William Shakespeare and Romeo and JUliet Flashcards
About what does Shakespeare’s writing show insight?
Inner Most thoughts
Describe the time period in whihc Shakespeare liveed-
William Shakespeae lived suring the 16-17 centuries. He lived in Elizabethian England at a time where England was emerging as a power. London was a leading center in culture, and hosued some of the greatest authors, poets, and playwrights
When and where was Shakespeare born?
On April 26th, 1564 in Stratford Upon Avon
Descriibe Shakespeare’s family and childhood
He was educated in the Kings New School in Stratford it was a grammar school. He was teh eldest surviving son of his parents. When he was 18 he married Anne Hathaway and had three children. His mother was stern and his father was a business man
Describe Shakespeare’s first tast of the theater
He was probably in the town market where people performed like bands and circueses. He lived near non theaters
What are the Lost Years? Where was he durign this time?
The lost years were the time, right after the birth of his twins where there is no record of him. Some people believe that he went to Europe, others think that he was a school master or his father’s appretince
Describe Shakespeare’s marriage and family
He was married to Ann Hathaway, a women 8 years to his senior. He had three children, two daughters Susanna and Judith, and a son Hamnet. He had an interesting relationship with his children, as he traveled often. Some even speculate that he had an affair.
Describe the development of Shakespeares writing career. How did others ercieve him.
Shakespeare wrote mostly poems. but soon became more developed. He was verballly attacked, after sons death his plays became more involved
Describe Shakespeare’s sonnets.
They consisted of 3 quatrains, with one rhyming couplet at the end, they are very well known
What repeatedly halted Shakespeare’s writing?
Political Turmoil as well as the Plague
What resonates throughout Shakespeare’s playss?
They have issues related to death
WHat perceptions developed about the theater? What did Shakespeare do as a result?
Shakespeare was ungodly, he moved the theater
Describe the Globe Theater. Hoe did Shakespeare’s language accommodate this setting? What types of actors played the characters/
The Globe theater was an open aired theater which was all men.
Shakespeare wrote for all audiences, soL
the actors would be true to the type of characters
On what are Shakespeare’s plays based?
History,written fiction
Descibe Shakespeare’s spcialstanding during the time of King James I
He was a gentlemen. His tragedies showed his character
What happened to the Glob?
The Globe theater was burned in a fire. It was hard for Shakespeare to continue writing and he retired
scribe the end of Shakepseare’s life ?
He was very wealthy at his death. Died on his birthday and is remembered by his works
Why can most audiences identify with the main characters of Romeo and Juliet?
The plot is similar to a real life couple. Tey fall madly in love, but are doomed because of already existing conditions
Explain how Shakespeare’s audiences already knew the story of Romeo and JUliet
It was based on a narritivee poem by Arthur Brooke, published in 1562
Describe the basic story of Romeo and JUliet
There are two houses, each hates the other. When Romeo and Juliet, son and daugher of the Montague and Capulet houses respectively fall in love, they have to go against their parent’s wishes in order to make the relationship succed
Shakespeare presents Romeo and JUliet as star crossed lovers because:
In that time, astrology played a key role in a person’s fate. If two people were star crossed the together they were doomed to disaster by fate. He also does this to avoid the mortality issue that Brooke proposed suggesting that htey were doomed to disaster because of the stars
To understand what star crossed means, you have to realize that:
Everything was dependent on astrology-every person’s life was determined by the stars that they were born with
They believed that the course of their lives was partly determined by
hour day, month and year of birth, hence the stars that they were born under
Although Shakespeare says in his prologue that Romeo and JUliet are star crossed, he
does not make them victims of fate. They make decisions that lead to their demise
Juliet
The daughter of the Capulet house. She falls in love with Romeo, and eventually fakes her death to try and be with him.
Romeo
The son of the Montague house. He is in love with Julet but kills Tybalt and is banished from Verona. He eventually poisons himself
