Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Vocab

Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Vocab Accord—n. agreement, state of harmony, concur; An she agree, within her scope of choice; Lies my consent and fair according voice. (Act I, scene ii) Covert—n. secret, concealed, clandestine, furtive, stealthy derivatives; Towards him I made; but he was ware of me; And stole into the covert of the wood (Act I, scene i) Disparagement—n. the act of degrading or belittling, something that casts a bad light;I would not for the wealth of all this town; Here in my house do him disparagement (Act I, scene v) Galling—adj. very irritating, vexing, bitter; What is it else? A madness most discreet, A choking gall , and a preserving sweet (Act 1, scene i) Partisan—n. A weapon having a blade with lateral projections mounted on the end of a long shaft, used chiefly in the 16th and 17th centuries ; one who exhibits extreme allegiance to a group; Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! beat them down! (Act 1 scene i)

Vocabulary Act 1 continued… Pernicious—adj. very destructive or harmful, deadly, detrimental; What, ho! You mean, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage; With purple fountains issuing from your veins! (Act I, scene i) Portent—n. a sign or forewarning; omen, warning; Black and portentous must this humor prove; Unless good counsel may the cause remove (Act I, scene i) Profane—v. showing contempt toward sacred things; to violate, desecrate, or defame;If I profane with my unworthiest hand; This holy shrine, the gentle fine as this; My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand; To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss (Act 1, scene v) Virtuous—adj. having excellent morals, righteous, ethical, noble; He bears him like a portly gentleman; And, to say truth, Verona brags of him; To be a virtuous and well-govern’d youth. (Act 1, scene v) Wanton—adj. immoral, lewd; n. someone who is immoral; Let wantons light of heart; tickle the senseless rushes with their heels. (Act 1, scene iv)

Elizabethan Theatre Why was Elizabeth’s reign such an important period in the development of the theatre? How does it still influence us today?

William Shakespeare “…not of an age, but for all time.” –Ben Jonson

The “Fresh Prince” of England Now this is a story all about how Shake’s life was flipped, turned upside down And I’d like to take a minute just sit back friend I’ll tell you how the Bard was the prince of a land called England.

In Stratford-on-Avon, born and raisedWho knows where he spent most of his days… • Born: Stratford-on-Avon, April 1564 • Married Anne Hathaway, 1582 • Children: Susanna, Hamnet, Judith • ???

And the Bard had talent, and lots of people got wind.And he moved to London in the land called England… • Shakespeare’s public life • Famous actor and playwright • Part-owner of the Globe Theatre • His work • Numerous Plays • History • Comedy • Tragedy • 154 Sonnets

Let’s look at his plays, we’re finally thereTo analyze his work with thought and care… • Shakespeare was born in: • London • Stratford-upon-Avon • Philly • Wales • He was part-owner of what theater? • The Globe • The Saenger • The Ritz • The Rose • How many sonnets did he write? • 54 • 4 • 1054 • 154

On Shakespeare’s Tombstone: “Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake, forbear To dig the dust enclosed here; Blest be the man that spares these stones And curst be he that moves my bones.” Shakespeare

Introduction • Throughout the middle ages plays were performed by workers in towns and were religious based, often retelling stories from the Bible. • However, this ended after Henry VIII’s break from Rome and formation of the Church of England in 1533. • Therefore playwrights took inspiration from the Roman theatre and writers like Seneca, who wrote about crime, revenge, witches and ghosts. • Elizabethan writers introduced theatre audiences to horror, the supernatural and GORE…

The Performances • The theatres often had mechanisms that allowed “angels” and “gods” to be lowered down onto the stage. Stages were also equipped with a trapdoor leading to a “Hell” beneath the stage. The trapdoor was also used as a grave in theatrical funerals. • There was very little scenery available for theatres, so the writers often used to dialogue to explain to the audience where the scene was taking place. • Costume was very important in Elizabethan theatre. Actors wore colourful and elaborate costumes that would tell the audience the characters status, family ties or profession. • The emphasis that was given to a character’s clothing made the theme of disguise a common convention of Elizabethan theatre. In order to exchange places with another character or conceal his identity, all an actor needed to do was to change his costume. • The Elizabethan theatre also used a variety of sound effects. Music played an important role in the setting the mood of the plays. Other sounds created were thunder, running horses, falling rain, and cannon blasts.

The Globe Theater • Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed in the Globe Theater. • The only account we have of the Globe is from a diary of a Swiss doctor who visited London and crossed the Thames River to see a play in a theater with a thatched roof.

The Globe Theater • It was built in 1599 and burned down 14 years later in 1613. • It was an 8 sided building with a central yard.

The Globe Theater • Spectators’ price of admissions was • one penny - to stand in yard around stage (these were called the groundlings) • two pennies - to sit in 2nd and 3rd floor galleries • three pennies - to sit in the first floor galleries

The Globe Theater • Stage • 1/3 of yard was filled with 6ft high platform • no curtain • no artificial lighting • back wall had at least two doors • balcony was used for hilltops, walls of cities, or second story scenes. • trapdoors were used to raise or lower actors and props.

The Globe Theater • Take a tour of the new Globe Theater. . . . Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Virtual Shakespeare http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/converse/movies/sound_globe.swf

Shakespeare Today • Elizabethan theatre is still plays a part in our day to day lives, mostly through the influence of Shakespeare. You can find references to his work in films, novels, plays, musicals, songs, poetry, artwork, satire…Even today his characters and storylines continue to inspire…

ShakespeareinLanguage Elizabethan theatre has had a very important effect on today’s theatre, and other parts of every day life. For example: • Shakespeare coined over 1600 words still used today including countless, critical, excellent, lonely, majestic, obscene and its. • Names coined by Shakespeare: - Imogen in the play Cymbaline, - Jessica in the play The Merchant of Venice - Miranda in the play The Tempest - Olivia in the play Twelfth Night - Cordelia in the play King Lear

And lastly… “If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", if your lost property has vanished into thin air, if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, laughed yourself into stitches, if you have too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare!”

Iambic Pentameter Penta-meter PentaMeter “5” “to measure” “to measure in sets of five”

Iambic Pentameter cont. • “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright.” • “But soft what light though yonder window breaks?” • “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!” Ten syllables per line!

Iambic Pentameter cont. O she…doth teach…the tor…ches to…burn bright But soft…what light…through yon…der win…dow breaks 5 sets of 2 syllables=pentameter

Iambic Pentameter cont. o SHE doth TEACH the TORches TO burn BRIGHT But SOFT what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS “IAMB”: 2 syllables where the 2nd one is emphasized

The Point of Iambic Pentameter The beat that makes music of poetry “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright.”

Review and Assess • Oh, gentle Faustus, leave this damnèd art • But surely Adam cannot be excused • We hold these truths to be self-evident • I waked, she fled, and day brought back my night

The End

Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Vocab