1. Shakespeare A Brief Biography The Globe Theater
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in Romeo and Juliet
Dramatic Terms

2. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
Born in April 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon
John Shakespeare (father)
tanner, glover, dealer in grain
town official (alderman, and later mayor)
Mary (mother)
daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous gentleman-farmer.

3. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
Attended the Stratford Grammar School
Did not go to Oxford or Cambridge

4. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
Married Anne Hathaway in 1582
Three children born: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet

5. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
By 1590, he was an actor and playwright
Leader of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the King’s Men
died April 23, 1616

6. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
He was buried in Stratford; the inscription on his tombstone reads: “Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake, forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here;
Blest be the man that spares these stones
And curst be he that moves my bones.”

7. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography
Author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets
Robert Greene, a critic, attacked Shakespeare, a mere actor, for writing plays.
He acted before Queen Elizabeth in 1594.

8. The Globe Theater
He wrote his plays to be performed in the Globe Theater.
The only account we have of the Globe is from a diary of a Swiss doctor who visited London and crossed the Thames River to see a play in a theater with a thatched roof.
It was built in 1599 and burned down 14 years later in 1613.
It was an 8 sided building with a central yard

9. The Globe Theater Spectators’ price of admissions was
one penny - to stand in yard around stage (these were called the groundlings)
two pennies - to sit in 2nd and 3rd floor galleries
three pennies - to sit in the first floor galleries

10. The Globe Theater Stage 1/3 of yard was filled with 6ft high platform
no curtain
no artificial lighting
back wall had at least two doors
balcony was used for hilltops, walls of cities, or second story scenes.
trapdoors were used to raise or lower actors and props.

11. The Globe Theater Take a tour of the new Globe Theater. . . .

12. Shakespearian Drama
Tragedy: A drama that ends in catastrophe—most often death—for the main character and often for several other important characters as well
Tragic Hero: The main character, someone who is nobly born and has great influence in his or her society. This character has weakness or errors in judgment (Tragic Flaws) that lead to his or her downfall. Fate may play a role in the course that events take.

13. Shakespearian Drama
Foil: A character who shares circumstantial similarities with a main character, but then has certain divergent qualities that, by contrast, highlights characteristics in the main character.
Ex. Cassio and Othello: both ambitious military men of similar rank and age. Othello seems to have more noble and cautious characteristics, but in the end they are both duped by the antagonist, Iago.
Walker, Veronica. “Michael Cassio as Foil to Shakespeare’s Othello.” Inquiries Journal. Vol. 2, no. 2, Web. 17 April 2017

14. Shakespearian Drama Soliloquy and Aside:
A Soliloquy is a speech made by an actor alone on stage to let the audience know what is on that character’s mind.
An Aside is a character’s remark to the audience or to another character that others on stage aren’t supposed to hear.

15. Shakespearian Drama
Blank Verse: Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. Shakespeare wrote all of his plays in blank verse.
Example of Blank Verse
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
But soft.|What light| through yon|der win|dow breaks?
~ / ~ / ~ / ~~ / ~ /
It is| the east|, and Jul|iet is |the sun!