Shakespearean Synopses Flashcards
After both being separated from their twins in a shipwreck, Antipholus and his slave Dromio go to Ephesus to find them. The other set of twins lives in Ephesus, and the new arrivals cause a series of incidents of mistaken identity.
Comedy of Errors
A Roman general returns from ten years of war with only four out of twenty-five sons left. He has captured Tamora, Queen of the Goths, her three sons, and Aaron the Moor. In obedience to Roman rituals, he sacrifices her eldest son to his own dead sons, which earns him Tamora’s unending hatred and her promise of revenge.
Titus Andronicus
Two best friends, Proteus and Valentine, both travel to the court of the Duke of Milan and fall for his daughter, Silvia. Julia, who loves Proteus, disguises herself as a man and follows Proteus to the Duke’s court.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
A wealthy Padua merchant, Baptista, has two daughters. One day Lucentio, a student, comes to Padua, sees Bianca, the younger sister, and falls madly in love with her. … Gremio hires Lucentio, disguised as a Latin tutor, to woo Bianca on his behalf.
Taming of the Shrew
After Henry V’s death, and while the next king is young, nobles rule England and fight the French, including Joan of Arc. As the King gains authority, the noble houses begin to divide and take sides between York and Lancaster.
Henry VI Part 1
Against the wishes of the nobles, the King marries the penniless Margaret who plots against him with her lover. As tensions between York and Lancaster build, the Duke of York gathers supporters for his claim to the throne
Henry VI Part 2
After York’s claims to the throne, the King changes the succession and makes York his heir, disinheriting his own son. His queen kills York, and York’s son Edward seizes the throne. He is imprisoned several times and eventually killed by King Edward’s brother, Richard.
Henry VI Part 3
Jealous and crippled, the title protagonist wants to be King of England and uses manipulation and deceit to achieve his goal. He murders his brothers, nephews, and any opposition to become King. In the end, Henry of Richmond raises an army, kills him in battle, and becomes King Henry VII.
Richard III
After vowing to avoid women, the King and three of his friends have to host a princess and her three ladies. The four men fall in love and decide to court the women. In the end, the women must return to their kingdom for a year after which they will marry the king and his friends, providing they remain true to them.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
An age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A group of masked men crash a rival family’s party. A young lovesick lad falls instantly in love with a girl from the other family, who is due to marry her father’s choice. With the help of her nurse, the women arrange for the couple to marry the next day. The boy’s attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of his love’s cousin, for which he is banished.
After the protagonists die, the grieving families agree to end their feud.
Romeo and Juliet
The King banishes Henry Bolingbroke, seizes noble land, and uses the money to fund wars. Henry returns to England to reclaim his land, gathers an army of those opposed to the King, and deposes him. Now as Henry IV, Henry imprisons him, and he is murdered in prison.
Richard II
This King goes to war against the French after claims that his nephew should be king instead. He has conflict with the church, orders his nephew’s death, and turns the nobles against himself. In the end, he dies from poison, the French retreat, and his son becomes King.
King John
Antonio, an antisemitic merchant, takes a loan from the Jew Shylock to help his friend to court Portia. Antonio can’t repay the loan, and without mercy, Shylock demands a pound of his flesh. The heiress Portia, now the wife of Antonio’s friend, dresses as a lawyer and saves Antonio.
The Merchant of Venice
While his son Price Hal spends time in the taverns, this King argues with his former ally Hotspur. Angry, Hotspur gathers a rebellion, and he and Hal go to battle to stop him. His army wins the battle, while Hal redeems himself from his wild youth and kills Hotspur.
Henry IV Part 1
