1. William Shakespeare
April 13-15

2. Shakespeare’s Background
*Born in 1564 in Stratford upon-Avon
*Entered the world of theater as a principal actor, playwright, and manager
But...his education and childhood records are very scare...leaving many to believe that he isn’t, in fact, the true author of these works- Youtube clip
Mystery surrounds much of his life...including 8 years between the birth of his twins and when he arrived in London....

3. The Elizabethan Era
*Time period known as the Elizabethan Era because of Queen Elizabeth’s reign over England
Known as the Golden Age
Daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

4. The Globe Theater
The original burned...along with the second...now the third stands as the only thatched roof building in London.
This current building is the closest to the original building in location and in architecture.

5. *After all this time? Always...
We still see Shakespeare as relevant...Why?
Illumination of the human experience through memorable characters
Ability to turn a phrase using the complexities of word meanings
Tragedies are modeled after Aristotle’s tragic hero

6. Master of Vocabulary
In less than 25 years, Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, 154 Sonnets, and several poems
He used between 25,000 and 29,000 different words total in his works. The entire King James Bible used 6,000.

7. *Aristotle’s Tragic Hero
Traits of a Tragic Hero
Nobility- of noble birth or virtue
Hamartia- a fault or flaw in the hero
Peripeteia-a sudden turn of events or reversal in fortune due to the flaw in the character
Anagnorisis: The critical moment of recognition or discovery in the events, especially preceding peripeteia

8. Oh the ways to die in a Shakespearean play

9. *Let’s Begin with a Sonnet...
Sonnets were made popular by Shakespeare but originated in Italy
The Shakespearean sonnet has a specific rhyme scheme (pattern of end rhyme): ababcdcdefefgg

10. *Sonnets Four parts to a sonnet:
3 Quatrains- four lines of poetry that have a pattern of end rhyme
1 Couplet- 2 lines of poetry that rhyme

11. Let’s Take a Look- Sonnet 116
Complete the Sonnet Close Read activity with your group...
Be prepared to share out responses...