Renaissance - “Rebirth”
Renaissance begins in Italy
Italy
 “Rebirth” occurs in Italy during 14th – 16th centuries
 “Rebirth” – people turn to a new direction in art, society, science, and politics.
Elizabethan England
Elizabeth becomes Queen of England at age 25

Reigned from 1558-1603

Father was Henry VIII

Queen Elizabeth NEVER married
Religious Discord
Religious Problems
Mary Stewart
Queen Elizabeth I
1587
Queen of Scots
Protestant Religion
against
Catholic Religion
 Catholic
 Next in line for the
 Protestant
 persecuted Catholics
 Elizabeth puts Mary to
death
throne
(groups fought each other)
Enemies
Queen Elizabeth and the Arts
Queen Elizabeth
supported

Literature

Shakespearean Plays and Sonnets
Exploration and Expansion in the World
1581
Sir Francis Drake
sailed around the
world
1585
1588
Trade and Colonization led to
rivalry between England and Spain
Sir Walter Raleigh
founded the Virginia colony
named after Elizabeth
“The Virgin Queen”
England defeated Spanish Armada
off the coast of England
END of an Era…
Queen Elizabeth dies
March 24, 1603
James 1 becomes King of England
Son of Mary Stewart Queen of Scots
J. Haugh 2014 X Drive/ English/ Romeo Juliet/ Globe
Everyday Life Facts during Elizabethan Times
Public Markets
English Streets
Rat Catcher Job
People bought food
in town markets
“Stinky” – no sewage or
garbage system
Trade Occupations
7 year apprenticeship
very popular occupation
(lots of rats and NO cats)
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mason (brick layer)
weavers
bakers
blacksmiths
English Entertainment and Pastimes

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Entertainment
dancing
festivals
taverns
“bowling alleys”
Popular Pastimes
 Gardening
 Fishing
 Hunting
Public Entertainment
 Public Punishments
Public executions
(example: stealing a rabbit - death)
English Family life and Education
Main Meal
noon
12:00

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Women
FEW legal rights
marriages ARRANGED
upon marriage – ALL property and possessions went to
the husband
boys
 had at least an elementary
education
Facts about Shakespearean Plays
Playbill
Program
for
play
Play Start time
Program told people about the play
2:00 p.m.
during afternoon daylight hours
White Flag
WHITE FLAG flown when plays were conducted
ALL MALE
Actors
 ALL males
 young boys play females
 actors read lines swiftly to keep audience’s attention
Plague
Stay
away
 The PLAGUE CLOSED theaters for
months
Dialogue
 TALKING - most important part of the play
Doubling
 when actors play more than one part
Weather
 Rainy day = NO PLAY presented
 Sunny day = PLAY presented
VS
Gallery Seats
Groundling Area
Globe Theater
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1500 people
Good Seats
Nobles and Rich people
600 people
NO Seats – STANDING ONLY
Smelly - poor people’s area called the “PIT”
J. Haugh 2014 X Drive/ English/ Romeo Juliet/ Globe
Globe Structure
Globe Structure

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Enclosed courtyard (round, square, many sided)
3 levels
32 feet tall
Courtyard = PIT - 55 feet diameter
Stage for actors
The PIT

courtyard standing area for 600 people called Groundlings
Gallery

Seats on upper levels for 1,500 nobles and aristocrats
Back Stage Doors

Doors at the back – actors enter
Tiring room

Dressing room
Discovery Space

Curtain area rear of stage
o To reveal a character or two by opening the curtain
o For characters to “LISTEN” in on the main stage
Upper Stage

Hung over main stage used in balcony scenes
Hut

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Located on roof – contained machinery to produce sound effects
Underside richly painted
Trap Door

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Used for ghosts to rise and disappear
Used for grave scenes
Scenery

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NO Scenery
Actors used dialogue to explain scenery
Curtain

NO Curtains
Props

Thrones, swords, banners, rocks, trees, tables, beds
Costumes

Lots of money spent on colorful costumes
Half roof
Gallery
Upper Stage
Gallery
J. Haugh 2014 X Drive/ English/ Romeo Juliet/ Globe
William Shakespeare
wrote
37
Born
Stratford-on-Avon
Plays
April 23, 1564
Shakespeare Invented these words:
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Married
Anne Hathaway
Member of
King’s Men
and
Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Shakespeare Invented these expressions in his plays:
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assassination
bump
lonely
he’s a “laughing stock”
she’s a “green eyed monster”
“for goodness sakes”
he’s “dead as a doornail”
Shakespeare wrote 3 Types of plays
Historical Dramas
Tragedies
Comedies
Play is about people or an event in
History
Play is about Main character experiencing
EVIL and TRAGEDY
Play is designed for laughs
Romeo and Juliet best known tragedy
Shakespeare alluded to or made reference to these 3 areas in his plays
Holy Bible
Roman Mythology
Greek Mythology
Shakespeare used Dramatic Conventions in his plays
Dramatic
Conventions
are devices that the audience accepts as REALISTIC even though they do not reflect
the way real-life people behave
2 types of Dramatic Conventions
Soliloquy
Character gives a speech all
alone
to let the audience know
what he is thinking.
Aside
Solo speech = alone
Character talks to the audience so
others on stage can’t hear his remarks.
J. Haugh 2014 X Drive/ English/ Romeo Juliet/ Globe
Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in BLANK VERSE
BLANK VERSE

is NOT poetry

does not rhyme

has a steady rhythm of iambic pentameter for each line of verse
o
Iambic Pentameter = 5 unstressed syllables followed by 5 stressed syllables
Here’s the Rhythm and Stress of syllables for Iambic Pentameter
weak STRONG \weak STRONG \weak STRONG \weak STRONG\ weak STRONG
Example of Blank Verse from Romeo and Juliet (Act 1, Scene 1)
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.
From Ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood, makes civil hands unclean.
Notice the rhythm of iambic pentameter - 5 Unstressed and 5 Stressed syllables
Two-house\ holds-both\ a-like\ in-dig\ ni-ty,
In-fair\ Ver-on\ a-where\ we-lay\ our-scene.
From An\ cient-grudge\ break-to\ new-mu\ ti-ny,
Where-civ\ il-blood\ makes-civ\ il-hands\ un-clean.
2 types of Sonnets
Italian Sonnets
English Sonnets
also called
also called
Petrarchan Sonnets
Shakespearean Sonnets
ABBA ABBA
CDE CDE
ABAB
CDCD
EFEF
GG
Octave
Sestet
Quatrain
Quatrain
Quatrain
Couplet
1 Octave = 8 lines
1 Sestet = 6 lines
3 Quatrains = 4 lines
1 Couplet (2 rhyming lines)
J. Haugh 2014 X Drive/ English/ Romeo Juliet/ Globe