Introduction to Shakespeare PDF

**INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE\ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE\ **William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564.\ He died on April 23, 1616. Nicknamed the Bard. Shakespeare almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school where the emphasis was put on the Latin classics, including memorizat...

**INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE\ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE\ **William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564.\ He died on April 23, 1616. Nicknamed the Bard. Shakespeare almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school where the emphasis was put on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. He most likely attended until about age 15. In late 1582, William Shakespeare (18) married Anne Hathaway (26). She was already expecting their first-born child, Susanna. In early 1585, the couple had twins, Judith and Hamnet. Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at the age of 11. From 1585 until 1592, very little is known about Shakespeare. These are generally referred to as \'The Lost Years\'. All the following questions "how he earned a living, when he moved from Stratford, or how he got his start in the theater" have been left unanswered. The plague broke out in London in 1593, forcing the theatres to close. Shakespeare turned to writing poetry. In 1593 Shakespeare published an erotic poem, *Venus and Adonis*. In 1594, Shakespeare became a founding member, actor, playwright and shareholder of the Lord Chamberlain\'s Men (renamed the King's Men in 1603). Richard Burbage was the company\'s leading actor. He played roles such as Richard III, Hamlet, Othello and Lear. Under James VI/I, the company was renamed The King\'s Men. They performed at court more often than any other company. For more than two decades, Shakespeare had multiple roles in the London theater as an actor, playwright, and, in time, a business He wrote around 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. The plays are usually divided into four groups and illustrate the broad scope of Elizabethan theatre in general. These categories are comedies, romances, histories, and tragedies. The Tempest is a [play](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_plays) by [William Shakespeare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare), probably written in 1610--1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. Among the last plays that Shakespeare worked on was *The Two Noble Kinsmen*, which he wrote with a frequent collaborator, John Fletcher, most likely in 1613 Sometime after 1611, Shakespeare retired to Stratford. On 25 March 1616, Shakespeare revised and signed his will. On 23 April, his presumed birthday, he died, aged 52. Shakespeare\'s widow, Anne, died in 1623 and was buried beside him. ***ELIZABETHAN THEATRE*** Elizabethan [Theatre](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/theatre/), sometimes called English Renaissance theatre, refers to that style of performance plays which blossomed during the reign of [Elizabeth I of England](https://www.worldhistory.org/Elizabeth_I_of_England/).\ Elizabethan theatre witnessed the first professional actors who belonged to touring troupes and who performed plays of blank verse with entertaining non-religious themes. The plays were now entirely free from religious themes and not connected to public holidays or religious festivals.\ Historical topics were especially popular with the new playwrights in a period when a sense of English nationalism was developing as never before. This combined with a Humanist interest in [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) and [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) antiquity. **JACOBEAN DRAMA** (James I) has its particular characteristics. harsh satire, led by Ben Jonson an obsession with moral corruption and violent stories of revenge. Jacobean theatre is full of [masques -- dramas with music and elaborate sets](https://nosweatshakespeare.com/shakespeares-plays/play-types/masque-plays/).\ explored the human nature with themes of corruption, sex and violence. **THE GLOBE THEATRE** The Lord Chamberlain\'s Men had been performing in the Theatre, built by James Burbage (the father of Richard Burbage) in 1576.\ In 1597, their lease on the land expired.\ In Dec 1598, while the landlord was away, the company dismantled the theatre\ Shakespeare\'s company erected the storied Globe Theatre circa 1599 in London\'s Bankside district.\ In 1613, the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground when a cannon shot during a performance of *Henry VIII* ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. The company completed a new Globe on the foundations of its predecessor before Shakespeare\'s death. It continued operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down (and all the other theatres). The building was razed two years later in 1644 to build tenements upon the premises. The foundations of the Globe were rediscovered in 1989, rekindling interest in a fitful attempt to erect a modern version of the amphitheater the site of the original. The latest Globe Theatre was completed in 1996; Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the theatre on June 12, 1997 with a production of *Henry V*. Thatched roof Shakespeare called his theatre a \'wooden O\' and like his historic playhouse our Globe Theatre is a 360° auditorium. Drama was very cheap (starting at 1 penny a ticket, about \$1 today) and very popular, The "fourth wall" is the invisible barrier between actors and the audience. Metatheatre is when a play reminds the audience they are watching a performance. Metatheatre refers to a form of theatre that self-consciously reflects on the nature of theatre itself, often breaking the fourth wall to engage the audience **Inspirations**\ Many believe that **The Tempest**  was inspired by a historical shipwreck which occurred in 1609, when a vessel called the 'Sea Venture' that was on its way to Virginia, with supplies to support the English settlers there, was caught in a hurricane. The storm caused the crew to be stranded on Bermuda, and the story of their survival made great waves back in England. Montaigne\'s essay \"Cannibals\" 1580 (John Florio's English translation from 1603) is thought to have inspired Shakespeare. (name Caliban)\ \ Works that have been inspired by the Tempest\ *Brave new world* by Aldous Huxley in 1932 *Une Tempête*, Aimé Césaire, 1969 *Hag-seed*, Margaret Atwood, 2016 *Indigo*, Marina Warner, 1992 *Island*, Jane Rogers, 1999 Some History Saxons and Danes (800s to 1066)\ Normans (1066 to 1154)\ Plantagenets (1154 to 1485)\ Tudors (1485 to 1603)\ Stuarts (1603 to 1714)\ Hanoverians (1714 to 1901)\ Windsors (1901 to present) **A few dates**\ 1066 Battle of Hastings\ At the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, King Harold II of England was defeated by the invading Norman forces of William the Conqueror Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.\ Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr -- who became Henry VIII's queens between 1509 and 1547. Nov 5, 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a scheme to blow up the British Parliament and kill King James I in 1605. (Guy Fawkes night) The [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_England_and_Wales) plotters had intended to assassinate [Protestant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Reformation) king [James I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I) and his parliament [Victoria (r. 1837-1901)\ Elizabeth II (r. 1952 -- 2022)](https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/victoria-r-1837-1901) *Elizabeth I* (7 September 1533 -- 24 March 1603), coronated 1559 Nicknamed the "Virgin Queen" as she died heirless / Last ruler of the Tudor Dynasty.\ Elizabeth's reign was known as the Golden Age, marked by the English Renaissance, with prominent figures like Shakespeare. Elizabeth was a patron of the arts, leading to a surge in creative works. James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 -- 27 March 1625) was [King of Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Scotland) as James VI from 24 July 1567 and [King of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_England) and [Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Ireland) as James I from the [union of the Scottish and English crowns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_the_Crowns) on 24 March 1603 until [his death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_James_VI_and_I) in 1625. **SONNETS** Shakespearean Vs Petrarchan sonnet\ 14 lines BUT **Structure\ **A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a concluding couplet, whereas a Petrarchan sonnet has an octave (eight-line stanza) and a sestet (six-line stanza). **Rhyme scheme**\ [**Shakespeare**] The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is typically ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Towards the end of the third quatrain, there's the volta("turn"), which marks a shift in the mood of the poem. It is at this point that the poet expresses a change in their thinking or perspective. Moreover, each line of a Shakespearean sonnet is written in [iambic pentameter](https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-blank-verse-and-vs-iambic-pentameter/). **[Petrarch]** The rhyme scheme of the octave is typically ABBAABBA, while the sestet can have various rhyme schemes, such as CDCDCD or CDECDE.\ The first four lines of the octave (the first quatrain) introduce a problem or conflict. The next part explains the problem or gives more information to the reader. Then comes the sestet, which starts with a volta. This change in the rhyme scheme signals a shift in the conflict towards a solution or resolution. The sestet works to wrap up the problem and offer a way forward or a new perspective. **METER** The meters with two-syllable feet are - IAMBIC (x /) : That **time** of **year** thou **mayst** in **me** be**hold** - TROCHAIC (/ x): **Tell** me **not** in **mourn**ful **num**bers - SPONDAIC (/ /): **Break**, **break**, **break**/ On thy **cold** **gray** **stones**, O **Sea**! Review the use of pronouns + verbal forms