The Legacy of Shakespeare: The Greatest Writer in English Literature

1. William Shakespeare Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature

2. Shakespeare • 1563-1616 • Stratford-on-Avon, England • wrote 37 plays • about 154 sonnets • started out as an actor

3. Stage Celebrity • Actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (London Theater Co.) • He was the principal playwright for them • 1599: Lord Ch. Co. built the Globe Theater where most of Shakespeare’s plays were performed

4. Shakespeare wrote: • Comedies • Histories • Tragedies

5. The Theater • Plays produced for the general public • Roofless--open air • No artificial lighting • Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries

6. Spectators • Wealthy got benches • “Groundlings”>poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard (“pit”) • All but wealthy were uneducated/illiterate • Much more interaction than today

7. Staging Areas • Stage: platform that extended into the pit • Dressing & storage rooms in galleries behind & above stage • second-level gallery; upper stage; famous balcony scene in R & J

8. Differences • No scenery • Settings > references in dialogue • Elaborate costumes • Plenty of props • Fast-paced, colorful>2 hours!

9. Actors • Only men and boys • Young boys whose voices had not changed played women’s roles • Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage

10. Elizabethan (QE1) Words • An,and: If • Anon: Soon • Aye: Yes • But: Except for • E’en: Even • E’er: Ever

11. QE1 Words (contin.) • Haply: Perhaps • Happy: Fortunate • Hence: Away, from her • Hie: Hurry • Marry: Indeed

12. QE1 Words (contin.) • Whence: Where • Wilt: Will, will you • Withal: In addition to • Would: Wish

13. Prose • Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song • Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays • Why?

14. Plot • The sequence of events in a literary work

15. Exposition • The plot usually introduces: • setting • characters • basic situation

16. Inciting Moment • Often called “initial incident” • the first bit of action that occurs which begins the plot

17. Rising Action • Action that leads up to the climax • This is where the story gets exciting!

18. Conflict • The struggle that develops • man vs. man • man vs. himself • man vs. society • man vs. nature

19. Crisis • The point where the protagonist’s situation will either get better or worse • Protagonist-good guy • Antagonist-bad guy

20. Climax • The turning point of the story…everything begins to unravel from here • begins the falling action

21. Falling Action • This takes place after the climax, but before the resolution

22. Resolution • The end of the central conflict

23. Denouement • The final explanation or outcome of the plot • If this is included in literature, it will occur after the resolution.

24. Tragedy (Shakespearean) • Drama where the central character/s suffer disaster/great misfortune • In many tragedies, downfall results from: • Fate • Character flaw/fatal flaw • Combination of the two

25. Theme • Central idea or • Insight about life which explains the downfall

26. Dramatic Foil • A character whose purpose is to show off another character

27. Round Characters • Characters who have many personality traits, like real people.

28. Flat Characters • One-dimensional, embodying only a single trait • Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy

29. Static Characters • Characters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.

30. Dynamic Character • Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better.

31. Monologue • One person speaking on stage (there may be other character on stage, too)

32. Soliloquy • Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.

33. Aside • Words spoken, usually in an undertone, not intended to be heard by all characters

34. Pun • Shakespeare loved to use them!!! • Humorous use of a word with two meanings; this is sometimes missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language and other innuendos

35. Direct Address • Words that tell the reader who is being addressed: • “A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.” • “Ah, my mistresses, which of you all/ Will now deny to dance?”

36. Dramatic Irony • A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

37. Verbal Irony • Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

38. Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

39. Comic Relief • Use of comedy within literature that is NOT comedy to provide “relief” from seriousness or sadness.