Or at least pretend to… ;)

  Greatest writer in the English language  Plays have been produced more often and in more countries than any other author  Lived during Renaissance  Plays appealed to all classes  Globe Theatre – open, 3 story, no curtains, little scenery; props, sound effects and costumes created setting Quick fact Shakespeare

  He contributed more words, phrases, and expressions than any other  Created assassination, bump, and lonely; dead as a doornail, for goodness sake, and green-eyed monster Shakespeare’s Impact on English Language

  Tragedy – drama that ends in catastrophe (death) for the main character & other important characters (supernatural element – contribute to actions of tragic hero)  Tragic Hero – usually nobly born & may have great influence on his/her society; has fatal flaws (weakness or error in judgement)  Comic relief – humorous scenes that relieve overall emotional intensity Vocab to Know

  Allusion – brief reference to something outside the play that the audience is expected to know; ex. A reference from another work of literature like Greek or Roman mythology & the bible ex. “Speak to my gossip Venus on word…”  Foil – characters whose personalities are a sharp contrast to another ex. Lennie & George Vocab to Know

 Dramatic conventions – devices theater audiences accept as real even though they do not necessarily reflect the real-life behavior:  Soliloquy – speech by a character when he’s alone to let audience know what he’s thinking; reveals secrets; villains explain behavior  Aside – character’s remarks to the audience or another character that others on stage aren’t supposed to hear; ex. p. 994 Vocab to Know Dramatic Conventions

  Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter – lines that have 5 unstressed syllables followed by 5 stressed syllables Romeo: But soft! What light through yon der win dow breaks ?  Fairly close to regular, natural patterns of speech Blank Verse

  Setting: Verona, Italy, 14 th century. (I was there and ate an entire pizza; it was the best pizza I’ve ever had.)  Initiating Event: fight between 2 families  Main Conflict: R & J love each other, but their families hate each other. R=Montague J = Capulet Good Ole Romeo & Juliet Oh, wait. They’re not old, they’re dead.

  Romeo loves Rosaline and Juliet is slated to marry Paris.  Romeo hears about the party the Capulets are hosting (to get Paris & Juliet to know each other) and crashes the party.  Romeo & Juliet meet and instantly fall in love; later they realize their families are feuding. This conflict is the catalyst for the play. SO?

  An – sometimes means if  Ay – yes  Coz – cousin  Doth – does  Thee – you  Thine – your  Thou art – you are  Thou wert – you were  ‘tis – it is Word

 As you read/watch:  Evaluate character’s speech and actions to figure out his attitudes, personality, and motives (look for foils!)  Evaluate tragic hero’s strengths and weakness, esp. tragic flaw  Look for cause & effect relationships Finally…