Shakespeare (1564-1616)

1
Shakespeare(1564-1616)
2
Shakespeare

• Actor and playwright
• Theatrical company
• Globe Theatre
• Stockholder
• Greatest plays produced here
• Burned in 1613

• During performance of Henry 8th - cannon went off

3
Globe Theatre

• Enclosed space with partial roof
• Seat as many as 2500
• 3 galleries of seats around 3 sides
• Platform stage extending from rear wall
• Groundlings
• Intimate atmosphere

4
(No Transcript)
5
Globe Theatre

• Trapdoors
• Inner stage
• Upper stage
• Simple scenery
• Elaborate costumes
• Female roles by boys
• Elaborate sound effects

6
(No Transcript)
7
Shakespeares Greatness

• Deep understanding of human nature
• Knowledge in a wide variety of subjects
• Influence on language
• Freely experimented with grammar, vocabulary
• Created words
• Shakespeare invented the word "assassination".
• Originated phrases
• The Bard coined the phrase, "the beast with two
  backs" meaning intercourse in his play Othello.

8
Shakespeare added suffixes and prefixes, changed
nouns to verbs, verbs to nouns, and verbs to
adjectives. Below are some words that he created

• academe accused addiction advertising
• Amazement arouse assassination backing
• bandit bedroom beached besmirch
• birthplace blanket bloodstained
• barefaced blushing bet bump buzzer
• caked cater champion circumstantial
• cold-blooded compromise courtship countless
• critic dauntless

http//www.op97.k12.il.us/LAB/shakespeare/words/sh
akewords.html
9
A Note on Reading Shakespeare

• Keep track of characters
  from list
• Poetic language - read slowly carefully
• Pay attention to the annotations
• Listen to recording read summary view a video

10
OTHELLO

• By
• William
• Shakespeare

11
Iagos Motives

• Ambition
• Envy of Cassios promotion
• Sexual jealousy of Othello
• Profit from robbing Roderigo
• Pleasure of deceiving Roderigo and Othello

12
Iagos Motives

• Sexual jealousy of Cassio
• Love for Desdemona
• Hatred of Cassios handsomeness
• Hatred of Othello
• Motiveless malignity

13
Iago

• Intelligent
• Cunning
• Capable of tempting and controlling
  characters around him
• Villain without conscience
• Diabolically evil while appearing to be honest,
  trustworthy

14
Iago

• Reduces human nature to
  its least attractive traits
• Coarse, blunt
• Suspicious view of human nature - allows him to
  locate weakness in others encourage its
  dominance of whole personality

15
Iagos Techniques for Deception

• Instigates others to act
• Pretends to speak only out of the best motives
• Works through insinuation rather than through
  explicit lies

16
Othello

• Greatness
• Tragic hero
• Virtues carried to excess
• Loves - too well
• Trusts - too much
• Great sense of moral virtue - punishes sin
• Sensitive nature - vivid fantasies

17
Othello

• Free and open nature
• Constant, loving, noble
  nature
• Energetic
• Desire for perfection
• Trusting

18
Othellos Insecurities

• HIS BLACKNESS
• A Moor (North Africa)
• Negative stereotyping by other
  characters
• Lascivious
• Unnatural mate for white woman
• Practitioner of black magic

19
Othellos Insecurities

• HIS LACK OF SOPHISTICATION
• Not a native of Venice
• At home on battlefield, not in sophisticated
  Venetian society
• Lacks self-confidence
• Trusts Iagos view

20
Othellos Insecurities

• HIS AGE
• Older than Desdemona
• Iago plays
  on this insecurity

21
Iago

• Manipulates all
  minor and
  major characters
• Plays upon their individual weaknesses
• Makes them instruments in his scheme to deceive
  Othello

22
Desdemona

• Admirable
• Self-contained
• Speaks forcefully
  and to the point
  when she confronts her father
• Speaks playfully with Iago while waiting for
  Othellos ship

23
Desdemona

• Is known for her innocence, purity
• Can plead for Cassio - but not for herself
• Dutiful, obedient
• Can be regarded as model
  Elizabethan wife

24
Dramatic Irony

• Characters belief in Iagos honesty
• Othellos belief in Desdemonas guilt

25
Confidant(e) - serves a major character as a
friend

• Emilia - confidante to Desdemona
• Roderigo - confidant to Iago

26
Foil - illuminates a more important character

• Emilia, Bianca - foils to
  Desdemona
• Cassio - foil to Iago

27
Time of Play

• Concentration of time
• Othello elopes with Desdemona same night takes
  ship for Cyprus
• Cassio disgraced 1st night after arrival in
  Cyprus
• Desdemona killed 2nd night
• No adherence to unities of time, place, action

28

• KJV of Bible
• Quotes
• Allusions
• KJV of Bible and Shakespeares plays
• Literary masterpieces of the Elizabethan period

29
Sources and Sites Cited

• Ziegler, Rosemarie. MVNU professor who first
  composed this PowerPoint
• About Shakespeare http//www.op97.k12.il.us/LAB/sh
  akespeare/index2.html
• Absolute Shakespeare http//www.absoluteshakespear
  e.com/index.htm