11/5/10
• Intro Activity:
– What is a tragedy? List examples of literary works
that are “tragic”.
Introduction to
Shakespearean Drama
I. Life and Times
A. William Shakespeare (1563-1616)
1. Wrote 37 plays (comedies, dramas, and
histories) and 154 sonnets
2. Invented thousands of words and phrases
B. The Age of Shakespeare
1. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw
England emerge as the leading world power
2. A rising merchant middle class carved out a
productive livelihood, and the economy boomed
II. Shakespeare’s Language
A. Not Old English, not Middle English, but
Early Modern English
1. A mix of the old and very new
2. Rural and urban words/images
B. Understandable by the lowest peasant and
the highest noble
III. Theatrical Conventions
A. Blood and the use of the supernatural
B. Use of disguises and mistaken identities
C. Multiple murders (in tragedies)
D. Multiple marriages (in comedies)
E. Use of asides, monologues, and soliloquies
A. Aside – character speaks to the audience in a
voice the other characters are unable to hear
B. Monologue – a longer “speech”
C. Soliloquy – a longer “speech” delivered by a
character on stage alone
Activity: Soliloquy Analysis
In a soliloquy, a character, alone onstage, reveals
his or her private thoughts and feelings as if
thinking aloud.
Directions: Read a soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s
As You Like It and summarize it in your own words.
IV. Introduction to Macbeth
• In Macbeth, Shakespeare examines the lust for
power and its consequences
• Premise: Macbeth, a general in the king’s
army, is told by witches that he will “be King
hereafter.”
• Setting: Scotland, in the 11th century
V. Shakespearean Tragedy Structure
Act III
Act II
Act I
Act IV
Act V