Shakespeare Unit Terms

Background & Introduction

Renaissance – a rebirthBlank verse – unrhymed poetry in iambic pentameterIambic pentameter – a line of poetry with five stresses

per lineAside – talking to the audience (not heard by other

characters on stage)Soliloquy – talking to oneself on stage (alone on stage,

tells the character’s private thoughts)Conceit – extravagant, fancy ideasPuns – a humorous play on wordsWit – a clever remark made with the purpose of being

amusing

End stop – punctuation at the end of each line of poetryRun on – no punctuation at the end of a line in a poemSonnet – a poem 14 lines long, usually about loveCouplet – two lines in a row that rhyme, usually at the

end of a sonnetSimile – a comparison of two different things using LIKE

or ASMetaphor – a comparison of two different things stated

indirectlyArchaic – something that is no longer in use (archaic

words)

Globe TheaterImage from: byrnesenglish12ap.blogspot.com

Main Stage

Inner Stage

Open Yard

Galleries

The Heavens

Flag

Upper stageTiring House

The wooden “O”

More about Globe Theater

• Opened its doors on south side of Thames River in London in 1599

• Octagonal shape (nearly round)• Bare stage, lack of scenery, lack of lighting • Audience could be up to 3,000 people• All social classes attended• Groundlings = stood on ground and paid a

penny to get in

More about Globe Theater

• Stage about 40 feet across and 27 feet deep• Actors close to audience• Three tiers of seating for more prosperous

patrons • Flag flew white for comedy, black for tragedy

and red for history• Trapdoor in the main stage allowed for rise or

descent of witches, ghosts, devils, etc.

• Shakespeare often used a different word order than we do

• We use Subject → Verb → Object• I lost my homework.

• Rewrite that sentence four times, changing the word order each time.

• Notice, no matter how you write it – the meaning is still the same.

• Write your own and try switching the word order.

Ordering Words Around

Tips for Tackling the Language• Get the structure

– Where does the complete thought end?– Where are the subject & the verb?– Remember: Shakespeare sometimes puts the verb

before the subject• Skipping for now• Guessing the meaning• Get the joke• Get the point

– What are the key words? What main idea do they express?

Getting the Joke – PUNS• Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when

they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it, too.

• A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named “Ahmal.” The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him “Juan.” Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband reponds, “They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.

Romeo & Juliet – essential understandings

• Rash decisions can lead to tragedy.

• Each person determines how fate may play a role in his or her life.

• Prejudices, whether old or new, can interfere with how we react to others.

• Passion is an influence on people’s choices.

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MCG/LF119~Romeo-and-Juliet-Posters.jpg

Questions to Ponder• What is a rash decision?• How does thinking about possible consequences help us

when making a decision?• What is fate?• Does fate truly determine one’s direction in life?• How do our personal prejudices interfere with

interactions with others?• How are our personal prejudices a result of our parents’

prejudices?• Where does passion exist in life?• Is passion always good or always bad when making

decisions?

The Tragic Pattern of Shakespeare

• Exposition – mood, conditions, main characters & positions, circumstances & relationships to one another

• Complication – begins the conflict that will continue throughout the play

• Rising Action – series of events leading up to climax; provides intensity for readers

• Climax – turning point of play• Falling action – climax to hero’s death• Catastrophe – hero’s death & resolution