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William
Shakespeare
His era and writing
To understand a difficult literary
work, it’s helpful to know about…
Life
of the writer
History of the era
How the author used language
Genre(s) of the writing
Who was William Shakespeare?
A
husband and father
An actor
A poet
A playwright
Shakespeare’s Era
Born
1564, died 1616
The Elizabethan Era
Elizabethan Theatre
Popular
with all classes
Few props or costumes
Performed in daylight
No female actors
The NEW Globe Theatre
Shakespeare’s Writing
 Stages
of English:
Old
 Middle
 Early Modern
 Modern

What stage of English do you think
Shakespeare wrote in?
Old, Middle, Early Modern, or Modern?
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
--William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, c.1594
The Language of
Shakespeare’s Plays
 Early
Modern English
 Poetic
 Figurative
language
 Iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line)
 Syntax is often inverted (like Yoda speaks)
The Plays
38
plays (37 alone, 1 collaborated)
Four genres:
History
Tragedy
Comedy
Romance
History Plays
 English kings
 Battles
 Embellished the
truth
 10 plays

Henry V, King John,
Richard III…
Tragedies
 End
in death (a lot of it)
 Show a great man’s downfall
 Dark magic, insanity, ghosts,
superstitions
 10 plays

Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet,
Hamlet…
Comedies
 End with marriages
 Relationship problems
 Light magic/trickery
 Funny
 13 plays
 Twelfth
Night, As You Like It, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream…
Romance Plays
NOT
like romance novels!
Like fairy tales
Characters separate and
reunite
5 plays

Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter’s
Tale, The Tempest, The Two
Noble Kinsman
When you read or see work by
William Shakespeare, what facts
from this presentation are helpful
to keep in mind?