William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

• His era and writing

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To understand a difficult literary work, its
helpful to know about

• Life of the writer
• History of the era
• How the author used language
• Genre(s) of the writing

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Who was William Shakespeare?

• A husband and father
• An actor
• A poet
• A playwright

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Shakespeares Era

• Born 1564, died 1616
• The Elizabethan Era

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Elizabethan Theatre

• Popular with all classes
• Few props or costumes
• Performed in daylight
• No female actors

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The NEW Globe Theatre
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Shakespeares Writing

• Stages of English
• Old
• Middle
• Early Modern
• Modern
• What stage of English do you think Shakespeare
  wrote in?

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Old, Middle, Early Modern, or Modern?

• O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny
  thy father and refuse thy nameOr, if thou wilt
  not, be but sworn my love,And I'll no longer be
  a Capulet.
• --William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, c.1594

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The Language ofShakespeares Plays

• Early Modern English
• Poetic
• Figurative language
• Iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line)
• Syntax is often inverted (like Yoda speaks)

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The Plays

• 38 plays (37 alone, 1 collaborated)
• Four genres
• History
• Tragedy
• Comedy
• Romance

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History Plays

• English kings
• Battles
• Embellished the truth
• 10 plays
• Henry V, King John, Richard III

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Tragedies

• End in death (a lot of it)
• Show a great mans downfall
• Dark magic, insanity, ghosts, superstitions
• 10 plays
• Julius Caesar, Romeo Juliet,
• Hamlet

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Comedies

• End with marriages
• Relationship problems
• Light magic/trickery
• Funny
• 13 plays
• Twelfth Night, As You Like It, A Midsummer
  Nights Dream

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Romance Plays

• NOT like romance novels!
• Like fairy tales
• Characters separate and reunite
• 5 plays
• Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winters Tale, The
  Tempest, The Two Noble Kinsman

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When you read or see work by William Shakespeare,
what facts from this presentation are helpful to
keep in mind?