*From Anderson Textbook Article
Where and when was
Shakespeare born?
·
Stratford-Upon-Avon, 1564, 100 miles NW of
London
What was the shape of
the Globe theatre?
·
Wooden O Polygonal, open roof, open stage
protruding among the audience
·
Modern stage: Proscenium, no protruding stage
What did the stage,
the overhanging, and under the stage represent?
·
Earth, heaven, hell
How was the audience
at the Globe theatre laid out?
·
Groundlings paid a penny for standing room only
on the ground.
·
Affluent, rich patrons of the theatre sat at the
very top in protected seats behind railings.
·
Wealthier merchants could pay for middling seats
if they did not want to stand with the groundlings
What would the
performances have looked like?
·
Some props for special effects, but minimal
scenery. The setting was made with words.
·
Lavish costumes often influenced by famous
French fashions of the day
How does Shakespeare
incorporate poetry into his plays?
·
Characters will speak in poetic meter at
critical or tender moments—
·
Mostly blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
·
Some sonnets
·
Couplets for effect
·
End rhyme
*Lecture/Discussion
What is the difference
between comedy and tragedy?
·
Comedy—happy ending, often a wedding
·
Tragedy—unhappy ending, often death of
protagonists and many more
·
Blurring the line—Pyramus and Thisbe, Romeo
& Juliet
Where did the original
story for Romeo & Juliet come
from?
·
1476 tale by Masurcio Salernitanoà1525
re-telling by Luigi da Portoà1554
Italian version by Bandelloà1559
French prose version by Pierre Boiastuauà1562 Long English Poem by Arthur BrookeàShakespeare’s
·
5 re-tellings before it reaches Shakespeare;
already a popular story
What are the key
themes of Romeo & Juliet?
·
What words can do: insult, invite, conjure,
curse, promise, banish, play
·
The multiple meanings of words
·
The fine line between comedy and tragedy
·
What true love is, and the role parents have in
that
·
Models of family, loyalty, and love
·
What is more real/powerful—the family feud or
their love
·
Fate, coincidence and accident—what rules our
lives?
What was the
Elizabethan compromise/settlement?
·
1559—an attempted reconciliation between
Protestants and Catholics, who had been persecuting and killing each other in
various bids for power throughout the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary
I (Bloody Mary).
·
In the play, notice religious and Catholic
images and language. The fact that there is a feud between two warring families
in this play may mirror the religious climate of Shakespeare’s time.
Prior to and during
the 1500s, how did Europeans typically view beauty and courtship
(dating/engagement before marriage)?
·
The parents of the bride arranged marriage with
the parents of the husband, and paid a large dowry. Young men typically liked
girls with rich families.
·
The promised couples would court each other, or
get to know each other while being accompanied by family members. Never saw
each other in private until marriage.
·
Beauty=white skin, lots of weight, gaudy dress,
and rosy make-up to show that one was wealthy enough to stay indoors, eat a
lot, and buy expensive fashions.
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