STUDY GUIDE

America’s longest running touring company

The exercises and information in this study guide are geared towards fulfilling the Common Core State Standards for En-glish Language Arts and Literacy for Grades 11-12.

Writing• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and con-vey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the devel-opment, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, fo-cusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.• Conduct short as well as more sustained research proj-ects to answer a question (including a self-generated ques-tion) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the sub-ject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Speaking and Listening• Prepare and participate effectively in a range of conver-sations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and per-suasively.• Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and deter-mine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.• Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and es-tablish individual roles as needed.

SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM STANDARDS

Getting the Most from this GuideOur study guides are designed with you and your classroom in mind, with information and activities

that can be implemented in your curriculum. National Players has a strong belief in the relationship between actor and audience. Without either participant, there is no theatre. We hope this study guide will help bring a better understanding of the plot, themes, and characters in the play so that you can more fully enjoy Macbeth.Feel free to copy the study guide for students and other teachers and to use any essay, exercise, or discussion question as you see fit.

Summary of Curriculum Standards...........................2

About National Players .............................................3

Background: About William Shakespeare ................4

Background: Hearing Shakespeare ..........................4

Background: The Performance ................................5

Background: The Theatre .........................................5

Macbeth: Synopsis ...................................................6

Meet the Characters ................................................7

Shakespeare’s World: Sources .................................8

Shakespeare’s World: Witchcraft..............................8

Production History.....................................................9

National Players’ Production...................................10

Character Study: Lady Macbeth .............................11

Glossary ..................................................................12

Key Words and Names............................................13

Further reading........................................................14

Bibliography.............................................................15

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Table of Contents

ABOUT NATIONAL PLAYERSHistoryNow celebrating its 65th season, National Players is

America’s longest-running touring company, and has earned a distinctive place in American theatre by bringing innovative and accessible productions to audiences across the country. Founded in 1949 by Father Gilbert Hartke, a prominent

arts educator and Catholic priest, National Players has performed in theatres, gymnasiums, opera houses, and outdoor playing spaces all around the country. Hartke’s mission—to stimulate young people’s higher thinking skills and imaginations by presenting classic plays in surprisingly accessible ways—is as urgent and vital today as it was over 60 years ago.Since 1952, Olney Theatre Center has been the

artistic home of National Players and has broadened its engagement to stimulate all learners, regardless of age, background, or location. Through the years, Players has been privileged to perform on 10 USO tours, at five White House visits, in the Arctic Circle, and throughout 42 states and territories. Having performed for over 2.8 million audience members,

National Players is proud to continue collaborating with audiences around the world today. Committed to excellence on and off the stage, over 700 artists have been proud Players, and continue to promote good work in New York, Hollywood, and other communities across the country.

TOUR 65National Players offers an exemplary lesson in

collaboration and teamwork-in-action: the actors not only play multiple roles onstage, but also serve as stage managers, teaching artists, and technicians. This year, the Players consist of 10 actors, traveling across the country, visiting schools and art centers. A self-contained company, National Players carries its own sets, lights, costumes, and sound; that means that the actors you see rebuild the set and hang lights for more than 70 performances. They also memorize lines for three different plays—Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors and The Odyssey—often performing more than one a day. It is a lot of work, but the Players are dedicated to celebrating and teaching literature and performance to as many audiences as possible.

Above, you can see images from three Na-tional Player productions of Macbeth. In each restaging of the play, the director and actors bring something new, through cos-tumes, setting, and more.

What do you notice about the pictures above? What mood do they invoke? What

2Tour 2, 1950-51 Tour 11, 1959-60Tour 31, 1979-80

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Despite being history’s most pro-duced and studied English play-wright, little is known of William Shakespeare’s life. One of six sib-lings, Shakespeare was born in Strat-ford-upon-Avon on or about April 23, 1564. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children. For the seven years after, Shakespeare fell off all record. Eventually, he arose in London and joined The Lord Cham-berlain’s Men acting troupe. In 1603, when the troupe came into King James’ favor, they officially became The King’s Men.Shakespeare’s professional days are

a mixture of fact and legend. In 1601, he and his business partners pur-chased property on the south bank of London’s Thames River, where they es-tablished The Globe Theatre. There, the acting company performed many of Shakespeare’s 37 plays. Famed for using the iambic pentameter writing style, Shakespeare’s works are deep in metaphor, illusion, and character; sometimes even taking precedence over plot. A diverse playwright, he be-gan his career writing historical plays,

bawdy comedies, and the occasional tragedy. Later in life, his plays became more structurally complex, featuring his iconic Hamlet and Macbeth and the curious tragicomedies Cymbeline and The Tempest.William Shakespeare died on or

about April 23rd, 1616, and is interred at a chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Most early modern playwrights did not publish their work, but 18 of Shakespeare’s plays were printed before he died. Luckily, his plays sur-vived because friends and colleagues commemorated his life in a publica-tion known as the First Folio.A century after his death, questions

began to arise; his birthdate, death-date, and even the spelling of his name are in question. No definitive portrait exists of the man, and no government record lists his theatric profession. Many scholars have questioned the

ability of a minimally educated man to create such challenging writing. Some theorists have long held that “Shake-speare” was a nom de plume for an-other playwright, nobleman, or even collection of writers. However, the vast majority of scholars believe that unofficial documentation provides proof of Shakespeare’s existence and prolific abilities. Regardless, Shake-speare’s plays have been translated to 118 languages and are now in con-stant production around the world.

BACKGROUNDAbout William Shakespeare

Sometimes Shakespeare’s lan-guage can be difficult to under-stand, but once you get it, it is really fun. Here are some tips to help you enjoy and appreciate the onstage action:• You do not have to understand ev-ery word in order to understand the play. Try to grasp the gist of what each character is saying. After a while, you won’t even have to think about it.• Watch body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Actors com-municate what they are saying through their body. You can un-derstand much of the play without hearing a word.

• Although he uses prose as well, Shakespeare often uses verse in his plays, a form called iambic pen-tameter. This rhythm, which uses stressed and unstressed syllables, makes it easier to both understand and to learn Shakespeare. The rhythm guides the ear to the im-portant parts of each phrase. • The plays aren’t meant to scare or confuse you. Shakespeare wrote to entertain, and he was pretty good at it (he was one of the most pop-ular playwrights of his time, after all).Even his tragedies have comedic moments, so feel free to laugh and react to the actors’ jokes and antics.

Hearing Shakespeare Words, Words, WordsShakespeare coined more than 1,700 words, many of which we still use today. Here are some of his most famous:

• Compromise• Cold-blooded• Puking• Eyeball• Blanket• Torture• Bloodstained• Amazement• Deafening• Elbow

A copper engraving of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout, published on the title page of the First Folio in 1623.

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The Globe Theatre was a circu-lar wooden structure constructed of three stories of galleries (seats) surrounding an open courtyard. It was an open-air building, and a rectangular platform projected into the middle of the courtyard served as a stage. The perfor-mance space had no front curtain, but was backed by a large wall with one to three doors out of which actors entered and exited. In front of the wall stood a roofed house-like structure supported by two large pillars, designed to provide a place for actors to “hide” when not in a scene. The roof of this struc-ture was referred to as the “Heav-ens” and could be used for actor entrances.

The theatre itself housed up to 3,000 spectators, mainly because a great number had to stand. The seats in the galleries were reserved for people from the up-per classes who primarily came to the theatre to be prominently seen. Sometimes, wealthy patrons were even allowed to sit on or above the stage itself. These seats,

known as the “Lord’s Rooms,” were con-sidered the best in the house despite the poor view of the back of the actors. The lower-class spectators stood in the open courtyard and watched the play on their feet. These audience mem-bers became known as groundlings and gained admission to the playhouse for prices as low as one penny. The ground-lings were often very loud and ram-bunctious during the performances and would eat, drink, shout at the actors, and socialize during the performance. Playwrights were therefore forced to in-corporate lots of action and bawdy hu-mor in their plays in order to keep the audience’s attention.

BACKGROUNDThe Theatre

During Shakespeare’s day, new plays were written and performed continuously. A company of actors might receive a new play, prepare it, and perform it every week. Because of this, each actor in the company had a specific type of role that he normally played and could perform with little re-hearsal. This role was known as a stock character. Such characters might include romantic lovers, tragic soldiers, fools and clowns, and women characters. Because women were not allowed to per-form on the stage at the time, young boys whose voices had yet to change played the female char-acters in the shows.

Other than a few pieces of stock scenery, like forest and palace backdrops, set pieces were very minimal. There was no artificial lighting to convey time and place, so it was up to audience to imagine what the full scene would look like. Be-cause of this, the playwright was forced to describe the setting in greater detail than would normally be heard today. For example, in order to establish weather in one scene in Macbeth, Macbeth says, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” referencing the stormy evening.

The costumes of this period, by contrast, were far from minimal. Rich and luxurious, Elizabethan costumes were a source of great pride for the performers who personally provided them. However, they were rarely his-torically accurate, which again forced the audience to use their imaginations to envision the play’s time and place.

The Performance

The original Globe Theatre burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII when a prop cannon caught fire, forc-ing 3,000 visitors to scurry out-side for safety. Miraculously, everyone survived. According to an eyewitness account by Sir Henry Wotton, the only serious recorded injury was sustained by a poor fellow “breeches set on fire, that would perhaps have broyled him, if he had not...put it out with a bottle of ale” (Per-cy, Timbs 195).

Although there are no surviving illus-trations of the original Globe Theatre, historians think it looked something like the Rose Theatre. The Rose was right down the road from the Globe, and some of Shakespeare’s early plays were performed there.

Did You Know?

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The strict penalty for any Syrcusian who enters the city of Ephesus is execu-tion. Egeon, a Syrcusian merchant, has breached the city in search of his long-lost wife and sun. Facing certain death, he welcomes his fate: “Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, and by the doom of death end woes and all”...He explains that his twin sons, both named Antipholus,

and their twin slaves, both named Dromio, were separated during a storm many years ago. He saved one Antipholus and Dromio, but their brothers and his wife were lost at sea. The Duke of Ephesus pities Egeon, but insists he can-not bend the law; instead, he gives the Syracusian one day to raise his own ransom money and purchase his freedom.Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, raised by Egeon,

also arrive in Ephe-sus, looking for their shipwrecked twin brothers. Short-ly after Antipholus sends Dromio to make a reservation at an inn, Dromio of Ephesus meets Antipholus of Syra-cuse. Confusing him for the other twin, Dromio bids him to come to dinner. An-tipholus of Syracuse is at first astounded, then angered, and beats Dromio of Ephesus for his fool-ishness.Dromio of Ephe-

sus, nursing his wounds, returns to Antipholus of Ephe-sus’s house and re-counts to Adriana, Antipholus’ wife, and Luciana, her sister, his odd encounter with the man he thought was his master. Adriana leaves to fetch her husband and manages to convince Antipholus of Syracuse that he is her husband. Confused and intrigued, Antipholus joins the women for dinner.As Antipholus of Syracuse dines with his brother’s wife,

Antipholus of Ephesus arrives at his house with Dromio of Ephesus and his guests Angelo and Balthazar. Adriana, who believes her husband is already inside, bars Antipholus of Ephesus and his guests from entering the house. Furious, Antipholus of Ephesus invites his guests to dine at the house of a courtesan. To further spite his wife, he sends Angelo to fetch an ornate necklace, which he decides to give to the courtesan instead of his wife. Antipholus of Syracuse declares his love for Luciana. She

is outraged and chides the man she believes to be her brother-in-law for betraying Adriana. Antipholus of Syr-acuse and his servant flee, determined to leave Ephesus and avoid any more bizarre happenings. He then encounters Angelo, who gives him the neck-

lace, thinking he is Antipholus of Ephesus. Angelo prom-ises to return to Antipholus of Ephesus’s home later to

collect pay-ment (which he needs to pay off his own debts to another m e r c h a n t ) . A n t i p h o l u s of Syracuse is now even more eager to leave the city.Later, Angelo

requests his payment from Antipholus of Ephesus, who insists (truth-fully) that he

never re- ceived the necklace. He refuses to pay Angelo, so Angelo has Antipholus of Ephesus arrested. Antipholus sends Dromio of Syracuse to Adriana to collect bail mon-ey.Adriana is quick to give Dromio of Syracuse

the money but on his way to save Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio runs into his real master

and I surprised to find him free. Antipholus of Syraucse has no idea why his servant has a bag of money. The courtesan arrives to demand either the ring Antipholus of Ephesus took from her at dinner or the neck- lace. Antipholus and Dromio believe she is a witch and flee.Meanwhile, Adriana and Luciana employ Doctor Pinch

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS: SYNOPSIS6

This is costume design-er Pei Lee’s rendering of the Antipholus twins’ cos-tume. Consider:1. What do you imagine the Dromios looking like? The Duke? The Courtesan?2. One of the challenges for a costume designer with this play is differen-tiating between the two sets of twins. How might costume details help with this distinction?

Just like Shakespeare’s players, the National Players have to play multiple roles. The text calls for more than 25 characters, so in addition to each actor playing multiple roles, some characters were combined. Use this chart to keep track of who’s who and how they relate to each other.

MEET THE CHARACTERS

DukeJacob Mundell

Angelo—GoldsmithAlexander Korman

Dromio of SyracuseAntonia Lache

LucianaTheresa Bucchler

Long-lost spouse

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BalthazarJacob Mundell

Egeon—MerchantChristopher Richardson

Antipholus of SyracuseDanny Cackley

Abbess/EmiliaLeah Filley

Dromio of EphesusAdam Turck

Antipholus of EphesusDrew Feldman

AdrianaEliza Rose

CourtesanLeah Filley

Dr. PinchJacob Mundell

Syracuse

Ephesus

Dromio of SyracuseAntonia

Long-lost twin brother

Long-lost twin brother

Spouse

ServantServant

Citizens

Sister

Few of Shakespeare’s plays were completely original. He drew on various sources as inspiration for his stories, including classic lit-erature and historical tales. The blueprint for The Comedy of Er-rors was derived from two classic plays, both written by the Roman playwright Plautus. Menaechmi, Plautus’ most re-

nowned comedy, follows the farcical plight of twin brothers Menaechmus of Epidamnus and Menaechmus of Syracuse. The Dromios’ subplot was borrowed from Plautus’ tragicomedy Am-phitryon, which includes twin ser-vants with the same name.

Along with the templates for his plot, Shakespeare used comedic conventions from Plautus’ work. Plautus’ plays were staged be-tween 205 and 184 BCE, making them the earliest works of Latin literature that survive today. Plau-tus, in turn, borrowed the plots and structure of his plays from ancient Greek comedies, adher-ing to the unities of time, place, and action set forth by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Taking his cue from Plautus, Shakespeare also adheres to Aristotle’s unities and includes classical stock char-acters, slapstick humor, and vio-lence.

BACKGROUND

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Shakespeare’s Influences

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Early in his writing, Shakespeare relied heavily on traditional forms of drama while exploring his ability to push beyond their limitations. The Comedy of Errors, one of his earliest plays, was influenced by the doctrine of the Greek philosopher Aristi-tole. Born in 384 BCE, Aristotle was a pro-lific writer and thinker, whose interests cov-ered everything from science and politics to art and drama. In Poetics, his discount on dramatic theory, he asserts that drama should follow three rules, which came to be known as the classical unities:

The unity of action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.The unity of place: a play should cover

a single physical space and should not at-tempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.The unity of time: the action in a play

should take place over no more than 24 hours.

Although many playwrights formatted their work around Aristotle’s rules, only two of Shakespeare’s plays—The Comedy of Errors and The Tempest—follow these unities. Consider:1. How does The Comedy of Errors ad-

here to these classical unities? In what ways does it divert from these?2. How do these unities contribute to th

e play as whole? How do they make the story more or less realistic? How do they contribute comedicaly?3. What other stories can you think of

that adhere to Ar-istotle’s unities?

These can be plays, books, fairy tales, or movies.

What effect do the unities

have on the sto-ry?

Aristotle

Stock CharactersOne of the conventions Shake-

speare adapted from Plautus’ work was his extensive use of stock characters. The Comic Slave: One of the

most iconic Roman stock char-acters, the Comic Slave is usual-ly a central character in Plautus’ plays. Resourseful and cunning, he is loyal to his master (usually the Young Lover) but primarilly motivated with earning his free-dom.The Young Lover: Blinded by his

love, this character is foolish and The Domineering Wife: Smarter

than her husband, this charac-ter is violently suspiscious of her spouse (often for good reason).

Parasite: This character’s name derives from his tendency to leech off of the play’s main char-acters. Instead of sucking their blood, however, he cleans their tables. He spends most of the play asking characters for food in

exchange for entertainment and company.The Comic/Evil Courtesan:

Clever, deceptive and beautiful, the Courtesan often manipulates those around her to win the heart of the Young Lover.The Old Man: Often the father

of the Young Lover, the Old Man serves as an authority figure who imparts wisdom upon others and adheres to traditional values.The Quack Doctor

Consider: 1. What are some modern ver-

sions of stock characters? Idenfity a contemporary example of one of these stock characters, from TV, film or literature. How does this character How are these characters uti-

lized in TV, film and literature to-day? 2. Identify the above stock char-

acters in The Comedy of Errors. How do they differ from Plautus’

This is costume designer Pei Lee’s rendering of the Antipholus twins’ costume. Consider:1. What do you imagine the Dromios looking like?

The Comedy of Errors contains many farcical el-ements—violence, slap-stick, mistake identity—but characteristics of other comedic genres resonate in the play as well. Some of the most common

Dramatic irony: The spectator is aware of in-formation that at least one character in the story is un-aware of.SatireRomantic ComedyWordplay/puns

COMEDYFarce

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Within the formal struc-ture of Roman comedy, Shakespeare experimented with different types of com-edy, including forms of high comedy, which appeals to an intellectual sense of humor, and low comedy, which relies on slapstick and physical gags. Although it contains el-

ements of various come-dic genres, The Comedy of Errors is most commonly

categorized as a farce, a form of low comedy. Farci-cal comedy includes highly improbably situations, ex-aggerated characters, and slapstick elements. Rather than focus on character de-velopment, a farce focuses on one skillfully exploited situation to drive the story. Farce relies heavily on phys-ical comedy and violence to evoke humor.

Elements of Comedy

1. Identify your favorite comedic story; it may be a book, TV show, film, or real event. Make a list of what makes that specific story funny. What elements How is The Comedy of Errors a

farce? What characters and plot points are particularly farcical?

NATIONAL PLAYERS’ PRODUCTIONInfluences

National Players’ production of The Com-edy of Errors is heavily influenced by the American vaudeville movement of the 1880s through the 1920s. A form of variety entertainment, a vaudeville act consisted of multiple, unrelated acts, which might in-clude dance, music, comedy sketches, mag-ic, acrobatics, and more. The development of vaudeville marked the

beginning of popular entertainment as a rep-utable business, dependent on the organi-zational efforts of white-collar workers. The vaudeville circuit was also emblematic of a shifting, diversified audience. An increasing number of Americans had the leisure time and spending power to enjoy live entertain-ment, and in turn, vaudevillians needed to appeal to a broader audience. The National Players’ interpretation re-

imagines Shakespeare’s comedy as a trav-eling variety show, much like audiences might have seen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Using props, scenery and costumes from their trunks, The perfor-mance is metatheatrical—the characters are aware that they are performing for an audience—and the players break out into variety sketches between scenes.

Inspired by the slapstick of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, National Players has stripped down this production of The Come-dy of Errors and plays on something. Shake-speare’s story of mistaken identity invitesBe

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THEMESIdentity Witchcraft

Twins

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Status

Great chain of being

Talked aboutBespokeCurseBeshrew

LackingBereft

SkeletonA mere anatomy

Make disloyalty seem becomingBecome disloyaltyAttitude shown on the faceAspect

RosaryBeads

Irritable, prone to angerCholeric

FussCoilSorceress of Greek mythologyCirce

Cheating, deceptionCozenage

To mock or make a fool ofFloutMistake, illusionFallacy

To cancelDisannualThat which grows out of the

body, such as hairExcrement

Small fort or protective screenSconceCrowd[Common] routHeadPate

MoneyGuilders

StomachMawThrough magical means[By] inspiration

Stingy personNiggard

GLOSSARYBelow are some of the more challenging words in Shakespeare’s vocabulary. Knowing what

they mean will help you follow the plot more easily.

Because “thee” and “thou” are so antiquated today, they sound more formal to the modern ear. However in Shakespeare’s day, it was quite the opposite.

“Thou” and “thee” indicat-ed a special intimacy, used for addressing God, among close friends and relations, or with the lower class. “You,” on the other hand, was more formal. It was used to address superiors—chil-dren to parents, servants to mas-ters, people of the upper class.

These two forms of address were social indicators of respect and status. Using “thou” inappro-priately would have been a seri-ous breach of social standards. Shakespeare took advantage of these words’ connotations in his plays to establish character and class. When a form of address shifts in dialogue, therefore, it conveys a contrast in meaning—an altered attitude or relation-ship.

Listen for how characters use these two forms of address, and consider:

1. What does a character’s choice in words say about his or her status? What does it indicate about the relationship between two characters?

3. Read the dialogue between the Duke and Egeon in Act I, scene i:

Duke: Therefore by law thou art condemned to die.”Egeon: Yet this my comfort: when your words are done,My woes end likewise with the evening sun.

What does this indicate to you about relationships and mood? What do the characters’ titles of “thou” and “you” imply here?

Thou and You

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MeaningShakespeare’s Word

The duty of husband to wife[A husband’s] office

[A Mere] AnatomySkeletonAspectAttitude shown on the faceBecome disloyaltyMake disloyalty seem becomingBeadsRosary — Dromio believes they will protect him from witchcraftBereft, ‘ReftLackingBeshrewCurseBespokeTalked aboutCholericGrumpy, prone to angerCirceSorceress of Greek Mythology who had the power to transformCoilFussCozenageCheating, deceptionCuckoldHusband whose wife cheats on him, sym-bolized by his havingDisannulTo cancelExcrementThat which grows out of the body, hairFallacyMistake, illusionFloutTo mock or make a fool ofForebearTo leave aloneGuildersMoney[By] InspirationThrough magical means

Husband whose wife has cheated on him, symbolized

by horns on his headCuckold

A term used for addressing inferiors

Sirrah

Woman of low moralsStrumpetWhyWherefore

KEY WORDS AND NAMESAdaptation: To modify from one version to another. In the case of literature, books and plays are often adapt-ed into other forms of media, including TV and film.Allegory: The representation of abstract ideas by characters, figures or events in a narrative form.Burbage, Richard (1567-1619): A prolific modern English actor and member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men. He played many of Shakespeare’s title roles, including Richard III, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth.Costumes: Anything actors wear--pants, skirts, shirts, accessories--that dilineate character. Costumes in early modern England were elaborate and helped indicate status, gender and relationships.Davenant, William (1606-1668): A major theatrical figure and writer in the English Renaissance. He altered the text of Macbeth significantly, eliminating the Porter and various scenes, emphasizing Lady Macduff’s char-acter, and inserting song and dance numbers for the witches. His version of the play dominated the English stage for almost a century.Divine Right of Kings: A political and religious doctrine that asserts that a monarch derives the right to rule directly from the will of God. Any attempt to usurp a monarch’s power is a sin against God.Foil: A character who contrasts with another in a significant way. By providing a significant and overt contrast with another character, an author can use a foil to demonstrate or emphasize certain qualities or character-istics. Garrick, David (1717-1779): A prominent English actor, playwright, manager and producer. In his 1744 revival of Macbeth, he mostly used Shakespeare’s original text. His performance of Macbeth was widely acclaimed.Gender roles: Social and behavioral expectations used to define gender.Globe Theatre: Built by Shakespeare’s company in 1599 and rebuilt after a fire in 1619, one of the most pop-ular early modern theaters in London. Great Chain of Being: A belief that God has an ordered system for nature and humankind. Attempting to change one’s station is an offense against God.Groundlings: Frequenters of the Globe Theatre who paid one penny to stand in the pit before the stage. Seats were reserved for higher-paying audience members.Gunpowder Plot: A 1605 conspiracy against King James I, considered one of the first acts of modern state terrorism. After their plot to blow up the houses of Parliament and assasinate the King was discovered, all 13 conspirators were tried and executed.Holinshed’s Historie of Scotland: Part of Raphael Holinsheds Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, published in the 16th century. Shakespeare used the documented histories as the basis for most of his history plays, as well as King Lear, Cymbeline and Macbeth.Iambic Pentameter: A metrical line used in traditional verse. The rhythm has ten syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables. It sounds something like this: de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM. For example: “good THINGS of DAY beGIN to DROOP and DROWSE.” King’s Men: The name Shakespeare’s acting company selected after King James I was crowned in 1603.Lord Chamberlain’s Men: Shakespeare’s acting company, which worked at the Globe Theatre in London.Non de plum: A pseudonym adopted by an author.Prose: Natural flow of speech.Siddons, Sarah (1755-1831): A Welsh actress, best known for her tragic roles. She was the first woman to popularize Lady Macbeth with her chilling, naunced performance.Stock character: A specific type of role that frequently appears in plays. Examples from Shakespeare’s day include fools and clowns, romantic lovers, tragic soldiers, and women.Stock scenery: Generic set pieces used for to indicate place. These might include backdrops and basic furni-ture, and might represent anything from a forest to a grand palance. Stratford-upon-Avon: William Shakespeare’s birthplace, located in south Warwickshire, England.Theme: The central topic or idea of a text. Essentially, “what the work is about.”Verse: Poetic composition. Often used in early modern plays. Compare with prose.Witch Hunts: The persecution of people suspected of witchcraft and devil-worship.

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FURTHER READING14

• Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All.A unique guide through all of Shakespeare’s plays, this is an accessible and comprehensive text for both beginners and scholars.• Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. A descriptive, engaging biography of William Shakespeare, Greenblatt includes information on Elizabe-than life and culture, entertaining anecdotes, and clever storytelling to paint an entertaining and educa-tion picture of the playwright’s life. • Holzknecht, Karl J. and Ross, Raymond. Outlines of Shakespeare’s PlaysAct-by-act synopses of each play with helpful character descriptions and relationship information, this collection also includes relevant background material.• Kott, Jan. Shakespeare our Contemporary.One of the most influential Shakespeare criticism works of all time, Kott’s selection of essays includes insightful, provocative analyses on all of Shakespeare’s plays.• Sarrazin, George and Scmidt, Alexander. Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases, and Constructions in the Works of the Poet, Vol. 1 (and Vol. 2). A comprehensive collection of definitions, phrases, terms, and locations, as well as more than 50,000 exact quotations.• Van Doren, Mark. ShakespeareA selection of perceptive, entertaining essays on Shakespeare’s plays and poems by one of the world’s most renowned Shakespeare experts.• Wells, Stanley. Shakespeare: A Life in Drama.Along with a concise biography of the playwright, Wells provides an intriguing portrayal of Shakespeare’s character.• The Riverside Shakespeare by William Shakespeare et al. Houghton Mifflin; 2nd edition; 1997.One of the most trusted Shakespeare companions, this collection of the playwrights work includes exten-sive footnotes and relevant background material.

• www.shakespeare-literature.com and www.absoluteshakespeare.comThe complete texts of Shakespeare’s plays (for free viewing) as well as many links to study resources.• www.shakespeare-online.comAn excellent repository of information on Shakespeare and it is updated frequently.• www.bardweb.net Another large repository of Shakespearean information and information on Elizabethan England• www.shakespeareauthorship.comA website dedicated to the proposition that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare.• www.folger.edu/Home_02B.html The website of the Folger Shakespeare Library.• http://www.globelink.org/ A website maintained by Shakespeare’s Globe in London with links to resources, archives, and informa-tion about the Globe’s current season.• http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/Default.html An annotated list of scholarly resources available on the internet.

Reading Companions

Online Resources

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thou and You

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http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolott/old_courses/republic1998/plautus/stockcharacters.html

This study guide was compiled and edited by Maegan Clearwood, Olney Theatre Center Dramaturgy Apprentice, 2013