3. The Context:
Elizabethan Era
Queen Elizabeth I‟s reign (1558-1603)
England‟s “Golden Age”
Economically stable
Peaceful
Era of change: religion, science, arts, politics,
expansion…
Famous for its poetry, music, and literature
MOST famous for its theatre
4. The Family
of household
Men were the undisputed head
Women had no rights, could not own property or
money, but could influence their husband
Children were considered property
Was not unusual to be married very young
Use of wet nurse = lack of parental bond
Familial honour was very important
The slightest wrong/insult needed to be avenged
Violence
Civil unrest
Death
5. The Playwright:
William Shakespeare
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on
April 23, 1564
Married Ann Hathaway when he was eighteen…and
she was twenty-six
Believed he became a member of a travelling acting
troupe
1592: Good reputation as playwright and actor
6. Shakespeare
Began as a „freelance‟ writer, adapting old plays and
collaborating with others
Wrote 37 plays (approximately)
Not all were published in his lifetime
Not all appeared with his name as the author
Retired and returned to Stratford as a wealthy man
Died on his birthday (April 23) in 1616
7. The Problems with
Shakespeare
Some plays have different act and scene divisions
than others, because the originals had no divisions
Some include intended stage directions, some do not
Modern editing can sometimes lead to
word/meaning change
Some words and lines are pure guesswork
We, as a class, will come to the pronunciation that
we are most comfortable with and can refer to a
dictionary as much as we need to!
8. The Elizabethan Theatre
The first purpose-built theatre in London, The
Theatre, was built in 1576
Was situated outside of the city limits, so as to not
cause conflict with authorities
Moral, political, and medical issues
As the theatre craze grew, The Curtain (1577) and
The Rose (1587) opened, and the demand for plays
increased
Shakespeare performed at The Theatre until 1598,
when a leasing issue led Shakespeare to open his
own theatre: The Globe
9. The Globe Theatre
New style, smaller than current theatres
Held around 500 patrons
Playbills around city
Took place during daylight, in good weather
The flag and the trumpet
Admission
Seating
10. The Globe Theatre
Playgoers relied heavily on playwrights descriptions,
as well as their own imagination
Costumes
modern and lavish
The Heavens and the Trap Door
Sets
no curtain
no scenery
no lighting
balcony
11.
12.
13. The Actors
Child/youth troupes were constant competition
Intimacy with audience allowed for soliloquys and
asides
An average theatre had twenty-five actors, half were
stakeholders, the rest were part-timers
Specialists
Plays were written to suit the actors available
All male casts, even for shows with love scenes until
1660
14. Plays in the Elizabethan
Era
be good reads
Plays were not considered to
Written quickly, often by more than one writer
Sometimes performed only 10-12 times and then
discarded; usually on alternating days
Many of Shakespeare‟s plays show conflict between
parents and children
Genres
History
Tragedy
Comedy/Satire
Pastoral
Morality
15. Romeo and Juliet
Believed to be based on a 3rd Century Italian love
story
1562: Arthur Brooke‟s poem The Tragical Historie of
Romeo and Juliet
~1595
Main idea: Two star-crossed lovers whose deaths
ultimately unite their feuding families
Love story or tragedy?
Comedy
16. So…what are they
saying?
Thee or Thou You would
Hello Listen
Good morrow Yes
Anon Please
Aye or Yay Come here
Thou would‟st Exclamation of surprise
Hark! Good bye/Later
Come hither Hello
Prithee You
17. Terms of Endearment
Gaffer Grandfather
Lusty Wench or Fair Beautiful young
Maiden woman
Sweeting A petname for your
boyfriend/girlfriend
Poppet A child or a small doll
