1. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Who was William S hakespeare? 1564-1616 Brief biography. In his lifetime, he did not run after fame or self promotion. No insight into his personality. All was sheer speculation, even his birth date is also a matter of speculation By the age of 30, he has written histories, comedies and tragedies and acted prominent roles

2. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet 1592-4 Outbreak of plague and theaters were closed. Two years later, they reopened and after 1597, the famous plays were written and performed in the Globe Theater. Shakespeare must not be very sociable given the rich literary legacy he left behind

3. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet What was it like to see a play at the Globe? 3000 people could be accommodated in the Globe. No health care and diseases are easily transmittable. Hardly no control in chaotic situations. Fire is another threat. Globe was on fire twice.

4. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet The stage was a little sophisticated with sound and light effects, elaborate costumes but bare of sceneries. Acting was stylized with lots of acrobatic and clowning, fencing, dancing and music Plays were tailored to show the skills of certain actors, like Will Kempe whose talent was obvious in the role of Falstaff

5. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet The lack of visual allusion engendered a focus on language of the play Eliz culture was mainly oral and aural Audience responded well to poetic ingenuities Rapid flow of action. Only the rhyming couplets at the end of each scene indicate the end, since there were no curtains as today The page on stage supplanted women, since they were banned from acting. Shakespeare’s plays were popular entertainment. 1/5 of Londoners go to theater

6. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Audience vary from groundling to fashionable nobility. All the strata of the society are there. Move from outdoor to indoor theaters to cater for the growing appeal of wealthy patrons.

7. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet The publication of Shakespeare’s plays: Sh’s plays were not published straight away. Each actor would have only a copy of his role, not the whole play. These scripts were subject to much alteration and editing while experimenting, improvising, rehearsing and performing. Acting companies are against the publication of plays, but since no copyrights protect works at that time, leakage and piracy of Sh’s plays started publications in ‘bad’quartos

8. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet It was not till 1623 that the formal first folio was collected by Sh’s actor colleagues and published Big difference between he quartos and the first folio in terms of quality. Uncertainty Great deal of editing was at stake

9. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Language and poetry in Shakespeare’s plays: Sh’s language was edited in terms of spelling, punctuation, typography.. To make it accessible. (compare your version of HenryV with original scripts on p: 34, 35.

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11. The development through which language went during the Renaissance was actually one of the stages of the historical development of the English language, from the Old English, to the Middle English, to the Early Modern English, till today's Global English. To our surprise, Shakespeare's English is closer to the Modern English than it is to the Old or Middle English, the following texts from the three periods prove the above assertion: (Allani 2006- p:36)

12. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Old English text, (c1000) sample: Faeder ure pupe eart on heofonum Si pin nama gehalgod tobecume pin rice gewurpe pin willa on eorthan swa swa on heofonum Ume gedaeghwamlican hlaf syle us to daeg And forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfath urum gyltendum And ne gelaed pu us on costnynge ac alys us of yfele soplice

13. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Middle English text, Wyclif (1384), the same text starts to look a little familiar to the modern eye: Oure fadir pat art in heuenes halwid be pi name; Pi reume or kyngdom come to be. Be pi wille don in herbe as it is dounin heuene. Yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred And foryeue to us oure dettis pat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure dettouris Pat is to men pat han synned in us. And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl.

14. Chapt 2 Shakespeare Theater Poet Early Modern English, King James Version (1611). This text is written in Shakespeare's era and is completely intelligible: Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen. Giue us this day our daily bread. And forgiue us our debts as we forgiue our debters. And lead us not into temptation, but deliuer us from euill. Amen.