William Shakespeare

1. William Shakespeare b. April 23, 1564 - d. April 23, 1616 His World . . . His Work . . . His Wonder. . . This tutorial has been created under the Educational Fair Use Guidelines.

2. Objectives • The student will acquire biographical and historical knowledge about William Shakespeare and the period during which he lived. • The student will be able to define and recognize the use of literary figure. • The student will gain an understanding of the language of Shakespeare. • The student will continue on the quest for a life-long love of learning.

3. Contents Biography Visit The Globe Literary Figure Learn the Language Comedy, Tragedy, or History? Heros and Tragic Flaws Quotations What's in a name? Elizabethan Fashion References

4. Welcome to The Globe BardWeb.net Encyclopedia Britannica presents The Globe Take a virtual tour of The Globe Theater produced at Clemson University.

5. Quiz Yourself Memory is the treasure house of eloquence. Learn much by heart. Quintillian Match Quotations to the Corresponding Plays

6. Quiz Yourself Know Thyself Inscription on Apollo's Oracle of Delphi Temple Match Characters to Their Corresponding Tragic Flaws

7. Quiz Yourself What meanest thou by that? mend me, thou saucy fellow! William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Match Elizabethan Words to Their Modern Day Meanings For more meanings of archaic words refer to the Oxford English Dictionary, Ask Oxford or click here for a very abridged glossary.

8. Comedy, Tragedy or History? Click the Correct Answer; Win a Prize! Enter Stage Here

9. Comedy History Tragedy Romeo and Juliet

10. Congratulations! You've won a fine pig!

11. Nay! Better try again.

12. Comedy Tragedy History Taming of the Shrew

13. Carouse! You've won passage to the New World on Her Majesty's jewel of the sea!

14. Marry! Try again.

15. Tragedy Comedy History Richard III

16. Zounds! You've won a treasure brought back from the New World by John Hawkins himself!

17. Keep trying!

18. Comedy Tragedy History Julius Caesar

19. Lucky ye, a goat thou hast won!

20. Oops! Better try again.

21. History Tragedy Comedy Pericles, Prince of Tyre

22. Verily, ye are bright! Thou hast completed the game and won a thatched-roof house. Click me to get back to the main menu.

23. Keep trying!

24. Fashion in Elizabethan England Shakespeare wrote during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the ultimate monarch in the Tudor dynasty, and the beginning of the Augustan period, which is marked by the rule of King James VI. Click on the image of Elizabeth I to use the BBC History website to dress ladies and gentlemen from the Elizabethan period and compare with the fashion of the Victorian era. The Victorian Era was three centuries later, during the reign of Queen Victoria I. James VI r. (1567 to 1625) Victoria I r. (1837 to 1901) Elizabeth I r. (1558 – 1603)

25. What’s in a name? A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet If you were born in the Elizabethan era, your parents would have given you godparents. You would have been Christened at two to three days old, at which time, you would have been named after one of your godparents. Click on one of the infants to see common female and male names of the Elizabethan era.

26. Learn about a famous Elizabethan John. Learn about a famous Elizabethan Francis. Learn about a famous Elizabethan Edmund.

27. Learn about a famous Elizabethan Jane. Learn about a famous Elizabethan Mary. Learn about a famous Elizabethan Anne.

28. The works of William Shakespeare have been questioned for centuries as to whether they were actually written by William Shakespeare or someone else. For more information on this subject click on Shakespearean Authorship Sir Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, essayist and lawyer. He was knighted in 1603. For more on Bacon, see his biography at Wikipedia, s.v. Francis Bacon

29. Edmund Spenser (1552 – 1599) was a poet and Poet Laureate in Elizabethan England. Spenser’s great works include his allegorical romantic epic, The FaerieQueen and his eclogue, The Shepheardes Calendar. He is also remembered for creating the Spenserian Sonnet. Wikipedia, s.v. Edmund Spenser

30. Sir John Hawkins (1532 – 1595) was a pirate for Queen Elizabeth I. He and his cousin Sir Francis Drake were successful in stealing great wealth for the queen from Spanish ships in the West Indies. Hawkins reconstructed the English fleet, replacing high-forecastled galleons with low 'race-built' ships. The ships were key in England’s victory over the Spanish Armada; requiring small crews, they were fast and heavily armed. Hawkins was remarkably honest, for a pirate. He cleaned up the navy's finances for the queen. Channel 4 History, s.v. Sir John Hawkins

31. Anne Hathaway (1556 – 1623) was William Shakespeare’s wife. In his will, Shakespeare wrote: "item to my wife the second best bed. . . .” The meaning of his bequest has been debated throughout the centuries. Anne is buried next to William in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford, England. pbs.org

32. Lady Jane Grey, (1537 – 1554) sometimes known as The Nine Days Queen,was the niece of Henry VIII; and, therefore, the cousin of Mary I, and Elizabeth I. The historian, Alison Weir, calls Lady Jane one of the “finest female minds of the century.” Lady Jane Grey at Britannia.com

33. Mary Tudor (1516 - 1558) or Mary I of England is not to be confused with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. She is also known as Bloody Mary because she had almost 300 people killed, including her cousin, Lady Jane Grey, in order to restore Catholicism in England. Want to learn more? Follow this link. Mary I of England - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

34. Literary Figure or Figures of Speech Figures of Speech were defined by Quintillian as “any deviation, either in thought or expression, from the ordinary and simple method of speaking.” They are the “graces of language,” and Shakespeare was the master of their use. Both schemes and tropes are figures of speech. • Schemes are deviations from the normal pattern or arrangement of words. • Tropes are deviations from the ordinary and principal meanings of words. In this game you will practice the recognition of various figures of speech written by The Bard. Click on the correct answer for each question. Click here to enter the game. Click me to go to the main menu.

35. “. . . and Juliet is the sun” is an example of • personification • simile • metaphor • climax

36. You are correct! “. . . and Juliet is the sun” is a metaphor. Juliet is not really the sun but because of the use of this figure we can ascertain that she has the qualities of warmth and brightness.

37. Oops. Try again.

38. “Oh happy dagger!” is an example of • apostrophe • onomatopoeia • oxymoron • personification

39. You are correct! “Oh happy dagger,” is an example of apostrophe because Juliet is speaking to a personified object.

40. Oops. Try again.

41. “Death lies upon her like an untimely frost” is an example of • anastrophe • metaphor • personification • simile

42. You are correct! “Death lies upon her like an untimely frost” is a simile. An untimely frost lies on a blossom killing it in the prime of its life, like (they key to finding a simile, along with as) death lies on Juliet in the prime of her life.

43. Oops. Try again.

44. “And he to England shall along with you” is an example of • ellipsis • isocolon • parallelism • polytoton

45. You are correct! “And he to England shall along with you” is an ellipsis. Shakespeare has omitted the word go between shall and along.

46. Oops. Try again.

47. “I’ll have my bond! Speak not against my bond! I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond!” is an example of • antithesis • ellipsis • epiphora • climax

48. You are correct! “I’ll have my bond! Speak not against my bond! I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond!” is an epiphora. The word bond is repeated at the end of each clause. Congratulations! You’ve shown that you understand these literary figures.

49. Oops. Try again.

50. Biography There are many places to find information about William Shakespeare; this page contains links to three sites on the Web to find out more. Epitaph on Shakespeare’s grave: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeareTo dig the dust enclosed here.Blessed be the man that spares these stones,And cursed be he that moves my bones. Johannes fac totem – a Jack-of-all-trades William Shakespeare’s signature from his will. Click the signature to read this document. Nash’s House Stratford, England