Shakespeare English Quiz

sonnet

• poem of fourteen lines

• formal rhyme scheme

• ten syllables per line

Example: prologue of Romeo and Juliet is a sonnet

rhyme scheme (of Shakespearean sonnet)

• the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

couplet

• two lines of poetry in the same meter joined by a rhyme

• a sonnet usually ends with one

• scenes in Shakespeare also end in with a couplet

iambic pentameter

• a regular pattern in poetry where each line has five iambs

• iamb = one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

blank verse

• poetry without rhyme, but that still has iambic pentameter

prose

• ideas contained in sentences and paragraphs

• typically straightforward

• grammar rules usually followed

alliteration

• repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words

• “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes…” (Romeo

  and Juliet)

oxymoron

• a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together; a compressed paradox.

“Cruel Kindness” for example

allusion

• a reference to literature, history, religion, mythology, etc. to make a comparison

simile

• an indirect comparison between unlike things, using like or as

“I have no joy in this contract tonight:

It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,

Too like the lightening” (Romeo and Juliet)

metaphor

• a direct comparison of unlike things that have at least one feature in common

personification

• a kind of metaphor where non-life-like things are given life-like traits

hyperbole

• an exaggeration or overstatement used to highlight a characteristic

“this is going to take a hundred years!”

pun

• a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of words that sound alike, but mean different things.

tragedy

• a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially concerning the downfall of a main character.

comedy

• a play of light and humorous tone with a happy or cheerful ending; the central theme is the triumph over adversity.

act

• Major divisions in a play

• There are usually 5 acts in a Shakesperean play

• Act III is usually the climax of the play

scene

• Subdivisions of an act

• Usually indicates a change of time and place

• There are usually b/w 3-7 scenes in a Shakespearean play

tragic hero

• The main character of a tragedy who evokes pity from having misfortune greater than he deserves but who recognizes the error of his actions

tragic flaw

• The character defect in a tragic hero that leads to his

downfall

foil

• a character that shows qualities that

are in contrast with the qualities of another character

• This contrast highlights the traits of

the other character.

comic relief

• comic scenes or characters in a dramatic work that

offset more serious, tragic, or tense sections.

soliquoy

• a speech by a single person to oneself. The act of

speaking one’s thoughts aloud when alone.

• solo = alone

aside

• a short bit of dialogue made to the audience or to oneself, but out of earshot of the other characters.

• here is usually a parenthesis of stage direction indicating an aside

stage direction

• Instructions in a play for the actors in how they act, talk, and where they go.

playwright

• author of plays

• example: Shakespeare, Sophocles

Shakespear’s place of birth and years of life

• Stratford-upon-avon, Englad

• 1594-1616

Shakespeare’s family and social rank

• John (his father) was glove maker/merchant and mayor

• Mother: Mary Arden

Shakespeare’s education

• went to local Grammar school

• studied Latin, Greek, English and world history

• applied historical lessons to his plays like Julius Caesar and King Henry IV

Shakespeare’s career

1582 - Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway

1592 - moves to london

1594 - becomes principal playwright of Lord Chamberlains Men, The Burbages’ acting company, writes Romeo & Juliet and other plays

Lord Chamberlains Men move to Globe theater, Shakespeare starts showing new plays in 1599

1606 - company changes name to the King’s Men. Shakespeare writes Tragedy of Macbeth

1609 poopoopeepee

descibe the Globe Theater

• no roof

• circular

• very few seats

• could hold 2,000 people.

• most people stood in a yard surrounding stage

• no restrooms, disease spread fast

Audience who payed a penny to be in the pit

Groundlings/Penny stinkards

Skills an actor needed

• resonant speaking voice

• singer/musician

• competent swordsman

• good memory

• sometimes acrobatics

Amount of actors

10-12 actors and 6 boy apprentices that played females

Special effects

• thunder through drums

• lighting with squid

• pulley system to raise and lower actors

• pouches of sheep blood for killings

• table to show severed body parts

Props/decor of the play

Relied on audiences imagination as each setting was given through action, dialogue, few props, and sometimes cloth hung on painted walls

Plays in a season and actor part responsibilities

• actors learned parts in 1 week

• 40 plays in one season

• some had 30 speaking parts

Time plays took place

• Plays were in afternoon everyday except sunday

• 2-5 pm

Galleries seating

• Galleries were filled with gentleman, scholars, lawyers, clerks, and students (higher class)

behavior of audience

• people would walk around, socialize, eat, talk,

• if an actor was good, they applauded, but if not, they would throw food

• they could yell at actors

Vender’s food

• Vendors sold beer, water, oranges, nuts, gingerbread, and apples, all of which were thrown.

• Hazelnuts were the most popular

Grand finale of a play

• singers, acrobats, tumblers, etc would come out for grand finale

Romeo and Juliet source

•  Arthur Brooke’s 1562 long narrative poem, The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet

  
  

Romeo and Juliet verse and pentameter

• blank verse

• iambic pentameter

What is the Romeo and Juliet prologue? (type and rhyme scheme)

• Sonnet - 14 lines

• ABAB CDCD EFEF GG