William Shakespeare | (1564-1616)-born in Stratford Upon-Avon, England-lived/worked in London (left wife and family to become a writer, poet, actor) -wrote 36 plays (tragedies, histories, comedies)-wrote 154 sonnets |
Queen Elizabeth I | (1533-1603)-parents: King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn-became queen in 1557 (never got married)-well-educated, supported the arts, gave patronage to theatre and Shakespeare |
The Theatre | -There were many round theaters in London-expensive seats (cushioned) cost 1 euro-There weren’t many stage props/settings (stage had balcony, trap door)-Actors were all male-Mixture of drama, death, comedy, love (kept audience entertained) |
Shakespeare’s plays consist of ____ acts composed of any number of scenes | 5 |
The 5 Acts | Act 1: Intro/ExpositionAct 2: Rising ActionAct 3: Turning Point/Pinnacle/ClimaxAct 4: Falling ActionAct 5: Resolution |
Shakespearean comedy includes… | -funny characters-disguises/mistaken identity-wise fool; clever servant-separation and reunion-happy ending (marriage)-high and low comedy |
High Comedy | Written for nobles and upper class (includes puns, comedy, intelligence, word play, and satire) |
Low Comedy | written for commoners (includes slap stick, dirty jokes, drunk characters) |
Much Ado About Nothing was performed between ______ to ______ | 1588, 1599 |
Setting | Takes place in Italy in a town called Mesino in southern Italy at the estate of Leonato |
Plot | Centers around the love story of Cladio & Hero and Beatrice & Bennedict, and villain Don John |
Leonato | governor |
Hero | Leonato’s daughter |
Beatrice | Hero’s cousin and Leonato’s niece |
Ursula, Margret, Balthazar | servants |
The Prince (Don Pedro) | His half brother is Don John (visitor) |
Don John | His half brother is Don Pedro (visitor) |
Claudio and Benedict | visitors; soldiers in the Prince’s army |
Borachio and Conrad | soldiers |
Donberry, Verges, Seacuat, and others | police officers/constables/guards |
Monologue | A long speech by one character that’s addressed to other characters |
Soliloquy | A speech to oneself (character speaks aloud to the audience to voice their thoughts) |
Aside | Turning away from other characters and speaking to the audience/other characters privately |
Blank Verse | Unrhyming poetry (written in iambic pentameter) |
Prose | Regular speech (sentences/paragraphs) |
Couplet | 2 rhyming lines of poetry |
Much Ado About Nothing
July 21, 2019