By William Shakespeare

1

• By William Shakespeare
• An Introduction to the Elizabethan Time Period

2
Dirtiness

• There was no indoor plumbing- no bathrooms,
  running water, sewers. (What else does this
  mean?)
• London is located on the Thames River. Raining
  like cats and dogs.
• The Bubonic Plague, Black Death, or Black Plague
  destroyed 1/3 of the worlds population. Spread
  by fleas. Bring out your dead!
• A sadistic nursery rhyme comes to haunt Ring
  around the rosy

3
Queen Elizabeth I

• Not Shakespearean literature but Elizabethan,
• named after Queen Elizabeth who ruled England
  from 1558-1603.
• She was a very popular queen. The arts flourished
  during her reign.

4
The Great Chain of Being

• - According to the Elizabethans, FATE was the
  belief that divine forces shaped the world into a
  great chain of being. If one element moved out
  of place, all society and nature was
  disrupted.???
• Astrology and reading your horoscope is a modern
  day version of this.
• - Shakespeare wrote about stars controlling our
  fate

5
The Man- Shakespeare

• Ironically, he was born on April 23rd and died on
  the same date 52 years later.
• He lived from 1564-1616.
• He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
• He was born in Stratford-on-Avon, England.

6
The Globe Theatre

• The spectators at this theatre were divided
  mostly into 2 areas
• 1) the groundlings- these were the lower class
  spectators and paid a pence to stand in the pit
  while in the open weather of the theatre. 1250
  of these spectators would cram themselves into an
  area the size of 2 tennis courts. It stunk in
  the pit thus, they were nicknamed penny stinkers
• 2) the aristocrats- sat in the higher, better,
  more protected seats. This protection was not
  only from the weather but also from the lower
  class spectators who might steal from them.

7
Props and Scenery

• The scenery and props were limited.
• A spectator had to use imagination to see what
  Shakespeare wanted to be incorporated into the
  play.
• Lavish costumes helped to make up for the lack of
  scenery.
• If the actors were not believable then the entire
  acting company struggled strong chance that the
  groundlings would boo the actors off stage if
  they werent good.

8
Duration

• An average play would last up
• to 2 hours.
• They would start in the early
• afternoon in order to ensure safety
• for the spectators return home, which was
• usually walking long distances.
• Also, there was no electricity so there were
• no lights to illuminate the stage.

9
Actors(not actresses!)

• The acting company was solely composed of males.
  Yes, even the part of Katherine would have been
  played by a young boy and yes there was kissing.
  
• If you were an actor, you did not mind having
  romantic scenes with other male actors because
  you knew no other way.
• Actors would play multiple roles.

10
Flags

• There were four flags to announce the four types
  of plays
• Tragediesblack Comedies--yellow
• Historiesgreen Romancesred
• These flags would have been raised from the spire
  on top of the theatre for people to see and
  spread the word of what type of play was being
  performed that week.

11
The prologue

• The prologue was a synopsis or summary of the
  play
• It was a sonnet- a 14-lined poem written in
  iambic pentameter.
• The chorus, in essence, gives away the ending
  when speaking the prologue.

12
Acts and Scenes

• There are 5 acts in a Shakespeare play, and these
  5 acts correspond directly with the plot outline.
• Exposition-Act 1
• Rising action-Act 2
• Climax-Act 3
• Falling action-Act 4
• Resolution-Act 5

13
Comic Relief

• The role of servants is incorporated into serious
  scenes to provide comic relief because servants
  are usually either ignorant or cowardly.
• Lots of jokes and slapstick comedy