William ShakespeareBiography, Drama, and Macbeth

William Shakespeare – Early Life

• Born 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.

• He was the third child of a city official.

• Little is known about his education.

• Married Anne Hathaway at 18.

William Shakespeare – Middle Years

• He moved to London in the late 1580’s.

• By the early 1590’s, Shakespeare worked as a playwright and an actor.

• Existed on the patronage of nobility until he gained notoriety for his plays.

• Was a manager of a theatre troupe named “Lord Chamberlain’s Men.”

• The troupe was later renamed to the “King’s Men” to honor King James I.

William Shakespeare – Final Years

• He mastered all forms of Drama but in the 1590’s he focused primarily on comedies.

• Shakespeare focused on tragedies in the last 10 years of his life.

• He stopped writing plays after 1613.

• William Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday on April 23, 1616.

Shakespearean Drama

• Can be divided into three categories: histories, comedies, and tragedies.

• Histories are plays written about England’s earlier leaders.

• Comedies are plays that have a happy ending.

• They do not have to be funny.

• Tragedies are plays in which the hero meets an unhappy end.

Shakespearean Drama cont.

• Blank Verse

• Unrhymed iambic pentameter

• An unstressed syllable that is followed by a stressed syllable.

• “What light through yonder window breaks.”

• Soliloquy

• A speech given by a character which is alone on stage.

• Meant to give the audience insight into the thoughts or actions of the character.

• Aside

• A comment that a character makes to the audience but is unknown to the other members on stage

Shakespearean Drama cont.

• Dramatic Irony

• Irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.

• Foreshadowing

• Hints as to what will happen later in the play.

Shakespearean Drama - Tragedy

• Examples: Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet.

• The Tragic Hero

• The main character who comes to an unhappy end.

• The Plot

• Conflict between hero and an antagonist/force.

• Built on casually related events that climax at the hero’s demise.

• Hero meets their demise with courage and grace.

• A tragedy contains themes concerning fate, courage, loss, defeat, loyalty, or desire.

Macbeth - History• Written in 1606.

• First performed at Hampton Court Palace before the king and his guests.

• King James I was descended from Banquo, a character in the play.

• The historical figure Macbeth reigned over Scotland from 1040 – 1057.

• Saying the name of the play in a theater is considered to be bad luck.

Macbeth cont.

• One of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.

• Believed to have been written to please King James I.

• Takes place in Scotland, the land from which King James I hailed.

• Themes: fate, ambition, loss, betrayal, loyalty, and death.

Macbeth cont.

• Shakespeare changed some of the historical elements of the play to maximize dramatic impact.

• The play is usually performed in a dark setting to match the mood.

• Shakespeare played King Duncan in the first production of the play.