SHAKESPEARE’S ENGLAND AND THE ART
OF DRAMA
Born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon
Studied at the King’s New School, a grammar school
Married Anne Hathaway in 1582
Left for London between 1586 and 1590
GROWING UP SHAKESPEARE
Well-known by 1592 in London
Theaters closed for several years due to plague
Leading actor in Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men, by 1594
BECOMING THE BARD
Few works published after 1612
Shakespeare returned to Stratford, 1610-1616
Died on April 23, 1616
The First Folio published in 1623
BECOMING A LEGEND
THE RISE OF THE DRAMA
LIFE AT AN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE
THE GLOBE
Questions about authorship arose in the mid-1800s 38 plays 154 Sonnets 2 Narrative Poems Dozens of smaller poems
70 candidates for authorship named including Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Bacon, and Christopher Marlowe
SHAKESPEARE’S MYSTERY
A drama is a work of literature meant to be performed for an audience by actors.
The word drama comes from the Greek verb dran, which means “to do.”
The earliest known plays . . . were written around the fifth century B.C. produced for festivals to honor Dionysus, the god of
wine and fertility
WHAT IS A DRAMA?
Comedy is traditionally considered to be a story that ends happily.Not always humorousProtagonist or hero usually overcomes obstacles and
obtains what he/she wantsOftentimes involves a romantic plot and ends with a
marriage
COMEDY
A tragedy is traditionally considered to be a story in which events lead to an unhappy end. Protagonist is often a tragic hero who exhibits some
tragic flaw Tragic heroes are typically of high social standing and
courageous Tragic flaws are often severe character weaknesses which
lead to downfallMultiple characters are deceased at the play’s end.
TRAGEDY
Characters Main character-represented in the story the most, plot
usually revolves around their conflicts or development Protagonist Antagonist
Minor character-represented in the story, but not as affected by conflicts and with less development
THE PLAYERS
Dialogue- conversations of characters on stageMonologue- a lengthy speech given by one character
to othersSoliloquy- speech by a character alone on stage to
himself/herself or to the audienceAsides- remarks made to the audience or to one
character; the other characters onstage do not hear an aside
THE PLAYERS’ SPEECH
Internal- struggle within a character
External- struggle against another character, idea, organization, etc.
Complications- things a character MUST consider before dealing with or solving a conflict
CONFLICTS AND COMPLICATIONS
Dramas differ from novels based in part on organization.Acts-Similar to chapters in a book
Scenes-Snippets of chapters
READING A DRAMA
Stage Directions-A description or direction provided in the text of a play
Stage directions tell the director and actor how to portray a character or scene.
READING A DRAMA
Set(s)-The physical location and description of the play or scene
Costume(s)-Props or clothing used to create a characters wardrobe.
Costuming usually fits the personality of the character(s)
READING A DRAMA