Monday May 4th Shakespeare (to sum up and go further)

 The character and his/her representations:

Shakespeare’s villains                         

To sum up what we said and to go further:

a)          To be or not to be fond of Shakespeare

    Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare’s dazzling future when he declared, "He was not of an age, but for all time!"

The following are the main reasons why Shakespeare has stood the test of time.

1) Illumination of the Human Experience

Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity. If you cannot find words to express how you feel about love or music or growing older, Shakespeare can speak for you:

• The seven ages of man

• Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

• What's in a name?

• Now is the winter of our discontent

• If music be the food of love

• Beware the ides of March

• We are such stuff as dreams are made on

• Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

• To be, or not to be: that is the question

2) Great Stories

Marchette Chute, in the Introduction to her famous retelling of Shakespeare’s stories, summarizes one of the reasons for Shakespeare’s immeasurable fame:

    William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has ever known. Homer told of adventure and men at war, Sophocles and Tolstoy told of tragedies and of people in trouble. Terence and Mark Twain told cosmic stories, Dickens told melodramatic ones, Plutarch told histories and Hand Christian Andersen told fairy tales. But Shakespeare told every kind of story – comedy, tragedy, history, melodrama, adventure, love stories and fairy tales – and each of them so well that they have become immortal. In all the world of storytelling he has become the greatest name. (Stories from Shakespeare, 11)

Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers continue to adapt Shakespeare’s tales to suit our modern world, whether it be the tale of Lear on a farm in Iowa, Romeo and Juliet on the mean streets of New York City, or Macbeth in feudal Japan.

3) Compelling Characters

Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his truly great characters – particularly his tragic heroes – are unequalled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations of the Greek tragedians. Shakespeare’s great characters have remained popular because of their complexity. For this reason Shakespeare is deeply admired by actors, and many consider playing a Shakespearean character to be the most difficult and most rewarding role possible.

4) Ability to Turn a Phrase

Many of the common expressions now thought to be clichés were Shakespeare's creations.

    If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare

    adapted from  Mabillard, Amanda Why Study Shakespeare? Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.

►Use your own words to sum up the four reasons why Shakespeare’s works are still so famous today:

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► Have you ever heard some of the quotes (1)? Where do they come from?

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b)           Shakespeare and his time:

 

►Do you remember?

a)      When and where did Shakespeare live?

    Who ruled over England at that time?

b)      What was the name of his theatre? Why?

c)     What sorts of works did Shakespeare write? (genres/ examples you already know…?)

► Can you match the beginning and the end of each play?

Much Ado                                          Cressida

Troilus and                                         about Nothing

Winter’s                                             that Ends Well

A Midsummer                                   of the Shrew

As you                                               Lear

All is Well                                         II

The Taming                                       Night’s Dream

King                                                   Cleopatra

Richard                                              Like It

Twelfth                                              Tale

Anthony and                                       Night

d)       What do you know about theatres and actors in Shakespeare’s time? (see article about theatre)

e) What do you know about the War of the Roses (personal homework)