19 October 2011
"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594.
The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord. The Lord then has a play performed for Sly's amusement, set in Padua with a primary and sub-plot.
The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments – the "taming" – until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.
The play's apparent misogynistic elements have become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern audiences and readers. It has nevertheless been adapted numerous times for stage, screen, opera, and musical theatre; perhaps the most famous adaptations being Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate and the film 10 Things I Hate About You.
The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord. The Lord then has a play performed for Sly's amusement, set in Padua with a primary and sub-plot.
The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments – the "taming" – until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.
The play's apparent misogynistic elements have become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern audiences and readers. It has nevertheless been adapted numerous times for stage, screen, opera, and musical theatre; perhaps the most famous adaptations being Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate and the film 10 Things I Hate About You.
"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in the Kingdom of Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, firstly for murdering the old King Hamlet (Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father) and secondly for then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude (the King Hamlet's widow and mother of Prince Hamlet). The play vividly portrays real and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.
Three different early versions of the play have survived: these are known as the First Quarto (Q1), the Second Quarto (Q2) and the First Folio (F1). Each has lines, and even scenes, that are missing from the others. Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may have also drawn on, or perhaps written, an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet.
The play's structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny, of which one example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle. Some see it as a plot device to prolong the action, and others see it as the result of pressure exerted by the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, and feminist critics have re-evaluated and rehabilitated the often maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. It has a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." During Shakespeare's lifetime, the play was one of his most popular works, and it still ranks high among his most-performed, topping, for example, what eventually became the Royal Shakespeare Company's list since 1879. It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".
Three different early versions of the play have survived: these are known as the First Quarto (Q1), the Second Quarto (Q2) and the First Folio (F1). Each has lines, and even scenes, that are missing from the others. Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may have also drawn on, or perhaps written, an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet.
The play's structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny, of which one example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle. Some see it as a plot device to prolong the action, and others see it as the result of pressure exerted by the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, and feminist critics have re-evaluated and rehabilitated the often maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. It has a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." During Shakespeare's lifetime, the play was one of his most popular works, and it still ranks high among his most-performed, topping, for example, what eventually became the Royal Shakespeare Company's list since 1879. It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".
5 October 2011
William Shakespeare
Let's find out about Shakespeare's life. Answer these questions looking for information in the given sites.
William Shakespeare
1. When was he born?
2. Where was he born?
3. Who was Shakespeare's wife?
4. How many children did they have?
5. When did he die?
6. Why is the World Book Day celebrated on April 23rd -except for the UK and Ireland?
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk
http://www.stratford.co.uk/index.asp
The Globe
6. What is The Globe?
7. When was The Globe built?
8. What happened to the theatre in 1.613?
9. Name three other theatres in London in 16th century.
http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html
Shakespeare's works
10. Name three of Shakespeare's comedies.
11. Name three of Shakespeare's tragedies.
12. Name three of Shakespeare's histories.
13. What where the names of King Lear's daughters?
http://www.ipl.org/div/shakespeare/shakespeare.html
http://www.mundofree.com/seronoser/tausiet/shakespeare/shakespeare.htm
25. What was the Elizabethan Period?
26. When was this period?
27. What was the most significant invention of this time and why?
28. What did this lead to a renewed interest in?
29. During this period, what were unexplained events blamed on?
30. Why were people of this period superstitious?
31 . What were the four humours and what were they associated with? http://classweb.gmu.edu/rnanian/humours.html
William Shakespeare
1. When was he born?
2. Where was he born?
3. Who was Shakespeare's wife?
4. How many children did they have?
5. When did he die?
6. Why is the World Book Day celebrated on April 23rd -except for the UK and Ireland?
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk
http://www.stratford.co.uk/index.asp
The Globe
6. What is The Globe?
7. When was The Globe built?
8. What happened to the theatre in 1.613?
9. Name three other theatres in London in 16th century.
http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html
Shakespeare's works
10. Name three of Shakespeare's comedies.
11. Name three of Shakespeare's tragedies.
12. Name three of Shakespeare's histories.
13. What where the names of King Lear's daughters?
http://www.ipl.org/div/shakespeare/shakespeare.html
http://www.mundofree.com/seronoser/tausiet/shakespeare/shakespeare.htm
Religion Click here
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/religion-elizabethan-england.htm to answer these questions 14. What were the two major religions in Elizabethan England? 15. Who dictated the favoured religion? 16. Which Monarchs reigned during this time? When? 17. Which religion did each Monarch believe in? 18. How did each Monarch treat those who did not follow their favoured religion? 19. Why did Queen Elizabeth I ban all performances of religious plays and stories?http://www.musesrealm.net/writings/shakespeareengland.ht |
Education Click here http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/ideas/boys.html
20. What did education depend on?
21. What was the main purpose of schooling?
22. Why were students taught Latin?
23. What were girls from wealthy families educated in? Click herehttp://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/ideas/girls.html
24. Why were courses in university conducted in Latin? Click herehttp://elizabethan.org/compendium/54.html
Elizabethan Period Click here
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-period.htm to answer these questions
25. What was the Elizabethan Period?
26. When was this period?
27. What was the most significant invention of this time and why?
28. What did this lead to a renewed interest in?
29. During this period, what were unexplained events blamed on?
30. Why were people of this period superstitious?
32. How was Elizabethan class structure maintained?
33. What was the Chain of Being and what did it uphold? Click here http://schoolworkhelper.net/2010/08/the-chain-of-being-shakespeare/
34. What is the Rotae Fortuna? Click http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/153502633. What was the Chain of Being and what did it uphold? Click here http://schoolworkhelper.net/2010/08/the-chain-of-being-shakespeare/
Shakespeare's Influence Click here http://www.musesrealm.net/writings/shakespeareengland.html to answer these questions
34. What does Shakespeare's work provide reference for?
35. What were Shakespeare's histories a tribute to?
36. What was Shakespeare attempting to do with these tributes?
Click here to answer these questions.
37. How many words did Shakespeare invent?
38. Give an example of a word or phrase we have gotten from Shakespeare.
39. Name one poet who was influenced by Shakespeare.
Click here for more words or phrases from Shakespeare. Write down two that you know and explain what they mean.
We all know that Shakespeare's language is a little different from ours--hey, it was written a few hundred years ago. Click on this link to be insulted "professionally." (which we will see plenty of in the play)!
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