William Shakespeare and His Works Lecture Notes Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering William Shakespeare's biography, theatrical context, literary influences, plays across four classification periods, tragic and comedic features, and non-dramatic poetry.

Who is recognized as the founder of Renaissance humanism?

Petrarch

What was the original definition of Renaissance humanism?

Studying and teaching a curriculum including grammar, rhetoric, moral philosophy, poetry, and history through classical literature.

What three subjects comprised the Trivium in medieval education?

Grammar, logic, and rhetoric

What four subjects comprised the Quadrivium in medieval education?

Arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy

Where and to whom was William Shakespeare born?

He was born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London.

What were the occupations of William Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare?

He worked as a leather worker, a glover, and became a leading merchant.

What was William Shakespeare's birth order among his parents' children?

He was the third child of eight children.

Whom did William Shakespeare marry in 1582, and what were their respective ages?

He married Anne Hathaway; he was 18 years old and she was eight years his senior.

What were the names and birth years of William Shakespeare's children?

Susanna (born 1583), and twins Hamnet and Judith (born 1585).

After whom were Shakespeare's twins, Hamnet and Judith, possibly named?

Shakespeare's friends, Hamnet Sadler (a baker) and his wife Judith.

In what year did Shakespeare's son Hamnet die?

1596

Which period in Shakespeare's life between 1585 and 1592 is known for a lack of historical evidence?

The "lost years"

What work published in 1592 contains the first clear reference to Shakespeare as an actor and playwright in London, while famously attacking him?

Robert Greene's "A Groatsworth of Wit"

Which acting companies performed Shakespeare's plays in London during the early part of his career?

Lord Chamberlain's Men (also called Lord Strange's Men) and probably the Queen's Men.

In which indoor theatre built by James Burbage did Shakespeare own shares, alongside the Globe?

The Second Blackfriars Theatre

Why were all London theatres closed from 1592 to 1594?

Due to the plague

Which two non-dramatic narrative poems did Shakespeare publish in 1593 and 1594, and to whom were they dedicated?

"Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Rape of Lucrece" (1594), both dedicated to the Earl of Southampton.

In what year were Shakespeare's Sonnets first published in quarto format, and by whom?

In 1609 by Thomas Thorpe

To whom did publisher Thomas Thorpe dedicate the 1609 quarto edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets?

To "Mr. W.H." as "the only begetter of these poems"

Under whose patronage was the Lord Chamberlain's Men formed when the theatres reopened in 1594?

Henry Carey, Lord Chamberlain

Who was the leading actor and who was the company clown for the Lord Chamberlain's Men?

Richard Burbage was the leading actor, and William Kemp was the company's clown.

What was the Lord Chamberlain's Men renamed after the accession of King James I in 1603?

The King's Men

Where did the Lord Chamberlain's Men move in 1597 following a dispute with a Puritan landlord over the lease of The Theatre?

The nearby Curtain playhouse

How was timber obtained to construct the Globe playhouse on Bankside in December 1597?

James Burbage and his friends dismantled The Theatre timber by timber on the night of 28 December 1597 while the landlord was out of town.

What was the first recorded performance at the Globe theatre, and on what date did it take place?

"Julius Caesar" on 21 September 1599

In what year did the Globe theatre burn down?

1613

On what date and at what age did William Shakespeare die?

April 23, 1616, at age 52

How is the First Period of Shakespeare's play classification characterized?

Apprenticeship (Age 26-30)

What new drama form did Shakespeare create during his Fourth Period of playwriting?

"Tragicomedy" or the dramatic romance

Which plays are categorized as Shakespeare's early comedies?

"Love's Labour's Lost", "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", and "Comedy of Errors"

What stock elements and features characterize Shakespeare's early comedies?

Less original plots, set in exotic locations, emphasis on situation over character, strong heroines, clever servants, fickle men, disguises, and wit/wordplay.

In "Love's Labour's Lost", what oath do the King of Navarre and his three lords break?

An oath of celibacy for 3 years, broken when they fall in love with the Princess of France and her attendant ladies.

Who are the two friends featured in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"?

Valentine and Proteus

What creates the comedy and plot resolution in "Comedy of Errors"?

Mistaken identity involving separated twin brothers (both named Antipholus) and their twin slaves (both named Dromio) in Ephesus.

Which play was Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre of tragedy?

"Titus Andronicus"

Which classical Roman playwright heavily influenced Shakespeare's early tragedy "Titus Andronicus"?

Seneca

How many total plays comprise Shakespeare's English Histories?

10 plays

Which plays comprise Shakespeare's Minor Tetralogy of history plays?

"Henry VI" (3 Parts) and "Richard III"

Which plays comprise Shakespeare's Major Tetralogy of history plays?

"Richard II", "Henry IV" (2 Parts), and "Henry V"

What features distinguish Shakespeare's mature romantic comedies from his early comedies?

Less classical influence, multiple plots, complicated treatment of love/marriage, more developed characters full of vitality, powerful heroines, sophisticated wit, and excellent prose.

In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", who are the six artisans rehearsing "Pyramus and Thisbe" in the forest?

Bottom (weaver), Quince (carpenter), Snug (joiner), Flute (bellows-mender), Snout (tinker), and Starveling (tailor).

Why are fairy-king Oberon and his queen Titania quarrelling in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

Over the possession of an Indian "changeling" page

Who is the discontented brother in "Much Ado About Nothing" who schemes to destroy Claudio and Hero's marriage?

Don John

In "Twelfth Night", what disguise does Viola adopt after being separated from her twin brother Sebastian?

She disguises herself as a man named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino.

In "Twelfth Night", which three characters teach the Puritan Malvolio a lesson?

Sir Toby Belch, Maria, and Andrew Aguecheek

In "The Merchant of Venice", what bond does Antonio agree to with Shylock to secure a loan for Bassanio?

A pound of Antonio's flesh

In "As You Like It", where do Orlando and Rosalind flee to escape danger?

The Forest of Arden

Which symbolic figure appears at the end of "As You Like It" to symbolize acceptance and reconciliation?

The Masque of Hymen

Which three plays are categorized as Shakespeare's Problem Plays or Dark Comedies?

"All's Well That Ends Well", "Measure for Measure", and "Troilus and Cressida"

Who introduced the term "Problem Play" to Shakespearean criticism in his 1896 work "Shakespeare and His Predecessors"?

F.S. Boas

How does Helena win back her husband Bertram in "All's Well That Ends Well"?

Through the "bed trick"

In "Measure for Measure", why does the deputy Angelo sentence Claudio to death?

For making his lover Juliet pregnant

Who assists Isabella in tricking Angelo in "Measure for Measure"?

A friar (the real Duke in disguise) who arranges the bed trick using Mariana, Angelo's abandoned fiancee.

Which 1851 Pre-Raphaelite painting depicts Mariana from Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure"?

John Millais's "Mariana"

In "Troilus and Cressida", which character speaks the bawdy epilogue?

Pandarus

Which 1873 painting by Edward Henry Corbould depicts a scene from Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida"?

"Troilus and Cressida"

Which four plays comprise Shakespeare's Great Tragedies, often abbreviated as HOKM?

"Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", and "Macbeth"

According to Shakespearean Romantic Tragedy conventions, what is the fundamental cause of human suffering?

Human action and free will ("Character is destiny"), rather than divine intrusion of Fate.

What is Shakespeare's longest play?

"Hamlet"

What literary source texts form the narrative background for Shakespeare's "Hamlet"?

The "Ur-Hamlet" (c. 1588), derived from Belleforest's "Histories Tragiques" (1580), which retold Saxo Grammaticus' "Danish History" (1514).

What play-within-a-play does Hamlet persuade the actors to perform, and what nickname does he give it?

"The Murder of Gonzago", which he nicknames "The Mouse Trap".

Which actor portrayed Prince Hamlet holding Yorick's skull in the famous 1948 film adaptation shown here?

Laurence Olivier

Why did T.S. Eliot famously call "Hamlet" "an artistic failure"?

Because of a lack of an "objective correlative", calling the play the "Mona Lisa of literature".

How did Sigmund Freud and Ernest Jones explain Prince Hamlet's procrastination?

In terms of the Oedipal Complex

What is the subtitle of Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello"?

"The Moor of Venice"

What phrase did S.T. Coleridge famously apply to the character of Iago in "Othello"?

"Motiveless malignity"

What is the major source text for Shakespeare's "Othello"?

Cinthio's "Hecatommithi"

Which actor played Iago in the 1995 film adaptation of "Othello" depicted here?

Kenneth Branagh

What title is given to Robert Alexander Hillingford's 1869 painting depicting Othello?

"Othello Recounting His Adventures to Desdemona"

In "Othello", what object serves as Othello's first token of love, which Iago uses to frame Desdemona?

A handkerchief

Who reveals Iago's guilt at the conclusion of "Othello"?

Emilia, Iago's wife

How did 17th-century playwright Nahum Tate famously alter "King Lear"?

He produced the play with a happy ending, putting Edgar in the place of the King of France as Cordelia's lover.

Who are King Lear's three daughters?

Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia

Who are the legitimate and illegitimate sons of the Duke of Gloucester in "King Lear"?

Edgar is the legitimate son, and Edmund is the illegitimate son.

What disguise does Edgar adopt while caring for Lear and saving Gloucester on the heath?

The lunatic Tom o' Bedlam

What work provided the source material for the sub-plot of "King Lear"?

Sir Philip Sidney's "Arcadia"

What historical sources provided material for Shakespeare's "Macbeth"?

Holinshed's "Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland", George Buchanan's Latin history of Scotland, Reginald Scott's "Discovery of Witchcraft", and King James I's "Daemonologie".

Which playwright is believed to have adapted and abridged Shakespeare's original play "Macbeth"?

Thomas Middleton

What three titles do the Witches prophesy for Macbeth in Act 1?

Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland.

What two conditions do the Witches assure Macbeth will protect him from defeat?

That he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane castle, and that no man born of woman can harm him.

Why is Macduff able to kill Macbeth despite the Witches' prophecy?

Macduff was not naturally born, but was "untimely ripped" from his mother's womb.

Which 1783 painting by Johann Heinrich Fuseli depicts the supernatural figures from "Macbeth" shown here?

"Three Witches"

Which source provided the primary historical material for Shakespeare's Roman plays?

Thomas North's English translation (1579) of Jacques Amyot's French translation (1559) of Plutarch's "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans".

Which actor played Julius Caesar in the 1953 film adaptation depicted here?

Marlon Brando

Which three figures form the Roman triumvirate in "Julius Caesar"?

Mark Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus

How does Cleopatra commit suicide at the end of "Antony and Cleopatra"?

By holding deadly asps (snakes) to her body.

Who is the mother of Caius Martius in "Coriolanus" upon whom he is psychologically dependent?

Volumnia

Which four late plays of Shakespeare belong to the genre of Romances?

"Cymbeline", "Pericles", "The Winter's Tale", and "The Tempest"

Who was the first critic to use the term "romance" for Shakespeare's late plays?

Edward Dowden

Which play was the last romance Shakespeare wrote in collaboration with John Fletcher, based on Chaucer's "Knight's Tale"?

"The Two Noble Kinsmen"

What are the plot sources for Shakespeare's late play "Cymbeline"?

Boccaccio's "Decameron" and Raphael Holinshed's "Chronicles"

In "Pericles", who appears as a ghost to introduce the play as the enactment of an ancient tale?

John Gower

On what prose work by Robert Greene is Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" closely modelled?

"Pandosto"

How does Hermione reappear at the end of "The Winter's Tale" after her apparent death?

She poses as her own statue as planned by Paulina.

In "The Tempest", what represents both Prospero's vulnerability in Milan and his magical power on the island?

His books

Which 1950 book by French psychoanalyst Octave Mannoni pioneered reading "The Tempest" through postcolonial theory?

"Prospero and Caliban: The Psychology of Colonization"

From what word is the name "Caliban" derived as an anagram?

"Cannibal" (connecting to Montaigne's essay "Of Cannibals")

Which three famous scenes occur in Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet"?

The Nunnery Scene (3.1), Flower Scene (4.5), and Gravediggers' Scene (5.1).

Which character delivers the epilogue at the conclusion of "The Tempest"?

Prospero

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write, and to whom are the first 126 sonnets addressed?

154 sonnets in total; the first 126 are addressed to a fair youth (probably W.H., the Earl of Southampton or Earl of Pembroke).