 feet 3 feet 4 feet

/5 feet

˘= Unnacented Syllable ′ = Accented Syllable / = Foot

Sonnets- Terms to Know

Couplet - A pair of rhymed lines (of any length or rhythm).Rhyme Scheme - The pattern of rhymed words.  Stanzas

are often linked by their rhyme scheme.  Rhyme scheme is lacking in some modern poetry.

Scansion - The process of measuring verse, that is, of

marking accented and unaccented syllables, dividing the lines into feet, identifying the metrical pattern, and noting significant variations from that pattern.

Stress - A term applied to the emphasis placed on a syllable in a word.  A synonym for stress is "accent."

Verse - A single line of poetry

Sonnet #12 ExplainedWhen I do count the clock that tells the time, And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;When I behold the violet past prime,And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,And summer's green all girded up in sheaves,Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,Then of thy beauty do I question make,That thou among the wastes of time must go,Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsakeAnd die as fast as they see others grow;And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defenceSave breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

ABABCDCDEFEFGG

Rhyme Scheme

O

C

T

A

V

E

S

E

S

T

E

TCouplet