1. Shakespeare’s theater
An Introduction
Renaissance culture,
Shakespeare’s theater
and main characters

2. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Great Chain of Being
Belief structure from middle ages
Came from Ptolemaic system with earth at the center
Hierarchical system with God and angels above, man in the middle, and animals, plants, minerals on the bottom.
Within each species, same hierarchy, with King on the top, then nobles, moneyed middle-class, then peasants

3. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Great Chain of Being
System of Order, corresponding with belief in predestination, God has plan for world
Order can be thrown into chaos if hierarchy not adhered to, if subjects rebel against monarch, sons against fathers
Suggests everyone has purpose or role in life, should use reason and/or to find and fulfill purpose

4. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Humanist views
To the Christian belief system, the Renaissance added the Humanist beliefs of self-determinism.
There was still an Ideal beyond the world as we know it, but we were to strive to reach that Ideal (or at least be worthy of it)
Thus two supposed opposites, predestination and free will, were combined in the Renaissance Christian Humanist belief system
The Renaissance Christian Humanist’s purpose was to make of himself his ideal Self

5. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Christian Humanist
History as moral lesson
Overarching plan
Great Chain of Being
Nature understood through Bible
language: metaphor
Machiavellian
History as natural cycle
Chance or fortune
Man makes own place
Nature understood by logic, reason
language: scientific

6. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Language
Renaissance Christian Humanist -- poetry
Metaphoric or figurative language used to illustrate place in hierarchies
Since Sun and King are on top of their respective groups, they are joined together through metaphor Metaphoric or figurative language used to illustrate place in hierarchies
Machiavellian – prose
Scientific, logical language used to show importance of reason

7. Dominant Renaissance World Views
Christian Humanist
State microcosm of Divine world
Divine Right of Kings
Time and change moving toward perfection; vertical concept of time
Identity is temporal role moving toward spiritual essence (Ideal Self).
Machiavellian
State/politics based on power not right (privilege or correctness)
Time and change cyclical, not advancing
Identity plural, who we are in which situation or time, we can play many roles

8. The Great Chain of Being
derived from Ptolemaic view of earth at center
orderly universe, everything has place and purpose
the hierarchies used in metaphoric language
king associated with sun, lion, head, air
antagonist associated with moon, snake, feet, earth
reality tied with moral truth, what ought to be
man’s place in the world determined by birth
belief in the guiding hand of Providence

9. Characters often found in Shakespeare plays
the Fair
past as heroic myth
ideal world
world of heroic action
advice giving and tradition
the Foul
present as corrupt society
unweeded garden
world of Machiavellian intrigue
spying and conflict

10. Characters often found in Shakespeare plays
the Fair
innocence and idealism
belief and trust
ideal character
remembered past
the Foul
experience and cynicism
suspicion and doubt
malcontent, deceiver
experienced present

11. Staging No set design -- actors must establish setting, time
Few props -- actors must bring on throne, table, chair, then take them off stage again
Stage has trap door, two entrances, balcony area

12. Staging
If a character dies, Shakespeare must find a way to get the body off the stage
Shakespeare must invent reason for characters to exit the stage
The stage is a fixed place, so certain areas can be associated with a character

13. Reading the plays No Act, scene divisions originally, editors added
Use of 5 acts is an editor’s choice
could see all plays in three acts
Act 1 -- introduces issues, ends in instigating event
Act develops issues and characters
includes midpoint pivotal event
includes second turning point
Act 5 -- climax, resolves conflicts
No stage directions (“enter Hamlet”), dialogue used

14. Reading the plays Conventionally important scenes
Act 1, scene 2 (+ or -) Court scene
Introduce main characters, issues, themes
Act 3, scene 2 (+ or -) Court scene
Climax, direction of plot turns toward inevitable end
Act 5, scene 2 (+ or -) Court scene
Ending, all issues / themes resolved

15. Characters Primary dynamic, change complex, are revealed Protagonist
Antagonist
Secondary
static, don’t change
simpler, stereotyped
Reflective, reveal something about main characters

16. Plot structures Rise and Fall external / condition
gaining/losing power
internal / character
become more aware
become more complex
less formal, fixed to “role”
more analytical of self
language less formal

17. Plot structures Main plot/subplot Main plot Subplot Main plot
protagonist/antagonist
court world/macrocosm
major actions
Subplot
reflective characters, comment on main actions
foiling with main characters
private world/microcosm
Main plot
Subplot
Main
Sub
Main