Romeo and Juliet pre-reading

Tragedy

A sad sorrow where the main character is ruined or suffers, usually because of a flaw in their character or personality

Comedy

A funny story that usually has a happy ending where all conflict is resolved

Notation

Midsummer’s Night’s Dream the second act, 2.1.33 equals Play’s Name Act.Scene.Starting Line. So the play is Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, the 2nd act, 1st scene, starting on line 33

Act

A major division of a play in (use uppercase Roman numerals E.g., act V)

Scene

A part of an act. Acts are divided into scenes, and each scene has fixed setting or time/place (use lowercase Roman numerals (E.g. Act V, scene I - Act 5, scene 2)

Characterization

Representation of a character on the stage by imitating or describing actions, gestures, or speeches

Soliloquy

a speech made to oneself. It usually shows us a character’s thoughts or feelings when they’re alone or think they’re alone

Aside

Something a character says to the audience; the other characters on stage are not meant to hear it.

Monologue

A long, uninterrupted speech presented in front of other characters

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter

Satire

Irony, sarcasm, or wit used to attack or show a problem/flaw or stupidity

Epithet

A descriptive adjective or phrase used to characterize something or someone (Peter the Great)

Iambic pentameter

Line with 10 syllables

Sonnet

A 14 line lyric poem usually written with iambic pentameter, that has one of several rhyme schemes. A sonnet form used by William Shakespeare is called the Shakespeare in sonnet. It has three four-line units (quatrains) followed by a concluding two line unit (couplet). The most common rhyme scheme for the Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Adversary

Opponent; enemy

Ambiguity

Statement or event in which meaning is unclear

Banishment

Exile

Boisterous

Stormy; violent; rowdy

Dexterity

Skill; cleverness

Idolatry

Extreme devotion to a person or thing

Lament

To grieve for

nuptial

Wedding

Peruse

Look over

Reconcile

To become friendly again

Shroud

A burial cloth

April 23, 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon

When and where was Shakespeare said to be born?

Mystery

Shakespeare was a bit of a man of…

Anne Hathaway eight years older because she was pregnant.

Who did Shakespeare marry and how much older was she? Why at that age?

Susanna, Hamden, and Judith.

What were their kids named?

London to become an actor.

When Shakespeare was 28 where did he move and what for?

Wrote plays too and his first place were a big hit and he became very popular.

What else did he do in London?

Elizabeth I

Who was the queen in charge at the time?

A plague. Started to write sonnets. Went back to theaters when they opened again.

What caused theaters to close in early 1590s. What did Shakespeare do during this time?

No

Did people know how Shakespeare died?

Super successful and rich. Never went to university or even high school.

How was Shakespeare by the end of his career?

His deep understanding of human nature and his talent for making characters we relate to

What made Shakespeare a renowned playwright?

Public executions, bear-baiting, go to pubs/taverns or bawdy houses

What competition did his plays have?

37 plays, 154 sonnets, and invented more than 1700 words.

How many plays, sonnets, and words did he invent?

The big O because it was a circle (with up to 20 sides, and it was open on the top)

What was the globe theater called and why?

When the flag was raised that meant the play was about to begin. The flag was red when the play was a comedy, blue when it was a history and black when it was a tragedy.

What were the flags and what did they mean?

Shakespeare belong to a company called Lord Chamberlain‘s Men. They became the King’s Men when King James himself became the sponsor or patron.

Each theater at that time had its own company of actors and was sponsored by a wealthy noble. What was Shakespeare’s

Only 3000

How many people could the Globe hold?

They called these people groundlings and since few people bathed, they stunk of beer, sweat and garlic. They sold food and beer during the place and people were loud and would even throw food if they didn’t like the play.

The more you paid the better seats you could have. If you paid enough, you could even sit on the stage. People even stood/sat in the “cheap seats” right at the front of the stage or the “pit”. What did they call these people and why?

This meant the words of the play had to tell the story

They hardly used any props or scenery

no, men played all roles

Could women act on stage?

in 1613 when a cannon started a fire

When did it burn down and why?

The Puritans won their battle and all theaters were shut down as a result. The Globe was destroyed in 1644.

it was rebuilt in 1642, but..