Welcome back!
• Pick up the handouts
at the front table.
• Complete the warm
up for today. You
need to find the 10
editing errors within
the passage and
correct them.
Warm Up: Tuesday, Jan. 5
Directions: Find and correct all ten grammar mistakes in
the passage below.
One of the most popular American poems, "The Raven by
Edgar Allan Poe was published on January 29, 1845. Once
upon a midnight dreary," the poem begins. That poem
braught fame to it's author, but it did not bring riches. Did
you now that Poe was payed just $15 for his masterpiece!
Each year in Baltimore, Maryland, a mysterious visitor
leaves roses at Poes' grave on the eve of his Birthday.
Answer Key
One of the most popular American poems, "The
Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, was published on
January 29, 1845. "Once upon a midnight dreary,"
the poem begins. That poem brought fame
to its author, but it did not bring riches. Did
you know that Poe was paid just $15 for his
masterpiece? Each year in Baltimore, Maryland, a
mysterious visitor leaves roses at Poe's grave on
the eve of his birthday.
If you have this book, Make sure to bring it
starting tomorrow!
Romeo and Juliet Background
"
He was not
of an age,
but for all
time!"
Renaissance actor, poet
and playwright Ben
Jonson on the work of his
friend (and rival), William
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare Biography
William Shakespeare was
born on April 23rd, 1564 in
Stratford on Avon in England.
He married Anne Hathaway
on November 28, 1582.
William was 18 at the time,
and Anne was 26 (and
pregnant!) They ended up
having 3 children together.
Life in the Theater
By 1594, he was acting
and writing for the Lord
Chamberlin’s Men, a
theater troop in
London.
Shakespeare made
much more money in
his lifetime as an actor,
not a playwright.
The Renaissance
 Shakespeare’s life was
during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I and King James
I.
 He lived during the time of
the Renaissance, which
was the rebirth of arts,
politics, philosophies and
sciences all over the world.
Shakespeare’s Writing Style
 Shakespeare wrote in a poetic format called
iambic pentameter.
 Iambic – alternating unstressed and stressed
syllables
 Pentameter – 5 “feet” per line (a “foot” = two
syllables)
 Example from Romeo and Juliet: But soft, what
light through yonder window breaks?
Shakespeare’s Death
William Shakespeare died on April
23rd of 1616, his alleged birthday.
He wrote the epitaph on his tombstone
and it contains a curse!
Shakespeare’s Legacy
 To this day, he is considered the most famous
playwright in the world. (37 published plays)
 He was also a very famous poet and is most known
for his sonnets. (There are several sonnets in R&J
+ his 154 stand alone poems)
 Shakespeare’s plays fell into one of three
categories: histories, comedies or tragedies.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy.
Shakespeare’s Impact on English
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gossip
Eyeball
Alligator
Assassination
Bandit
Hint
Glow
Traditional
•Dawn
•Skim Milk
•Torture
•Excitement
•Elbow
•Generous
•Gloomy
•Lower
•“Wild Goose Chase”
•“Break the Ice”
•“All of a Sudden”
•“Love is Blind”
•“Flesh and Blood”
•“Full Circle”
•“Kill with Kindness”
•The name “Jessica”
Shakespeare introduced 1,700 new words to the English language
plus dozens of today’s most commonly used phrases
10% of the vocabulary used in Shakespearean plays were new words
 The Globe Theater was built in 1599 by the Lord
Chamberlin’s Men, Shakespeare’s acting
company.
 It was also known as the “Wooden O” due its
shape.
 Open air theater (no roof) and no artificial lighting
 In 1613, the original Globe Theater burned down
when a cannon shot ignited the roof during a
performance of Henry VIII. It was rebuilt soon
after.
 The Globe was 3 stories tall and could house
roughly 3000 people.
 Queen Elizabeth and King James I would
frequent the theater along with many of the rich
elite in London.
 On the other hand, at the base of the stage,
there was an area called the pit, where, for a
penny common people (the “Groundlings”)
would stand to watch the performance. This
ranking system made the theater available to
everyone.
 Groundlings were known for being dirty and
vulgar. They would stand for the whole show
and throw food at the actors if they got bored.
Prostitutes would “work” during the plays as well
in the pit so it was a very nasty place.
 Flags flying above the theater would let people
know what kind of play would be performed that
day. The color indicated the type of play. (Black
= tragedy, White = comedy, Red = history.)
Gore at the Globe
Actors would fill a pig’s bladder up with blood
and hide it under their costume.
During a fight scene, one actor would stab
another where the bladder was concealed so
he would bleed on stage.
Audiences loved gory violence (and sexual
innuendo) so Shakespeare used a lot of both
in his plays, including R&J.
Girls in the Globe
Women were not allowed to be actors
during this time period. All characters had
to be played by men. The character of
Juliet, for example, would have been
played by a young teenage boy who had
yet to go through puberty.
Sets and Props
 Stage sets were very minimal. Actors and
playwrights relied on words to set the time
period, the location or the time of day that a
scene would be taking place.
 Shakespeare used a narrator, called the chorus
to also fill in any holes that audience members
needed about time, location, or plot.
 Many props were used, but costumes were seen
as the company’s most valuable asset. They
were very elaborate and expensive!
The End of an Era
 Along with all other theaters in England, the
Globe was shut down in 1642 by the Puritans,
who believed that anything entertaining was
against the will of God.
 The foundation of the Globe was rediscovered in
1989 and the theater has since been rebuilt to
match as closely as possible to the original
design.
 The Globe still stands in London today and
continues to perform many of Shakespeare’s
classic plays.
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet was written around 1595
and was not an entirely original story. A
poem called “Romeus and Juliet” had
been written by Arthur Brooke in 1562.
Shakespeare adapted it by changing the
characters, themes and action of the story.
Romeo and Juliet
He also
“borrowed” some
ideas from an old
Greek myth called
Pyramus and
Thisbe.
Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet is set
in Verona, Italy in the
1300’s or 1400’s. The
entire action of the play
takes place in 5 days.
Theater Vocabulary
Three theater terms you need to know…
• Aside: A conversation two actors have on stage
that other characters cannot hear. This also
might be an actor talking directly to the audience
when others around him can’t hear.
• Soliloquy: a speech when an actor is alone on
stage. Useful for telling the audience the
thoughts or feelings of the character.
• Monologue: similar to soliloquy, but occurs when
other actors are on stage. (Long speech)
Types of Love in R&J
• Familial
• Friendship
• Lust
• Unrequited
• Eternal
The Prologue
Prologue =
Introduction
Recited by the
chorus
Location, time
of day, date,
summary, what to
expect, etc.
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.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
No Fear Shakespeare Prologue
In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story
takes place, a long-standing hatred between two
families erupts into new violence, and citizens
stain their hands with the blood of their fellow
citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy
families become lovers and commit suicide.
Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their
parents' feud. For the next two hours, we will
watch the story of their doomed love and their
parents' anger, which nothing but the children's
deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently,
we'll make up for everything we've left out in this
prologue on stage.
What do we learn from the Prologue?
• The play is set in Verona, Italy.
• Two families are fighting for unknown reasons and
the fighting has been going on for generations.
• This feuding has caused much bloodshed already.
• Two people, one from each family, are going to fall
in love
• The lovers are going to die and their deaths will
bring the two families together
• The story will take two hours to tell (on stage)
• The lovers are “star-crossed”
Why Give Away the Ending?!?!