Title: Introduction to Shakespeare
1Introduction to Shakespeare
- A Genius from Stratford
- William Shakespeare
- 1564-1616
2William Shakespeares supporter
- Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England from 1558 to
1603, was a fan of Wills plays. - The arts flourished under her reign.
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boylyn
King Henry 8
Mary Tutor
Elizabeth
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I after her
ascension to the throne in 1558.
3Understanding the 1500s
- Elizabethans
- people who lived during the reignof Queen
Elizabeth I (1558 to 1603). - The thought patterns of Elizabethans are similar
to modern ideas, but dissimilar in enough ways
that we need to study their beliefs about life
4Elizabethan Chain of Being
The chain of life stands as one of the most
important and long-lasting ideas in the history
of humankind. It can still be seen today. This
is the key to understanding Shakespeare!
5The ECB body talk
- The human form fits into the ECB
- Compliment
- Wisdom comes from brain, not from passion or the
lower part of your body. - Insult
- By my heal I care not!
6Shakespeares tragedies as a form
- Tragedy a play in which there is an ethical
violation (moral law) - Romeo Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear,
Hamlet - Character violates the law and becomes isolated
from his/her society - This disrupts the communitys order (ECB!)
7Understanding Shakespeares plays
- Soliloquy to speak alone
- The audience can see into a characters mind
- Often used in times of great stress
- Aside short, quick comment to ones self
- Comic relief characters low on the ECB are used
to make audience laugh after stressful scenes
8Understanding Shakespeares plays
(below) Costume worn by noblemen in several plays
- Prologue spoken piece before the play
- Actor who speaks is called the chorus
- Usually asks audience to forgive or accept the
playwrights poor efforts. - Summarizes entire play!
- Epilogue spoken piece after the play
(above) Costume worn in several plays for Queen
Elizabeths character
Thats it! ?
9Works Cited
- Thrasher, Thomas. The Importance of William
Shakespeare. San Diego Lucent Books, 1999