An Introduction to William

Shakespeare and the Tragedy

of Romeo and Juliet

This presentation will…

inform you about the life and work of the

mysterious William Shakespeare.

provide you details about Elizabethan

society and theater.

define basic terminology related to

Shakespearean poetry and drama.

April 23, 1564: William Shakespeare was born in

Stratford-on-Avon to John and Mary Shakespeare. There

is a baptismal registration for Shakespeare, but few other

written records exist. He was the 3 rd of 8 children.

Much of Shakespeare’s younger years

remain a mystery, but there are rumors

about what jobs he may have worked.

Butcher Apprentice

Lawyer

Schoolmaster Lawyer

1582: According to church

records, Shakespeare married

Anne Hathaway.

At the time of their marriage,

William was eighteen and

Anne was twenty-six.

William and Anne have three

children together (Susanna,

Hamnet, and Judith).

August 1596: young

Hamnet died at the

age of eleven. The

cause of his death is

unknown.

HamnetJudith

Susanna

Shakespeare left his family in

1591 to pursue writing in London.

In 1592, Shakespeare began developing a reputation as an

actor and playwright.

As theatres were beginning to

grow in popularity, it is

probable that Shakespeare

began earning a living writing

plays (adapting old ones and

working with others on new

ones).

1594: William became involved with a company of actors

named “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.” This group later (1603)

changed their name to “The King’s Men”.

In 1598, Shakespeare, in collaboration with

other actors, designed and built The Globe.

This circular theatre was the first of

its kind, breaking away from the

traditional rectangular theatres.

1612: Shakespeare moved back to Stratford

where he retired both rich and famous.

1616: William Shakespeare dies on his birthday.

At the time of his death, Shakespeare is said to have written

around 37 plays and 154 sonnets. He is also known to have

contributed over two thousand words to the English language.

Sniffledorfen

Shakespeare is

also known to have

created around 884

words throughout

all of his works.

Which do you prefer?

Shakespearean Theater

“The Globe”

Romeo,

Romeo…Wher

e for art thou

Romeo?

Elizabethan Theatre Fun FactsThe First Elizabethan Theater: “The Wooden O”

Built in 1576, first permanent stage in London

Built by James Burbage

Shaped in form of a tavern

1599 theatre torn down, but Shakespeare’s company

used it to build The Globe Theatre

Elizabethan Theatre Fun FactsThe Globe

Round/polygonal building with a roofless courtyard

No artificial light

Three stories high – upper levels were for the weathy

The “groundlings” paid a penny a piece to stand on the floor in front

of the stage (800 people)

Large platform stage

Back of platform was curtained off inner stage

Two door entrances/exits on either side of curtain

Small balcony/upper stage

Elaborate costumes but no props

Young boys played the parts of women; women weren’t allowed to be

actors

Fire and Rediscovery

Shakespeare’s Globe burned down, but its foundation was discovered in 1990. It gave us many clues to the Elizabethan experience such as hazelnut shells! A replica has since been rebuilt. You can visit it and see a play today.

Dramatic TerminologyTragedy: A narrative about serious and important actions that

end unhappily, usually with the death of the main characters.

The play is broken up into acts and the acts are broken up

into scenes.

Monologue: A long uninterrupted speech given by one

character onstage to everyone.

Soliloquy: A long uninterrupted speech given by one

character alone on stage, inaudible to other characters

Aside: A short speech given by one character, traditionally

the other characters cannot hear.

Dramatic TerminologyPun: A humorous play on words

After that poisonous snake struck at me in the Arizona

Desert I was really rattled. A gossip is someone with a

great sense of rumor.

A carpenter must have been here. I saw dust.

Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.

Corduroy pillows are making headlines.

The executioner decided to drop out of Executioner

School. It was just too cut throat for him.

He who farts in church sits in his own pew.

Dramatic Terminology

Dramatic Foil: A pair

of characters who are

opposite in many ways

and highlight or

exaggerate each

other’s differences.

Poetic TerminologyBlank Verse: Unrhymed meter; unrhymed iambic pentameter

specifically.

Iambic Meter: Each unstressed syllable is followed by a

stressed syllable.

Couplets: Two consecutive lines that rhyme (aa bb cc).

Usually followed when a character leaves or a scene ends.

End-stopped Line: Has some form of punctionat at the end of

the line (,;.!?).

Run-on Line: Has NO punctuation at the end of the line and

meaning is continued to following lines.

Sonnet: A fourteen line poem using iambic pentameter and

the following rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg.

Poetic TerminologyInternal Rhyme: Words rhyming inside one line.

End Line Rhyme: Words rhyming at the end of consecutive

lines.

Perfect vs. Slant Rhyme: ball & hall are a perfect rhyme (end

sounds the same). Ball & bell are slant rhymes (beginning

and end sounds the same; middle sound is different).

Alliteration: the repetition of the same beginning consonants

Assonance: the repetition of the same vowel sounds in the

middle of words

Consonance: the repetition of the same ending consonants

Onomatopoeia: words that are spelled much like how they

sound.

Shakespeare’s 5 Part

Storytelling Pattern:

Act I: Exposition

Establishes setting,

characters, conflict, and

background

Act II: Rising Action

A series of

complications

Act III: Crisis/Turning Point

A series of complications

Act IV: Falling Action

Results of the turning

point; characters locked

into deeper disaster

Act V:

Climax/Resolution/Denouement

Death of the main characters and then

the loose parts of the plot are tied up

Tips for Understanding

Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is based on Arthur Brooke’s long narrative

poem the Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562).

The play has a highly moral tone: disobedience, as well as

fate, leads to the deaths of two lovers.

Motifs in Romeo and Juliet

Power of Love

Violence from Passion

The Individual vs. Society

The Inevitability of Fate

MONTAGUE vs. CAPULETRomeo

Lord Montague (his dad)

Lady Montague (his mom)

Mercutio (friend)

Benvolio (cousin)

Juliet

Lord Capulet (her father)

Lady Capulet (her mother)

Tybalt (cousin)

Nurse

A Pair of Star Crossed Lovers…

“My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen

unknown , and known too late!”

~ Juliet; Act I, Scene V