Literature Terms

• Theme• Tragedy• Soliloquy• Aside• Dramatic Irony• Foreshadowing• Dramatic Foil

• Iambic Pentameter

• Pun• Simile• Metaphor• Imagery

• Personification• Rhymed Couplet• Blank Verse• Allusion

ANTICIPATION GUIDE• Answer each of the following with T (TRUE), F (FALSE), or NS (NOT SURE).

Choose one and write a journal entry in which you discuss your feelings on the issue.

1. If I am attracted to someone, I’ll find a way to see him/her, even if my parents tell me not to.

2. It is very important that the parents of a bride and groom get along well.3. My parents would have to really like the person I married, or I wouldn’t

get married.4. “Love at first sight” is rare, but it does happen.5. I agree with the saying, “Love conquers all.:6. It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.7. It is possible to die of grief or a broken heart.8. Being separated from the one you love is worse than death.

William Shakespeare

(1564-1616)• Because playwrights were not

considered important people socially, not much is known about Shakespeare’s early life.

• No biographies were written about him until after his death.

• He was born, married, and died in his hometown, Stratford-on-Avon—a busy market town northwest of London.

Shakespeare’s Family• His mother, Mary Arden, was

the daughter of his father’s landlord.

• His father, John Shakespeare, was a prosperous merchant whose social standing made it possible for William to attend Stratford Grammar School for free until he was 14 yrs. old.

Shakespeare’s Education• At Stratford Grammar School,

Shakespeare studies Latin, Greek, British, and World History.

• These lessons helped him produce his plays about historic figures, such as Julius Caesaer, Pericles, Macbeth, and Richard III, and Henry IV.

Shakespeare's Early Love for Theater

• Stratford often hosted performances of traveling companies of professional actors. Shakespeare’s attendance of these performances likely triggered his love of theater.

• In 1592, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. It wasn’t long before they had three children.

• Shakespeare did not settle in Stratford. His heart was focused on theater.

• Sometime before 1592, Shakespeare headed to London, leaving his family behind.

• Following his success in London, Shakespeare purchased a home in Stratford for his family, where he would later retire and die.

Shakespeare’s Famous!• By 1594, Shakespeare had developed a reputation as an actor and a

playwright.

• He was the principal playwright of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (a well-known London Theater Company). Shakespeare was making money from acting, writing, and his share of the profits of the company.

• 1599: The company built the Globe Theater, where the majority of Shakespeare's plays were performed.

• 1603: Shakespeare and his partners renamed the company to The King’s Men (in honor of King James I).

• Shakespeare remained w/ his company until his retirement in 1610.

Shakespeare’s Works

• Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed, not read; therefore, little is known about when exactly they were written.

• Romantic Comedies (Just before the turn of the 17th Century)– As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing

• Tragedies (First decade of the 17th century)– Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus

• Romances/Tragicomedies (Toward the end of his career)

In 1623, all of his plays were published in a 1 volume edition and sold for what is the equivalent of $50 in our currency.

Public Theaters

• Romeo and Juliet is one of many plays that was performed in a public theater.

• Public theaters were built around a courtyard, which had no artificial light. Therefore, plays were only performed during daylight hours.

The Globe Theater (Founded by Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as The King’s

Men)• Many of Shakespeare’s plays

were performed in the Globe, including Romeo and Juliet.

• No one is certain what the Globe looked like. Shakespeare tells us it was round or octagonal.

• Was open to the sky and held between 2500 and 3000 people.

Where to Sit?

• Three levels of galleries with benches surrounded the courtyard. This is where the wealthy sat.

• The less wealthy (groundlings) stood and watched the play from the courtyard (the pit).

The Globe• The stage extended into the pit.

• Actors entered and left from doors behind the stage.

• The area of the galleries behind and above the stage served as dressing and storage rooms.

• The second level gallery right above the stage was used as an upper stage (Where the famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet was exacted).

Let’s Compare

Shakespearean Theaters1. Plays were performed in a roofless

courtyard.2. There was no scenery. Setting

changes were indicated by references in the dialogue.

3. Hazlenuts were the snack of choice.4. Women did not perform on stage

(was considered improper)5. Costumes were extremely elaborate.

Modern Theaters• Plays are performed inside.• Setting changes are frequent; props

are typical.• Popcorn, nachos, chips, soda are

typical snacks for the movies. Formal theater snacks are more classy.

• Female parts are very important. Women do perform their own parts.

• Dress is more laid-back and casual (unless the scene calls for special dress).

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare (~1595)

Preparing to Read Romeo and Juliet

“The world is filled with rivalries—among countries, families, schools, and even groups of friends. Occasionally, rivalries become so fierce that the members of one group refuse to associate with their rivals. In extreme cases, as you will see in this play, rivalries can even erupt into violence.” (768).

Preparing to Read Romeo and Juliet

• Shakespeare’s play about star-crossed lovers from a feuding Italian family is based on a poem by Arthur Brooke.

• In Brook’s poem, disobedience and fate lead to the death of two lovers.

• Brook’s poem is based on a French version of the story (1559).