William Shakespeare

Widely regarded as the greatest writer in

English Literature

1563-1616 Stratford-on-Avon,

England wrote 37 plays about 154 sonnets started out as an actor

Shakespeare

ComediesHistoriesTragedies

Shakespeare wrote:

Born in Alexandria, then capital of Egypt in 69 BC

Parents: Father Pharaoh, Ptolemy XII, aka Auletes or “Flute Player” and her mother was probably Auletes’s sister Cleopatra V Tryphaena (it was common place for members of the Ptolemaic dynasty to marry their sibilings)

Cleopatra had several siblings: elder sister, Cleopatra VI; elder sister Berenice; younger sister, Arsinoe and two younger brothers both called Ptolemy.

Cleopatra’s family was not truly Egyptian, they were Macedonian which is Greek.

Who was Cleopatra VII?

Born Marcus Antonius in 83 BC

in Rome.

Father died at an early age, leaving him and his brothers with his mother Julia. He was 2nd cousin of Julius Caesar.

With very little guidance, they were considered rebels for their time.

By the age of 20 he was heavily in debt and fled to Greece

After a short time studying in Athens he became a member of Caesar’s army.

Mark Antony

Cleopatra was portrayed as very strong,

extremely beautiful and irresistible.

Octavius Caesar views the Pharaoh and Queen of Egypt as little more than a dramatic whore.

Antony, while a Roman Hero was portrayed as totally blinded by love .

Octavia is portrayed as a healer of sorts between the two men, Antony and Octavius Caesar.

Tragedy

CYMBELINE

CYMBELINE, King of Britain QUEEN, Wife to Cymbeline CLOTEN, Son to the Queen by a former Husband IMOGEN / INNOGEN, Daughter to Cymbeline by a former Queen POSTHUMUS LEONATUS, a Gentleman, Husband to Imagen BELARIUS, a banished Lord, disguised under the name of Morgan GUIDERIUS & ARVIRAGUS, Sons to Cymbeline, disguised under the names of Polydore

and Cadwal, supposed Sons to Morgan PHILARIO, Friend to Posthumus IACHIMO / JACHIMO / GIACOMO , Friend to Philario HELEN, a Lady attending on Imogen CAIUS LUCIUS, General of the Roman Forces PISANIO, Servant to Posthumus CORNELIUS, a Physician A Roman Captain Two British Captains A French Gentleman, Friend to Philario Two Lords of Cymbeline's Court Two Gentleman of the same Two Gaolers Lords, Ladies, Roman Senators, Tribunes, a Dutch Gentleman, a Spanish Gentleman, a

Soothsayer, Musicians, Officers, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants

Characters of Cymbeline

Cymbeline is a play by William

Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance. Like Othello, Measure for Measure, and The Winter's Tale, it deals with the themes of innocence and jealousy. While the precise date of composition remains unknown, the play was certainly produced as early as 1611.

Tragedy

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of

Denmark

Hamlet The Prince of Denmark,

the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius.

Claudius The King of Denmark,

Hamlet's uncle, and the play's antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.

Gertrude The Queen of Denmark,

Hamlet's mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.

Polonius The Lord

Chamberlain of

Claudius's court, a

pompous, conniving

old man. Polonius is

the father of Laertes

and Ophelia.

Horatio Hamlet's close friend,

who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet's death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story.

Ophelia Polonius's daughter,

a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes.

Laertes Polonius's son and

Ophelia's brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.

Fortinbras The young Prince of

Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet's father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father's honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet.

The Ghost The specter of

Hamlet's recently

deceased father.

The ghost, who

claims to have been

murdered by

Claudius, calls upon

Hamlet to avenge

him.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet's strange behavior.

A great Roman general and senator, recently

returned to Rome in triumph after a successful military campaign. While his good friend Brutus worries that Caesar may aspire to dictatorship over the Roman republic, Caesar seems to show no such inclination, declining the crown several times. Yet while Caesar may not be unduly power-hungry, he does possess his share of flaws. He is unable to separate his public life from his private life, and, seduced by the populace’s increasing idealization and idolization of his image, he ignores ill omens and threats against his life, believing himself as eternal as the North Star.

Main CharactersJulius Caesar

He is a respected Roman, a man of intelligence and honor, who is a personal friend of Caesar, yet wonders whether, as a ruler, he will overstep his powers and become a tyrant rather than a good head of state.

He is finally convinced to join the conspirators as their leader. As they raise their daggers to commit the murder, Caesar recognizes his dear friend and cries, in Latin, “Et tu, Brute?” or “You too, Brutus?”

Portia is Brutus’ wife.

Brutus

Cassius Cassius is one of the leaders

of the conspiracy. He is suspicious of Caesar from the beginning, gathers others into the band, and convinces Brutus to join with them in their plans for assassination.

He and Brutus flee Rome after the killing, each gathers an army, and they try to conquer Mark Antony’s army.

AntonyA friend of Caesar. Antony claims

allegiance to Brutus and the conspirators after Caesar’s death in order to save his own life. Later, however, when speaking a funeral oration over Caesar’s body, he spectacularly persuades the audience to withdraw its support of Brutus and instead condemn him as a traitor. With tears on his cheeks and Caesar’s will in his hand, Antony engages masterful rhetoric to stir the crowd to revolt against the conspirators. Antony’s desire to exclude Lepidus from the power that Antony and Octavius intend to share hints at his own ambitious nature.

Shakespeare and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

“Let me have men about me that are fat,Sleek headed men, and such as sleep 0’nites;

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;He thinks too much; such men are dangerous”

-Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare’s

King Lear

King Lear-Aging King of Britain Cordelia-Lear’s youngest daughter,

disowned for refusing to flatter him Kent-Nobleman who is loyal to Lear, but

outspoken Gloucester-Nobleman to Lear, suffers a

parallel fate Edgar-Gloucester’s older legitimate son Fool- Lear’s court jester who gives

important advice

Characters

Edmund-Gloucester’s Bastard Son who resents

his position; cunning in his schemes Regan (wife of Cornwall) and Goneril (wife of

Albany)- Lear’s daughters who are interested in power and do not care about their father

Characters- Evil

Literature: Craft & Voice | Delbanco and Cheuse | Chapter 34

William Shakespeare

Othello, the Moor of Venice

34

Literature: Craft & Voice | Delbanco and Cheuse | Chapter 34

Queen Elizabeth• Elizabethan England takes its name

from Queen Elizabeth, who lived from 1533-1603, reigning from 1558-1603. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was executed three years after Elizabeth’s birth.

• Elizabeth’s reign was generally marked by peace, economic prosperity, and social advancement.

• Despite her success, the age was openly skeptical about a woman’s ability and right to rule.

• The Babington Conspiracy of 1586 refers to a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. Mary, Queen of Scots, was involved and executed when the plot was uncovered.

The “Darnley Portrait” of Queen Elizabeth 1 (ca. 1575)

Literature: Craft & Voice | Delbanco and Cheuse | Chapter 34

Queen Elizabeth continued…

Elizabeth was a skilled diplomat who dealt effectively with foreign governments, factions at home, and Parliament.

Elizabeth never married. Marriage would have upset the delicate political relationships she maintained with one foreign or domestic group or another.

She was a patron of the arts and several poems have been credited to her.

Elizabeth was succeeded by James I (reigned until 1625). A far less successful monarch, he was not a good diplomat as he resisted compromise. He was out of touch with the English people, and his reign helped widen the gap between crown and Parliament that led to the Civil War.

The Life OfTIMON OF ATHENS

Presentation by Jared Forman

Written By William Shakespeare

Character Name: TimonCharacter Relevance: ProtagonistShakespearian play: Timon of AthensPlay’s setting: Athens, GreecePlay’s Grouping: Tragedy/Problem

The Life of Timon OF Athens

SHORT FACTS

Romeo and Juliet

RomeoThe hero and one of the

protagonists of Romeo and Juliet. The son of Old

Montague, he is at first in love with Lord Capulet’s niece, Rosaline. When he goes to a feast given by

Capulet, he attends the feast in a mask, meets Capulet’s daughter Juliet, falls in love

with her, and becomes passionate and impulsive.

JulietThe heroine and one of the protagonists of the play. She is the thirteen-year-old daughter of

Capulet. She is a happy, romantic, and an innocent girl who falls in love with Romeo.

Friar Lawrence The person who is responsible for

helping Romeo and Juliet. He is a good man with good intentions.

NurseA friend, guide, confidante, and educator of Juliet. She has raised Juliet and is truly fond of her. She is a realist, who is fond of talking and joking. She

often provides comic relief to the play.

The EndHirdyansh Bhalla

Xth A24

English HHW