Download Shakespeare notes

Journal
What have been your
experiences reading
Shakespeare, good or bad?
What did you like or not like
about it? Be specific.
Agenda
Journal
Shakespeare notes
Practice reading Shakespeare
Macbeth Pre-Reading
Shakespeare and His Times
Iambic Pentameter
• A rhythm pattern based on
syllables: daDUM
– Unstressed syllable followed by
a stressed syllable
• One daDUM is called an iam
• If you put 5 iams on one line,
– daDUM daDUM daDUM
daDUM daDUM, you have
iambic pentameter!
• All of Shakespeare’s plays are
written this way
Iambic Pentameter
• “I think | that Bob | is full |
of crap | today”
• “CiEN | eGA | will BEAT |
saHUA | ro NEXT”
• Now you try. Write one
now!
Shakespearean Iambic
Pentameter
• “I’ll fight ‘til my flesh is
hacked from my bones” is
a line from Macbeth
• Rearrange the words so
they fall in iambic
pentameter
• “I’ll fight ‘til from my bones
my flesh be hacked”
Important Cultural Knowledge
• Women had a lower social
status
• Great Chain of Being
– There is a proper order of
things, based on complexity,
from the smallest grains of
sand to heaven and God
– Harmony vs. Disorder
• Divine right and its
disruption
• You vs. Thou
Macbeth Background
• Historical King Macbeth
existed, although without much
of the murder and intrigue that
characterizes the play
• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth
as a tribute to James I
– Interested in witchcraft
– Claimed to be descended from
original Duncan and Banquo,
both characters from the play
that are treated quite favorably
Shakespeare’s Goals
 Shakespeare wanted to
explore (from a safe distance)
the events and attitudes of his
own time.
 Gunpowder Plot of 1605
 The threat to an anointed king
 Shakespeare also altered his

text to pay homage to his own
king and country.
Shakespeare more interested in
psychological truth than in
historical fact.
Write
• From what we know so far,
what themes would you
expect to be present in
Macbeth?
Why Shakespeare?
• Widely regarded as the
greatest writer of English
literature
• Most quoted author, only
second to the bible
• Understanding
Shakespeare’s language
gives you a greater
understanding of the English
language in general.
Biographical Facts about
Shakespeare
• 1563-1616
• Well-to-do, affluent
• Mary (mother) – Daughter
of a weathly landowner
• John (father) –
Glovemaker, local
politician
• Probably didn’t attend
college
Personal Facts
• Teen father: married
pregnant 26 year old Anne
Hathaway when he was 18
• Left wife and children for
London stage/acting
career
• Died at age 53
The Plays
• 38 plays are attributed to
Shakespeare
• 14 comedies
• 10 histories
• 10 tragedies
• 4 romances
Theater in London
• Courtyard surrounded by
three levels of galleries
• Daytime/open air
• No Artificial lighting
• Relied on music, sound,
and description in
dialogue to convey
time/weather
Theatrical Conventions
• No lighting
• Women forbidden to act
on stage (Wait, who plays
Juliet?!)
• Elaborate costumes
• Few props
• Minimal scenery
The Audience
• Wealthy got benches
• Poor audience members
stood in “the pit” (closest
to the stage)
• Women not allowed (they
had to dress up as men to
attend)