ShakespeareShakespeareI. A Brief BiographyII. The Globe TheaterIII. Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in

Romeo and JulietIV. Dramatic Terms

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief Biography Born in April 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon John Shakespeare (father)

◦ tanner, glover, dealer in grain◦ town official (alderman, and later mayor)

Mary (mother)◦ daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous

gentleman-farmer.

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief BiographyAttended the Stratford Grammar SchoolDid not go to Oxford or Cambridge

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief BiographyMarried Anne Hathaway in 1582Three children born: Susanna, Judith,

and Hamnet

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief Biography By 1590, he was an actor and playwright Leader of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men

and the King’s Men died April 23, 1616

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief Biography He was buried in Stratford; the

inscription on his tombstone reads. . .

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief Biography

“Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake, forbearTo dig the dust enclosed here;

Blest be the man that spares these stonesAnd curst be he that moves my bones.”

Shakespeare: A Brief BiographyShakespeare: A Brief Biography Author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets Robert Greene, a critic, attacked Shakespeare,

a mere actor, for writing plays. He acted before Queen Elizabeth in 1594. The exact year in which William Shakespeare

wrote Romeo and Juliet is unknown, but it is definitely one of his earlier works, and one of only two tragedies written in the period from 1590 to 1595

The Globe TheaterThe Globe Theater He wrote his plays to be performed in

the Globe Theater. The only account we have of the Globe is

from a diary of a Swiss doctor who visited London and crossed the Thames River to see a play in a theater with a thatched roof.

The Globe TheaterThe Globe TheaterIt was built in 1599 and burned down 14

years later in 1613.It was an 8 sided building with a central

yard.

The Globe TheaterThe Globe Theater Spectators’ price of admissions was

◦ one penny - to stand in yard around stage (these were called the groundlings)

◦ two pennies - to sit in 2nd and 3rd floor galleries

◦ three pennies - to sit in the first floor galleries

The Globe TheaterThe Globe Theater Stage

◦ 1/3 of yard was filled with 6ft high platform◦ no curtain◦ no artificial lighting◦ back wall had at least two doors◦ balcony was used for hilltops, walls of cities, or

second story scenes.◦ trapdoors were used to raise or lower actors and

props.

The Globe TheaterThe Globe TheaterTake a tour of the new Globe Theater. . . .

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Shakespearian DramaShakespearian DramaTragedy: A drama that ends in catastrophe—

most often death—for the main character and often for several other important characters as well

Tragic Hero: The main character, someone who is nobly born and has great influence in his or her society. This character has weakness or errors in judgment (Tragic Flaws) that lead to his or her downfall. Fate may play a role in the course that events take.

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Comic Relief: A humorous scene, incident, or speech that relieves the overall emotional intensity in the play. Comic relief helps the audience absorb the tragic events in the plot of a play.

Shakespearian DramaShakespearian Drama

Allusion: A brief reference, within a work, to something outside the work that the reader or audience is expected to know. Many of Shakespeare’s allusions are to mythology or the Bible.

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Foil: A character whose personality or attitudes are in sharp contrast to those of another character in the same work. This highlights the other character’s traits

Shakespearian DramaShakespearian DramaSoliloquy and Aside:

A Soliloquy is a speech made by an actor alone on stage to let the audience know what is on that character’s mind.An Aside is a character’s remark to the audience or to another character that others on stage aren’t supposed to hear. The purpose of an aside is to reveal that character’s thoughts.

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Blank Verse: Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. Shakespeare wrote all of his plays in blank verse.

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Example of Blank Verse ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /But soft.|What light| through yon|der win|dow breaks?~ / ~ / ~ / ~~ / ~ /It is| the east|, and Jul|iet is |the sun!