Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England Queen Elizabeth I supported all the arts Married Anne Hathaway and had three children The Lost Years: 1585-1592 May have worked as a soldier, a sailor, or a schoolmaster Part of Lord Chamberlain’s Men since the early 1590s

William Shakespeare (continued) Company renamed King’s Men when James I became king In 1599, became part of the Globe Theatre Fire destroyed Globe Theatre, ending Shakespeare’s career Died on his birthday, April 23, 1616 Left his wife Anne “his second-best bed” and his daughter Susanna everything else

Elements of Fiction/Shakespearean Tragedy Exposition: Characters & Setting Act I Rising Action: Introduction of Conflicts Act II Climax: Turning Point Act III In a tragedy, things usually go from bad to worse in Act III Falling Action: Conflict resolution begins to fall into place Result of the climax Act IV Denouement: Main conflicts are resolved Act V This act includes a catastrophe, which is another climactic turning point in the story line.

Literary/Drama Terms

Literary Terms Act: major division within a play Allusion: reference to a literary/historical person/event Aside: lines whispered to audience or another character Blank Verse: poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter Foreshadowing: lines that give a clue to future events

Literary Terms (continued) Irony: a contrast between what is and what appears to be Verbal irony: character says one thing but means another Dramatic irony: audience knows something characters don’t Rhetoric: the art of persuasion Logos: reason Ethos: credibility Pathos: emotion Scene: small unit within an act of a play Soliloquy: a single character on stage thinking out loud

Literary Terms (continued) Tragedy: a drama that ends in defeat and suffering Tragic Hero: the main character in a tragedy Born into nobility or high status Having a good character, often courageous Possessing a tragic flaw that ultimately causes the character’s downfall Ultimately achieving some self-knowledge and wisdom, even though he/she suffers defeat, possibly even death Tragic Flaw: a personality trait in a character that leads him to make poor decisions that result in tragic consequences

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar Background Shakespeare used Plutarch’s The Parallel Lives as inspiration for his play 500 years before Caesar, the Roman Republic was established. Aristocratic classes called Patricians Commoners called Plebians Rome was ruled by two consuls chosen by the Senate and two tribunes elected by the commoners In 60 BC, the Senate chose three consuls to rule Rome: Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey

Julius Caesar Background Together, they were called the First Triumvirate Triumvirate = three men working together When Crassus died, Pompey and Caesar raced for power. Caesar departed Rome to fight in the Gallic Wars. The Senate ordered Caesar to abandon his army and return to Rome as a private citizen. Caesar instead marched his army on Rome, clashing with Pompey’s army. Pompey fled to Egypt and was murdered.

Julius Caesar Background Caesar remained in Egypt and had an affair with Cleopatra On his return to Rome, Caesar was declared perpetual dictator. The Senate (including Brutus) thought Caesar would crown himself Emperor and put an end to the Republic, so they made plans to assassinate him on March 15, 44 BC. The tragic hero of the play is Brutus, a nobleman who truly believes his actions are for the good of his country. The setting of the play is primarily Rome, Italy.

Superstitions Emperors were gods Animals were spirits of dead ancestors Chickens predicted success in battle—if they ate, all would go well; if they did not eat, signs were unfavorable Bad omens: owls, solar eclipses, lightning, dreams