Shakespeare and The Elizabethan Theatre (group two)

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April, 23rd 1564 in Stratford-in-Avon, northwest of London. This date is based on record of his baptism on April 26th.

Shakespeare's father John was a successful glove marker and a businessman who held a number of positions in the town government. His mother whose maiden name was Mary Arden, was the daughter of his father's landlord.

There is no written evidence of Shakespeare's boyhood, not even a name on a school attendance list. However, given his father's statue, it is highly probable that he attended the Stratford Grammar School, where he acquired knowledge of Latin.

In November, the year 1582 William Shakespeare received a license to marry. At this time Anne would have been 26 and William 18. A considerable age difference to William Shakespeare, whom at the time was still under the age of consent (21). It is apparent that Anne Hathaway became pregnant prior to marriage which would have no doubt caused a scandal for both of the families. Some writers have made much of the fact that Shakespeare left his wife and children behind and he went into London not long after his twins were born. However, he visited his family in Stratford regularly during his years as a playwright, and they may have lived with him for a long time in London.

Shakespeare became connected with the theatre in the late 1580's and earlyn1590's. By 1594, however, he had become a part owner and the principal playwright of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, one of the most successful theatre companies in London.

In 1599, the company built the famous Globe theatre on the South bank of the Thame River, in Southwark. This is where most of Shakespeare plays were performed.

William Shakespeare did not think to himself that he was a man of letters. He wrote his plays to be performed and did not bring out editions of them for the reading public. The first published edition of his work, called The First Folio, was issued in 1623 by two members of his theatre company, John Heminges and Henery Condell, and contained thirty-six of the thirty-seven plays now attributed to him.

In about 1610, William Shakespeare retired to Standfort, though he continued to write plays. April 23rd 1616 he died and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford because it was a common practice to move bodies after burial to make room for others.

Timeline of Praise

No other English writer has won such universal and enthusiastic praise from critic and fellow praise from critics and fellow writers. Here are sample of that praise, shown on a timeline from Shakespeare's day to our won:

·         Ben Jonson (1572-1667) “He was not of an age, but for all time!"

·         A.C.Bradley (1851-1935) "Where his power or art is fully exerted, it really does resemble that of nature."

·         T.S.Eliot (1888-1965) "About any one so great as Shakespeare it is probable that we can never be right............."

                Elizabethan Theatre

Prior to the reign of Elizabeth I, theatre companies made a living by travelling around the country looking for large audiences to perform. When Queen Elizabeth came to power and throughout her reign, she fostered the rise and formalization of English drama. It was during her era that drama began to be recognized as a complex art form to be appreciated, loved and critiqued by the masses. Queen Elizabeth’s own interest in drama led to this increasing interest.

           

When Shakespeare was twelve years old, an actor named James Burbage built London’s first theatre, called simply ‘The Theatre’, just beyond the city walls in Shoreditch. Actors- even prominent and well-to-do actors like Burbage- occupied a strange place in London society; they were frowned upon by the city fathers but were wildly popular with the common people.

            In 1597, the city fathers closed down ‘The Theatre’. In late 1598, Richard Burbage (James’s son) and his men dismantled it and hauled it in pieces across the Thames to Southwark. It took them six months to rebuild it, and when they did they renamed it the ‘Globe’.

            Critics dispute the exact shape and structure of this building however many believe it was round and octagonal. Shakespeare makes reference to the building in Henry V calling it “this wooden O”. It is believed that the design and structure of this building was derived from the beat-baiting and bull-baiting rings built in Southwark.

            The building could seat in excess of 2500; but actors had to project their voices to be heard.          Back then, there was no technology which is utilized in the theatre today.  Sound effects, special lighting, scenery and all the modern amenities now used to enhance productions were entirely absent. The actors were forced to use their own abilities to compensate for the lack of technology.

            In 1613 a cannon was fired as a part of a performance of Henry VIII set the theatre’s thatched roof on fire and destroyed it. The patrons escaped unharmed, but the Globe was completely destroyed.

           Building a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe was American actor Sam Wanamaker’s dream. After long years of fund-raising construction, the theatre opened its doors full season on June 8, 1997.

            Like the earlier Globe, this one was also made of wood, with a thatched rood and lime plaster covering the walls.

            During the late 16^th century, Elizabethan drama became fully- developed. Playwrights turned away from basing their plays on the religious aspects of society and began writing more sophisticated plays. Drawing on models from ancient Greece and Rome, writers introduced tragedies- plays in which disaster befalls the hero/heroine. Dramatists also began writing their plays in carefully construed of unrhymed verse, using fanciful language and making the words play a vivid image in the viewers minds.

Brother Man Questions

Narrative Techniques

Imagery - this is shown in the last chapters of the book when Brother Man was being beaten.  The way the author describes the scene, a vivid picture is created for us, the readers.

Setting – the main setting of the story is Orange Lane in Kingston Jamaica.  At the beginning of the story, the author describes a setting in the story.  For instance, at the beginning of the first chapter (Chorus of the people in the lane), the author creates a vivid setting of the lane in which the characters in the story lived.  He talks about the way they spoke, the way they behave on the street corners and the way in which the houses and shops were located through the lane.

 

How is characterization developed?

In doing this, Roger Mais describes the attitude of each character.  For instance, with the way he describes Papacita character, we are able to see that he is a womanizer.  We are also able to see that although he and Girlie are in a relationship, he has no love whatsoever for her.  He abuses both her and the fact that she loves him.  Roger Mais also uses description to make the characters seem real.  For instance, he describes the many fights Girlie and Papacita have.  This is a case of abuse and happens to many women around the world.  He describes it in a way so that it can relate to reality, thus making the characters seem real.

Where is the setting of the story?

The setting of the story is Orange Lane.  This is a street in Kingston Jamaica.

What are some themes highlighted in the book?

Love- love can be considered a major theme in Brother Man.  This is shown in the relationship that Girlie and Papacita have.  Although she is a victim of abuse, she stil sticks by his side and does everything for him.  Even though she knows the bad things that he does, she does not leave him because she believes that she loves him.  This love however is not mutual.  We can tell that Papacita cares nothing about Girlie because of the way he treats her.

Another case in which this theme is highlighted is in the case of Jesmina and Cordelia.  We see the love that Jesmina has for her sister because of the fact that Jesmina was the one who stayed by her side during her sick days.  She was also there during her hard times.  The times when Cordelia decided to go to Bra Ambo for help and turn against Brother Man were the worst of all times.  She began going crazy but her sister went nowhere, she was there for her.  Jesmina went to lengths to get help for her but nothing could be done.

The love that Cordelia had for her son Tad is another case where this theme is highlighted.  Although she was sick, she always asked of her son.  When he bacame sick she did everything she could to make him better.  Thinking that Brother Man was of no help to her son, she ended up going to Bra Ambo for help.  Although this was wrong of her, the love she has for her son is shown since she was willing to make such a sacrifice for the sake of making him well.

The final part that I think that love is highlighted is in the case of Minette and Brother Man.  Minette was taken up off the streets by Brother Man and because he was not like the other men who took advantage of her, she ended up falling for him.  Brother Man however does not see her as a woman he should marry but only as a daughter.  She is willing to do anything for him but being the Godly man that he is, he tries to ignore the fact that she loves him and sees these them as things a daughter should do.

Betrayal- this theme is highlighted firstly in the case of Cordelia and Brother Man.  Being the loving man that he is, he usually helped Cordelia.  When it came to the sickness of her son, thinking that Brother Man could not heal her son’s sickness, she runs from him to Bra Ambo’s side.  In doing this she betrays Brother Man.  He is also betrayed by the people in the lane. 

This theme is also evident in the case of Papacita and Girlie.  Papacita betrays the love and trust that Girlie once had for him by going out every day and coming back in late at night.  He has no respect for her nor does he care how she feels.

Greed – this can be seen when it came to Bra Ambo.  He was greedy for power and money.  He wanted the power to heal the sick just as Brother Man could.  In doing this, he turns Cordelia against Brother Man.

Hatred – this theme is obvious in the case of Bra Ambo.  He hates Brother Man because he has powers he does not.  This is also seen when it comes to Papacita.  He also hates Brother Man.  This is because he thinks that Brother Man is the one standing in the way of him winning Minette over.

Poverty – this is also a major theme in the story.  By the way that Brother gives money to both the needy and others who do not need it at the moment. We are able to see that these people live in poverty.  Also by the way Roger Mais describes the setting of the story, this theme is also highlighted.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

On the 26^th of April 1564, John Shakespeare, a successful Glover and alderman originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer baptized their third child, a bouncing baby boy.  The name given to this baby was William Shakespeare. He was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon and he attended the Stratford School.  At the tender age of 18, Shakespeare married a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway.  He had three kids with her, Susanne being the first and twins Juliet and Hamnet (died at the age of 11) came after.

Shakespeare became an English poet and playwright in the late 1500s.  It was during this time and the early 1600s that he produced most of his work.  Until about 1608, William wrote mainly tragedies.  These included Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth which were considered some of the finest works in the English Language. William Shakespear was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19^th century.  He was known as the greatest writer who ever existed because of the 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and other poems in which he wrote in 23 years.

On the 23^rd of April 1616, William Shakespeare died at the age of 52 and was buried in the Chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death.  It was said that a curse was placed on his tomb for anyone who dared to trouble where he lay.

Shakespeare Works (Earliest Set)

Richard 111 (written in the 1590s)

Henry V1 (written in the 1590s)

Titus Andronicus

The Comedy of Errors

The Taming of the Shrew

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Comedies

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Merchant of Venice

Much Ado About Nothing

You Like It

Twelfth Night

Tragedies

Romeo and Juliet

Julius Caesar

Macbeth

Othello

King Lear

Problem Plays

Measure for Measure

Troilus and Cressida

All’s Well That Ends Well

Romance

Cymbeline

The Winter’s Tale

The Tempest

Pericles

Prince of Tyre

Narrative Poems

Venus and Adonis

The Rape of Lucrece

A Lover’s Complaint

What is the Elizabethan Era?

This was a time associated with Queen Elizabeth 1s reign (1558-1603) and is often considered to be the golden age in English history.  It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry, music and literature.  This was also the time during which Elizabethan theatre flourished and William Shakespeare and many others compassed plays that broke free of England’s past style of plays and theatre.  It was also the end of the period when England was a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland.

Letter to the Observer Newspaper

Dear Observer,
                      I don't think that Bother Man deserved what was done to him. They beat him up in the public street just because he was a Rasta man. This was cruelty. After all, is he not the same as we are? Does he not bleed when he gets cut and cry when he is hurt? Not because he does not comb his hair and not because he has long facial hair means that he is any different from us. We should all be treated equally. People make it seem as though being a Rastafarian is a bad thing. It is not. It is only a religion. We all have different religions that we try to live up to and that is exactly what Brother Man is doing. It still baffles me as to why they would do such a thing to a man who has helped many people in more ways than can be counted. Is it because he loves and  cherishes his religion more than some of us do? Well isn't that what he is suppose to do? If he doesn't, then who is going to do it for him? It pains my heart to see people around the world do such things  to their fellow brothers and sisters. We may not all be related biologically but we are related in some way or another.
                      Back to the fact that he was a very helpful person. He helped many people, both those in need and the sick. Imagine how it must pain his heart to have to look up into the faces of many of the same people who he helped as they through a brick or something at him. Then there was this poor old lady who jumped to his defense and instead of stopping they cared not that she was there and she was pushed into the gutter. Imagine that being your mother or granmother or even some close family member. Things like these bring back memories of slavery days. The only difference is that it was the white men who beat us up then. Wehave now passed the whip to our fellow black men and we are only beating ourselves up. Just imagine that. I honestly think that this man deserves an apolpgy from all those who have wronged him. Nobody should be treated differently because of their religion or even race. We should all be treated as one because thats what we are.


                                                                                                      Yours truly
                                                                                                      Ashauna Adams

Brother Man Questions

Some conflicts in Brother Man include:
1) Minette - the problem Minette had was the fact that she loved Brother Man and he did not want her in the same way.  In the book she tries as hard as she can to show him how she feels but him being the person he is he doesnt believe that they are meant to be together.  He doesnt believe this at first because of the fact that he took her in from off the street and he only saw her as a daughter.

2) Brother Man - the problem Brother Man had was the fact that the people who he had been helping during their times of need began turning against him partly because he was a Rasta and they thought he had done bad.

3) Papacita - the problem Papacita had was that he wanted Minette and she did not want him for she was in love with Brother Man.  Another problem he had was with Girlie. She was being a pest to him with always wanting to know of his wareabouts.  Papacita also hated Brother Man.

4) Girlie - her problem was that she was being abused by Papacita.  In my point of view, she loved him and maybe thought that the only way she could let him stay was to let him do as he pleased.  He was a womanizer and although she hated it she did nothing about it.  She kept letting all the anger build up inside until she did something wrong.  To top it all off, I think that she was blinded by love.

5) Cordelia - her problem was that she was so caught up with making her son well that she ended up making a decision that caused her her life and that of her son.  She betrayed Brother Man more than once.  Even though he helped her get well and even gave her money to go take her son to a doctor, she still ended up taking his kindness for granted and going to Bra Ambo for help with her son. She began going crazy and ended up killig her son then hanging herself.

6) Jesmina - her problem was that she allowed her sister to live her life for her.  She thought that because her sister had a son and the father was not around that she owed her the world.  After Cordelia started to go to Bra Ambo for help she began doing things that made Jesmina scared for her.  For example one time she locked Jesmina up inside of the house because she was scared that she was going to leave her.

External Conflict was used in the cases of Brother Man, Papacita, Jesmina and Girlie.

Internal Conflict was used in the cases of Cordelia and Minette.

External Conflict is a struggle between a character and outside forces while Internal Conflict is a struggle that takes place in a character's mind.

Irony

Three types of irony include:
1) Verbal Irony
2) Soctratic Irony
3) Tragic Irony

In the book Brother Man, Irony is played out close to the end of the book.  In the case of Cordelia, it is ironic that although she tried as much as she could to get help for her son she ended up killing him in the end. She didnt want him to die in the first place but thinking that Brother Man could not do anything for her son she did what she thought she had to do to save his life.  Instead of him dying of natural cause he died at the hands of his own mother.  This is ironic to me because with the way she tried to do everything thing in her power to help her son, it was she wh0 ended up killing him in the end.

Another ironic thing in the book Brother Man is in the case of Papacita and Girlie. It so happened that she was being abused physically by Papacita. I would have thought that he would have been the one to kill her because of her nagging ways and in order to get on with his life. It came to being that it was only the opposite, she was the one who killed him.  She couldnt deal with the fact that he did not want or love her anymore and she snapped.

The most ironic thing in this book is the scenes when they were beating Brother Man. In reading this book and seeing the type of person he was I never pictured that they would actually turn against him like that. People who he had helped had also joined forces against him in suddenly having a problem with him being a Rastafarian. Also with the way he acted towards Minette, I never thought that he would actually gain feelings for her.

Literature Homework

A Brief Biography of  Roger Mais.

Roger Mais was born on the 11th of August 1905 in Kingston Jamaica into a "brown respectable, middle-range-landowning, middle class family.  He began writing in the 1930s.  He wrote the anti-British Satirical Trade " Now We Know " in 1944.  This caused him to suffer six months of inprisonment in the Spanish Town Penitentiary.  Roger left Jamaica when he learned that "The Hills Were Joyful Together ", his first published book had been accepted by Jonathon Cape in London.  He was the first Jamaican writer to bring into the novel the powerful subterranean influence of Rastafarianism.  Roger Mais was a fine writer of three books including ' The Hills Were Joyful Together ' in 1953, ' Brother Man ' in 1954 and ' Black Lightning ' in 1955.  He was a novelist adept at depicting the lives of the underprivilege and he won ten prizes in West Indian literary competitions in 1951.  Roger Mais passed at the tender age of 49 due to cancer. His integral role in the development of political and cultural nationalism is however evident in his being awarded the high honor of the Order of Jamaica in 1978.


What Does Critics Say About Brother Man?

It is said by Annie Paul that Brother Man is an interesting book to read today when Rastas and things Rastafarians have acquired such as cultural charisma that their image, carried abroad by stars such as Bob Marley and other dreadlocked musicians is now routinely used to advertise Jamaica as a tourist destination.
Brother Man was the first Jamaican novel to portray a Rastafarian protagonist in positive terms.  It is significant as an exploration of life in the Jamaican Ghetto and how the people relate to their leaders, making them deities and throwing them away when they fail to entertain them.


Explore The Religious Aspect In Regards to Rastafarianism.

Rastafari developed in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1920s and 30s.  In an environment of great poverty, depression, racism and class discrimination, the Rasta message of black pride, freedom from expression and the hope of return to the African homeland was received. 
Followers of the Rastafari movement are known as Rastafarians, Rastafaris, Rastas, or Ras Tafarians. The movement is named for Ras Tafari Makonnen, who was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia in 1930.
Rastafaris dislike the term "Rastafarianism" because they reject the "isms and schisms" that characterize oppressive and corrupt white society. The movement is referred to as "the Rastafari movement," "Rasta," or "Rastafari."
  The Rastafarian movement began with the teachings of Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), a black Jamaican who led a "Back to Africa" movement. He taught that Africans are the true Israelites and have been exiled to Jamaica and other parts of the world as divine punishment.
Garvey encouraged pride in being black and worked to reverse the mindset of inferiority that centuries of enslavement had ingrained on the minds of blacks. Garvey is regarded as a second John the Baptist and famously prophesied in 1927, "Look to Africa, for there a king shall be crowned."
   On November 2, 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia (he ruled until 1974). At his coronation he took the name Haile Selassie, meaning "Might of the Trinity."
   Rastafarians believe in the Judeo-Christian God, whom they call Jah. In general, Rastafarian beliefs are based in Judaism and Christianity, with an emphasis on Old Testament laws and prophecies and the Book of Revelation. Allegorical meaning is often sought in the Holy Piby.
   Jah was manifested on earth as Jesus, who Rastas believe was black, and Emperor Haile Selassie. Selassie is referred to as His Imperial Majesty or H.I.M. and believed to still be alive - his death was a hoax and he lives in protection awaiting the Day of Judgment. Selassie is worshipped as divine.
   Rastafarians are perhaps best known for their religious use of marijuana, which grows plentifully in Jamaica. Rastas know it as ganja, the holy herb, Iley or callie, and believe it was given by God.

Glossary of Literature Terms

Forms of Fiction

Novels - these are long works of prose fiction, especially one that is relatively realistic.

Novella - this is a work of prose fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

Short Story - this is a fictional narrative, usually a prose, rarely longer than thirty pages and often much briefer.

Elements of Prose Fiction

Narative Techniques - these are techniques used by the writer when writing a story.

Point of View - this is the method of narrating a short story, narrative, poem or work of nonfiction .

Characterisation - this is the presentation of a character, whether by direct discription, by showing the character in action, or by the presentation of other characters who help to define each other.

Theme - this refers to an underlying idea of the work.  It is a conception of human experience suggested by the concrete details.

Setting - This refers to the time and place a story, poem or play takes place.

Plot - This refers to the episodes in a narrative or dramatic work - that is what happens.

Style - this refers to the manner of expression, evident not only in the choice of words but also in the choice of certain kinds of sentence structure, characters, settings and themes.

Literary Devices

Irony - this refers to the contrast between what is said and what is meant.

Imagery - this refers to the words and phrases that create vivid, sensory experiences for the reader.

Symbol - this is a person, place, object or activity that stands for something beyond itself,

Satire - this is a literary technique in which ideas, costums, behaviours or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.

Allusion - this is reference to a historical or fictional person, place or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar.

Structural Devices

Stream of Consciousness - this is a style of fiction that takes as its subject the flow of thought, responses and sensations of one or more characters.

Interior Monologue - this is a passage of writing which presents a character's inner thoughts and emotions in direct, sometimes disjointed or fragmentary manner.

Flashback - this is an account of conversation of na episode or event that happened before the start of the story.

Foreshadowing - this is when a writer uses hints or clues that suggests what events will occur later in the narrative.

Time Frame - this is the period in a story in which something takes place or is projected to happen.

Motif - this is a recurring word, phrase, image, object, idea or action in a work of literature.

Juxtaposition - this is the use of two themes, characters, phrases, words or situations together for comparisons or contrasts.

Eight Types Of Fictions

1. Science Fiction
2. Realistic Fiction
3. Mystery Fiction
4. Animal Fiction
5. Fantasy Fiction
6. Autobiography Fiction
7. Folktales
8. Humorous Fiction

Literary Context

Social Context - this refers to the environment of people that surrounds an intended audience.

Political Context - this reflects the environment in which something is produced indicating its purpose of agenda.

Historical Context - this reflects the time in which something takes place or was created and how that influences how you interpret it.

Religious Context  - this refers to the religion in which someone belongs to and the way in which people from different religions interpret things.

Cultural Context -  this refers to the way in which people with different cultural backgrounds interpret things.