Introduction to Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor born in 1564 who wrote 37 plays and over 150 sonnets. He wrote comedies, tragedies and histories. His plays were performed at the Globe Theatre, an open-air theatre with no artificial lighting. Only men and boys performed, with boys playing women's roles. Shakespeare helped develop the English language and could freely manipulate parts of speech for stylistic purposes. One of his famous plays is Julius Caesar, written in 1599, about the Roman dictator who is assassinated by political enemies despite his military success.
Introduction to Shakespeare
- 2. William Shakespeare Born 1564, died 1616 Wrote 37 plays Wrote over 150 sonnets Actor, poet, playwright
- 3. Types of Plays Shakespeare wrote: Comedies - light and amusing, usually with a happy ending Tragedies –serious dramas with disastrous endings Histories – involve events or persons from history
- 4. The Theatre • The Globe Theatre: • Open ceiling • Three stories high • No artificial lighting • Plays were shown during daylight hours only
- 5. Spectators Wealthy people got to sit on benches The poor (called “groundlings”) had to stand and watch from the courtyard There was much more audience participation than today
- 6. Actors Only men and boys Young boys whose voices had not changed played the women’s roles It would have been indecent for a woman to appear on stage
- 7. English Language In Shakespeare’s time English was a more flexible language than it is today. Grammar and spelling were not yet completely formalized, although scholars were beginning to urge rules to regulate them. English had begun to emerge as a significant literary language, having recently replaced Latin as the language of serious intellectual and artistic activity in England.
- 8. English Language Freed of many of the conventions and rules of modern English, Shakespeare could shape vocabulary and syntax to the demands of style. For example, he could interchange the various parts of speech, using nouns as adjectives or verbs, adjectives as adverbs, and pronouns as nouns.
- 9. Julius Caesar Synopsis: He is the greatest hero the Roman world has known, but for Julius Caesar the world is not enough. And with political ambition come new enemies, enemies who wield words like knives in the shadows. Soon friend will become foe and foe his avenger, and only death shall be the victor.
- 10. History: Julius Caesar aka "The Tragedy of "Julius Caesar"" Written in 1599 First performance was probably on June 12th 1599, at the opening of the Globe Theatre First published in 1623