Hamlet background notes

Where was William Shakespeare born? 

Stratford-upon-Avon

Does William Shakespeare have any siblings? 

yes, he has two sisters

Did Shakespeare go to school as a young child? 

yes

Who did Shakespeare marry at 18 and did they have children? 

Anne Hathaway, yes they had children Susana, hamnet and judith

By what year was he in London? 

1592

What poems did he publish in 1593 and 1594? 

Venus and Adonis; and The grape of Lucrece

What company was Shakespeare a cofounder of, what did they do, and what did the company become in 1603? 

he cofoudned the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the put on 2 plays for 20 years, then transformed into The King’s Men under King James I reign

What era followed the Middle Ages and means “rebirth

Renaissance

Where did the Renaissance begin and what discoveries/rebirths occurred?

it began in Italy with geographical and intellectual discoveries

When was the Elizabethan Era in England? 

1558-1603

Describe the general social and cultural conditions of the Elizabethan Era 

There was relative peace and prosperity, as well as artistic, literary, and intellectual culture. Furthore conflict arose betwwen catholics and protistants, The queen was a protistant herself, but did not want any conflict between the two groups. Ethnic diversity was increasing within Londonwith the emergence of small Jewish and Black populations.

What two religious groups were in conflict, but Queen Elizabeth wanted peace between the two? 

catholics and protistants

What two ethnic groups emerged in London?

Jewish and black population

What class expanded and why, which disrupted the “Great Chain of Being” (hierarchy) 

the middle class expanded because if mercantilism and trade.

What was the Elizabethan era also called and why? 

English Renaissance because of the outflow of artistic creations, like William

Shakespeare’s plays

What is one theory of how the body works that came from Galen

The Humoral theory

What determines the behavior of all created things including the human body 

physical qualities

What determines the behavior of all created things including the human body 

Physical quailities

What makes a person “good humored” 

If all there humors are balanced

What are the four humors and what are they associated with 

blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.

The humors are a mode of explaining what 

sickness, behavior, even gender.

How were males viewed in the humoral theory 

hot and dry, active, energetic, brave, and strong

How were females viewed in the humoral theory

old and moist, passive, tender, gentle, kind, timorous. Doctors believes women were less healthy because of their passivity and menstruation.

What humors correspond to Hamlet, Laertes, and Ophelia

Hamlet- the melancholic Dane,

Laertes- choleric,

ophelia-phlegmatic.

What is the Great Chain of Being

a philosophical and religious belief

of the order of the universe. God creates the social order and

hierarchy. One’s place in the chain was determined by one’s

distance from God. To deviate from the chain was to rebel.

What is the order of the Great Chain of Being 

God,Angel,Demons,Humans,Animals,Plants,Non living, Hell

What determines one's place on the Chain of Being 

ratio of spirit to matter

What more do you have the higher you are on the ladder of life

intellect and authority

What is equivalent to deviating from the chain 

rebeling

What can the roots of the Great Chain be traced from 

Aristotle

What is the structure of a Shakespearean Tragedy 

exposition, exciting force, hamartia, crisis,

tragic force, moment of final suspense, catastrophe, and glimpse of restored order.

Describe the “hero” character 

high in social station, suffers from an excess or imbalance of a character trait that causes his undoing or death (tragic flaw). The action is often precipitated and/or exacerbated by female transgression of the social order.

What common theatrical element involving identity is often found in these plays? 

Shakespeare’s tragedies are also considered “Tragi-comedies”