1. William Shakespeare
And other odds and ends . . .

2. Shakespeare Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon
Died April 23, 1616
Married Anne Hathaway in 1582
Had a daughter and a set of twins
Arrived in London about 1588
Became popular as a poet and playwright

3. Shakespeare
Became involved with the Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men
Gave special presentations at the courts of Elizabeth I and James I
Wrote sonnets, comedies, tragedies, and history plays
Contemporaries included Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser

4. The Globe Theater
Prior to the 1500s, plays took place on temporary platforms
In 1576 James Burbage built the first permanent theater
The Globe Theatre was built in 1599
Made of wood
Octagonal exterior, round interior
Shakespeare called it “this wooden O”

5. The Globe Theatre Had no roof
Few seats; most people stood in the yard surrounding the stage
Accommodated about 2,000
For one penny, groundlings stood in the pit
Few props: skulls, caldrons, weapons, phials of blood, bushes, ladders, rosebushes, box trees, tombs, severed heads

6. The Globe Theatre
Machines let gods or ghosts down from heaven or up from the floor
Caterers sold tobacco, apples, nuts, and pamphlets
Women discouraged from attending
No female actors; boys played parts of women
If the audience didn’t like the play, they would throw their garbage at the stage

7. Literary Terms
Comedy - a play that begins with trouble and ends with peace; often romantic in nature
Tragedy - a play that begins in calm and ends in tempest; one or more characters dies by the end of the play
History plays - draw from historical material; stressed patriotism of the time

8. Terms Continued
Blank verse - unrhymed, regular verse; usually iambic pentameter
Quarto - about half of Shakespeare’s plays were printed in quarto editions during his lifetime, probably without his consent; is a book size with four leaves (1/4 the original paper size)

9. Terms Continued
First Folio - the first written edition of Shakespeare’s plays; later revised to account for inaccuracies
Prologue - an introduction to a play; explains what the audience will see
Soliloquy - a speech a character makes when he or she is alone on stage; lets the audience know what the character is thinking

10. Terms Continued
Aside - spoken by a character in a play to the audience; not heard by the other characters on stage
Dramatic irony - the contrast that exists between what is expected and reality; the audience knows something the characters do not

11. Terms Continued
Hamartia - Hamartia is the unwitting but necessary misstep or ignorance expressed through action or inaction of the protagonist. It must express itself through a definite action or the failure to perform a definite action.
Tragic flaw is usually associated with a moral or character defect that leads to a character’s downfall.

12. Terms Continued
Foil - A foil is literally a “leaf” or sheet of bright metal placed under a piece of jewelry to increase its brilliance. In literature, by extension,the term is applied to any person or sometimes an object that through strong contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another.