Background: Shakespeare and R&J

Who is considered by many to be the greatest play writer of all time and the best author in the English language?

• Romeo Montague

• William Shakespeare

• Maya Angelou

• Amy Tan

• John Donne

The ruler during most of Shakespeare's time was ___. Luckily for him, this ruler supported English culture, including the use of the English language.

• King Henry VIII

• Queen Elizabeth I

• King James

• Prince Charles

In the 1590's, the city of ___ had more theaters than any other city in the world.

• London

• Prague

• Manchester

• Rome

Select the ways that Shakespeare's writing appealed to ALL who watched his plays:

• References to literature that the upper class would understand

• Dirty jokes that the lower class would appreciate

• Characters who were normal people, just not kings, queens, and warriors

• Elaborate scenery to help establish the setting

Where did Shakespeare and his company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men, perform many of their plays?

• The queen's castle

• the Globe Theater

• the London Playwright's Hall

• along the banks of the River Thames

TRUE or FALSE: During Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed to perform in plays, so the women's roles were played by men.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Which of the following did Shakespeare NOT contribute to the English language?

• New words

• New phrases

• New expressions

• New letters

Which is true about Shakespeare's education?

• He attended England's oldest university, Oxford

• As a member of the upper class, he was educated by private tutors

• He went to the same local public school that his sisters attended

• He probably attended a local school that taught classic literature and Latin

A drama that ends in a terrible way, usually with death, for the main characters is called a

• soliloquy

• aside

• monologue

• tragedy

Shakespeare made his tragedy plays more appealing by adding ___ to balance out the tragic moments.

• Comedy

• Mystery

• Horror

• Foreshadowing