1. Shakespeare

2. Drama - 2 languages
1. Dialogue
2. Staging

3. Dialogue
As readers of drama we rely on the written word and stage directions

4. Staging
Costumes - can tell time of year, time, place, status, highlight characters
Gesture and movement
Lighting
Sound
Scenery
All aspects of staging can work together

5. Aristotelian Drama Shakespearian drama is Aristotelian
Order, order lost, order restored - comedy
Order lost, order restored - tragedy

6. Classic Aristotelian Plotline
Act I - Introduction
Get to know characters, conflict, setting
Act II - Rising Action - conflict progresses
Act III - Climax - major character changes, point of no return, point of highest emotional intensity
Act IV - Falling Action - rapid movement towards the resolution
Act V - Resolution - Order restored, loose ends tied up

7. Types of plays Shakespeare wrote three types of plays
Comedy - always ends in a confession, a reunion, a celebration, a wedding
Tragedies - people die and a new order is brought in to restore
Histories - chronicle of English kings

8. Shakespeare “He was not of an age, but for all time” - Ben Jonson
Born - Stratford-upon-Avon, England - April 23, 1564
Died April 23, 1616
Wrote plays in London between approximately during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I - they have been in almost constant production since their creation

9. Basewords Reading Shakespeare is like seeing language created
Contributed over 20,138 basewords to the English language

10. Elizabethan drama
Queen Elizabeth was a huge supporter of the arts - by the end of her reign London had more theatres than any other city in Europe
Raucous audiences

11. Globe Theatre
Shakespeare became part owner of The Globe Theatre home of the King’s men - he was an actor as well as a writer
Theatre - 3 story wooden building on the banks of the River Thames in Central London
Held up to 3,000 people

12. Theatre II Open-air - plays only between April to October
Groundlings stood in the pit
No lighting
Very small scenery
Ornate costumes
Props
Sound effects
Women were not actors - young boys
More male than female roles in Shakespeare

13. Excitement of Shakespeare’s plays
Sword fights
Humor
Eerie supernatural events

14. Exploration of human nature
Shakespeare created character - explored human nature
Tried to see how different people dealt with universal problems
Insightful insight into the human character - understanding of human psychology

15. Alive Today Shakespeare’s plays are so alive because of the themes
Betrayal of a friend
Death and grieving for a father
Prejudice against someone of another race
The pursuit of a love forbidden