overall facts Flashcards
What are Shakespeare’s life
dates?
1564-1616
Where was William Shakespeare
born?
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Why is the English Renaissance
known as the ‘Elizabethan
Period’?
Because Queen Elizabeth I reigned during most of this period
(born 1533, Reigned 1558-1603)
What are the three categories of Shakespeare’s plays (as determined in the First Folio published in 1623)?
- Comedies
- Histories
- Tragedies
Name four of Shakespeare’s
Comedy plays.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Measure for Measure
- Twelfth Night
- Much Ado about Nothing
(a bunch more…)
Name four of Shakespeare’s
History plays.
Henry IV, part 1
Henry IV, part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, part 1
Henry VI, part 2
Henry VI, part 3
(a bunch more…)
Name four of Shakespeare’s
Tragedy plays.
- Hamlet
- Othello
- King Lear
- Julius Caesar
- Anthony and Cleopatra
- Macbeth
- Romeo and Juliet
(a bunch more…)
What is lyrical poetry?
- A formal type of poetry
- expresses emotions
- is usually written in the first person
Who introduced the printing
press into the U.K.?
William Caxton (ca.1422-1491)
Why was the introduction of the printing press an important development in Renaissance England?
It increased access to literature and other texts and it improved literacy in the country.
When were the Wars of the Roses
and who were the families
involved?
In the 15th century (1455-1487)
The two families were the Lancasters and the Yorks
What color rose belonged to the
House of Lancaster?
Red rose
What color rose belonged to the
House of York?
White rose
How did the Wars of the Roses
end?
- Henry VII (House of Lancaster) defeated
Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field - Then married Elizabeth (House of York) which united the families.
- Their child Henry VIII united the houses with his birth.
- Henry the VIII was the first of Tudor family dynasty.
- The Tudor Rose is a combination of a red and white rose.
Why was Henry VIII (1491-1547)
an important historical figure in
England?
- His birth united the houses of York
and Lancaster permanently. - He started the protestant Church of
England (Anglican Church)
=> the pope refused to allow him to divorce
Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne
Boleyn (the mother of Elizabeth I).
=> he could also take control of the
property of the Catholic Church in
England. - Memorable for having six wives and
being temperamental.
Why was Elizabeth I also known
as the ‘Virgin Queen’?
because she never married, she said she was married to England
Describe the form and the
content of a Petrarchan sonnet.
- The Italian Petrarch (1304-1374)
wrote sonnets which had an octave and a sestet: ABBAABBA CDECDE - His sonnets were mostly about
an idealized beloved (Laura) - They were written in the first
person and expressed emotions.
Describe the form (or end rhyme)
of a Shakespearian Sonnet.
Three quatrains and a couplet rhymed:
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
The volta often comes in the last couplet
Describe the form (or end rhyme)
of a Spenserian Sonnet.
Three quatrains and a couplet rhymed:
ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
The volta often comes in the last
couplet
What is a simile?
Give an original example.
A comparison with like or as
My hair is like a bird’s nest this
morning.
What is a metaphor?
Give an original example.
A comparison (without like or as)
My hair is a bird’s nest this
morning.
Describe an Elizabethan theatre.
- made of wood
- O shaped
- limited props
- open roof (naturally lit)
- wealthier spectators sat higher than the groundlings who stood on the ground
- actors were men
- there was an upper level to the
stage - a trap door
What was a groundling?
A person who stood on the ground inside a theatre while watching a play.
Describe the poetic meter most often used by Shakespeare in his sonnets (Sonnet 130 for example)?
Iambic pentameter:
this poetic meter has:
* five feet per line (penta-)
- each foot contains an iamb (iambic).
=> An iamb is an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable (sounds like ‘ba-BOOM’).
Why did playhouses close regularly in
Elizabethan and Jacobean England?
- Plague
- Religious (strict
protestant) protesters
Why was Elizabeth I considered
an important ruler in the history
of England?
- She provided a stable leader for the country during a time of relative uncertainty (with plagues and the protestant reformation).
- A well-known quote of hers was this: “I would not open windows into men’s souls”.
=> She meant as long as people attended the protestant Church of England she did not try to find out if citizens’ truly believed or were secretly Catholic
When was Much Ado About Nothing Written?
1598-1599
When was Much Ado About Nothing Published
1623
Where Written was Much Ado About Nothing?
England
When was Much Ado About Nothing Published?
1623
Literary Period of Much Ado About Nothing:
Elizabethan
Genre of Much Ado About Nothing:
Comedy
Setting of Much Ado About Nothing:
Messina, Italy in the 16th Century
Climax of Much Ado About Nothing:
At the altar, Claudio publicly accuses Hero of unfaithfulness, sending her into a swoon.
Antagonist of Much Ado About Nothing:
Don John
Renaissance Theatre
derived from several medieval theatre traditions
→ mystery plays: religious festivals, retellings of legends based on biblical themes
→ morality plays: evolved out of the mysteries
→ University drama: attempted to recreate Greek tragedy
