Introduction to Shakespeare

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Introduction to ShakespearesRomeo and Juliet
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• Born Stratford-on-Avon
• Well-to-do, affluent while alive
• Most quoted, other than the Bible

• Background Information

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William Shakespeare

• Born 1564, died 1616
• Wrote 37 plays
• Wrote over 150 sonnets
• Actor, poet, playwright

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William Shakespeare Interesting Facts

• The first of eight children born to John and Mary
  Shakespeare.
• His birthday is celebrated on April 23, 1564 and
  he died April 23, 1616.
• He attended the Kings New School where classes
  began at 6 AM (summer) and 7 AM (winter) and
  lasted till 5 PM.
• In 1964, William Shakespeare became the first
  person other than royalty to appear on a United
  Kingdom stamp.
• In his will, he left his wife his second best
  bed with its furnishings.

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Words of Wisdom from Shakespeare

• To be or not to be that is the question.
  Hamlet
• Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. Alls
  Well That Ends Well
• Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great,
  some achieve greatness, and some have greatness
  thrust upon 'em. Twelfth Night
• Its not enough to speak, but to speak true.
  Midsummer Nights Dream

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The Products of Shakespeare

• Out of his 37 plays the top 6 most popular are
• Hamlet
• Othello
• Macbeth
• Romeo and Juliet
• The Tempest
• Julius Caesar

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Types of Plays

• Shakespeare wrote
• Comedies - light and amusing, usually with a
  happy ending
• Tragedies serious dramas with disastrous endings
• Histories involve events or persons from history

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The Theatre

• The Globe Theatre
• Open ceiling
• Three stories high
• No artificial lighting
• Plays were shown during daylight hours only

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Spectators

• Wealthy people got to sit on benches
• The poor (called groundlings) had to stand and
  watch from the courtyard
• There was much more audience participation than
  today

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Actors

• Only men and boys
• Young boys whose voices had not changed played
  the womens roles
• It would have been indecent for a woman to appear
  on stage

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Romeo and Juliet

• Considered a tragedy
• Tells the story of two teenagers who risk
  everything for love
• Shakespeare is exploring which is stronger love
  or hate

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Facts

• Written by William Shakespeare in about 1591
• Based on Arthur Brooke's The Tragicall History of
  Romeus and Juliet

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The Montagues
Lord Montague father of Romeo Lady Montague
mother of Romeo Romeo Montague in love with
Juliet Benvolio nephew of Montague and friend
of Romeo Balthasar servant to Romeo Abram
servant to Montague
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The Capulets

• Lord Capulet father of Juliet
• Lady Capulet mother of Juliet
• Juliet Capulet in love with Romeo
• Tybalt nephew of Lady Capulet
• Nurse takes care of Juliet
• Peter servant to Juliets Nurse

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Other Characters

• Prince Escalus ruler of Verona
• Mercutio kinsman of the Prince and friend of
  Romeo
• Friar Laurence a Franciscan priest
• Friar John another Franciscan priest
• Count Paris a young nobleman

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Romeo and Juliet

• Montagues
• Montague
• Lady Montague
• Romeo
• Mercutio
• Friar Laurence
• Benvolio
• Balthasar
• Abraham

• Capulets
• Capulet
• Lady Capulet
• Juliet
• Tybalt
• Nurse
• Paris
• Samson
• Gregory
• Peter

• Characters

• Neutral
• Friar John
• The Apothecary
• Escalus, Prince of Verona

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Montagues
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Capulets
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Others
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Romeo and Juliet Vocabulary
Anon In a minute
Fair Pretty
Hither Here
Methinks I think
Woo To date
Soft Wait
Wherefore Why
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Setting of Romeo and Juliet

• The play is set in the thirteenth or fourteenth
  century in Italy in Verona and Mantua.
• Much of the action takes place in Juliet's house.
  
• The Capulets and the Montagues, the main families
  of the play, are from noble lineage and wealth
  they dress well, live in fancy surroundings, and
  are served by many attendants.
• The play's basic setting, therefore, is rich and
  elegant.

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Quotes from Romeo and Juliet

• "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by
  any other name would smell as sweet."
• "Good night, good night! parting is such sweet
  sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be
  morrow."
• "For never was a story of more woe than this of
  Juliet and her Romeo."

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Things to think about

• What would you do if your parents did not approve
  of someone you were dating?
• How important is the opinion of your family in
  decisions that you make?
• Does violence solve problems?

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Video Clips

• Intro to Shakespeare
• The characters in Romeo and Juliet

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The Prologue
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Two households
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Both alike in dignity
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In fair Verona, where we lay our scene
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From ancient grudge break to new mutiny
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Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
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From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
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A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life.
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The Prologue (Partner Analysis)

• Chorus   1    Two households, both alike in
  dignity,   2    In fair Verona, where we lay our
  scene,   3    From ancient grudge break to new
  mutiny,   4    Where civil blood makes civil
  hands unclean.   5    From forth the fatal loins
  of these two foes   6    A pair of star-cross'd
  lovers take their life   7    Whose
  misadventured piteous overthrows   8    Do with
  their death bury their parents' strife.   9   
  The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
   10    And the continuance of their parents'
  rage,  11    Which, but their children's end,
  nought could remove,  12    Is now the two
  hours' traffic of our stage  13    The which if
  you with patient ears attend,  14    What here
  shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

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Romeo JulietLiterary Terms
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Drama

• a story written to be performed by actors

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Soliloquy

• a long speech expressing the thoughts of a
  character alone on stage

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Monologue

• a speech by one character in a play, story, or
  poem

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Prologue

• an opening speech that introduces the plays
  main characters, plot, and setting

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Tragedy

• a work of literature, especially a play, that
  results in a catastrophe for the main character.

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Tragic hero

• a character of noble birth with the potential for
  greatness, but due to a tragic flaw in his
  character makes an error in judgment that leads
  to his death

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Aside

• a short speech delivered by an actor in a play
  traditionally directed at the audience.

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Comic Relief

• a technique that is used to interrupt a serious
  part of a literary work by introducing a humorous
  character or situation.

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Dialogue

• a conversation between characters

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Blank Verse

• poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

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Dramatic Foil

• a character that provides a contrast to another
  character
• opposites

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Suspense

• a feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of
  events in a story
• a way to keep the reader interested

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Irony

• when a reader expects one outcome and the
  opposite occurs

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Sonnet

• a fourteen line lyric poem traditionally written
  in iambic pentameter

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Iambic Pentameter

• A series of five stressed and unstressed
  syllables in a line of poetry

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Couplet

• a pair of rhyming lines in poetry

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Sonnets

• A fourteen line lyric poem, usually written in
  rhymed iambic pentameter
• Themes
• Love
• Friendship
• Mortality
• Immortality of poetry

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Sonnets

• A sonnet consists of three quatrains and one
  couplet

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Sonnets

• A quatrain is a series of four rhymed lines

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Sonnets

• First quatrain the subject is revealed and why
  it is loved is explained
• Second quatrain describe what is special about
  the subject be descriptive and imaginative
• Third Quatrain A problem arises with loving the
  subject

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Sonnets

• A couplet is a series of two rhymed lines
• Summarizes and leaves the reader with a new,
  concluding image

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Sonnets

• Rhyme Scheme a pattern of rhyme in a poem
• Sonnet Rhyme Scheme
• ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG

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Sonnets

• Iambic Pentameter 
• five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed
  syllables (da-DUH) ten syllables per line.
• Meter means rhythm.

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Sonnets

• Whos wood / these are / I think / I know /his
  house
• Is in / the village / though he / will not /
  mind me / stopping

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Look for

• Puns
• Allusions
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Oxymorons
• Paradoxes
• Foreshadowing

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Puns
A pun is a humorous play on words. Mercutio
Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you
dance. Romeo Not I, believe me. You have
dancing shoes / With nimble soles I have a soul
of lead (Act I Sc. 4)
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Allusions
An allusion is a reference to a well known work
of art, music, literature, or history. At
lovers perjuries, they say Jove laughs. (Act
II, Sc. 2) Jove is another name for Jupiter, the
Roman King of the Gods.
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Metaphor
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two
unlike things. Romeo But, soft! what light
through yonder window breaks? / It is the east,
and Juliet is the sun. (Act II Sc. 2)
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Personification
Personification occurs when an inanimate object
or concept is given the qualities of a person or
animal. Juliet For thou wilt lie upon the
wings of night / Whiter than new snow on a
ravens back. / Come, gentle night, come, loving,
black-browd night (Act III Sc. 2)
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Oxymorons
An oxymoron describes when two juxtaposed words
have opposing or very diverse meanings. Juliet
Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical! (Act III
Sc.2)
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Paradoxes
A paradox is statement or situation with
seemingly contradictory or incompatible
components. Juliet O serpent heart, hid with
a flowering face! (Act III Sc. 2)
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Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a reference to something that
will happen later in the story. Juliet Give
me my Romeo and, when he shall die,Take him and
cut him out in little stars,And he will make the
face of heaven so fineThat all the world will be
in love with nightAnd pay no worship to the
garish sun. (Act III Sc. 2)
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Themes

• Light and dark
• Time
• Fate

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Light and Dark

• Look for references to light and dark
• References to light words, such as torches,
  the sun, adjectives that describe light
  (bright)
• References to dark words, such as night and
  gloom

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Time

• Look for references to time
• References to time words, such as hours
• References to the passage of time, especially if
  it seems rushed

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Fate

• Look for references to fate
• Look for instances where events are blamed on
  fate, destiny, or the stars