- 3 children, one son died
- Joined the „Lord Chamberlain´s Men”
- → The King´s Men (King James I.)
- 37 plays
- 154 sonnets with theme of romantic love
-
Plays: consist of neologisms, jokes, wordplay &
stylistic devises
Scripts: dialogs & monologs
THE ELIZABETHAN AGE
• Elizabeth I. = the virgin Queen
• Reigned 1558 -1603
• Protestant country
• Opposition from catholics and radical protestants
WORLD VIEW
• Hierarchical order of universe
• Higher being had more authority & responsibility
than lower beings
• God= Ruler (Herrscher) of the macrocosm
• Monarch = ruler of political world
• Macrocosm = universe
• Microcosm = human body
• Women had fewer rights than men
• the great chain of being →
• the four elements and the four humours →
• -> health depends on humour
• science and astronomy
• -> zodiac signs and future-telling: culturally
important
• church wasn't as important anymore
Role of women in Tudor England
Purpose to give birth, marry, obey financial burden inferior, no legal rights or education
→ often presented as victims
, SHAKESPEAREAN PLAYS
TRAGEDY : -downfall of a protagonist / antihero
o Themes: Love, hate, ambition, at the hands of fate (durch Schicksal)
power, & world as a stage - Tragic flaw (Fehler) causes his ruin → Guilt
felt by protagonist
COMEDIES: -untypical HISTORICAL PLAYS: -portraits of English
-complicated plot, intelligent servant, Monarchs
ridiculous costumes & funny romantic
love
WAR OF ROSES (1455 to 1485)
• Fight between two families that claimed the right to the throne
• House of York & the House of Lancaster
• Several battles between Yorkists and Lancastrians
• Richard III based on true incidents
RICHARD III
Drama by Shakespeare (1593) Movie by Loncraine (1995)
• Set in dystopian 1930s Britain
• “a kingdom for a horse!” • → military war, guns, bombs, tanks
• Hunched back and arm • Different deformity (face & mouth)
• Margaret has witchlike qualities • No Queen Margaret (curses
(Eccentric, lonely and old, curses) practiced by Duchess of York)
• Hastings´chopped off head • Hastings´ death proof: photo
, Pursuit of power
Manipulating Anne:
Methods to manipulate others:
➢ Charming & flattering her
• Bully – forces you to do st by threatening,
(distraction)
being aggressive or intimidating
➢ Denies to have killed her husband
& father
• Victim – makes you feel guilty if you don´t
➢ Bribing her with his ring →
do what they want → we want to help the
expects reciprocity)
victim by doing it anyways
➢ Makes her feel guilty by
presenting himself as a victim
• Gaslighting – manipulator gives us the
Manipulating his allies:
feeling that we did st wrong, but he actually
➢ Playing the victim (deformity)
twisted the case
➢ Pretending to be good to God
➢ Accusing Hastings of treachery
• Mr. Nice guy – doing favors for others,
➢ Blames Edward IV for Clarence´s
expecting reciprocity (Gegenseitigkeit) → if
death
we don´t pay back, we´re ungrateful
➢ Spreading fake rumors about
others (eg. Anne´s death)
Ambitious
Authoritarian
Manipulative
Unscrupulous
Self-pitying
Calculating
Richard III.
Machiavelli’s points Honesty and
about pursuit of power integrity
Be highly esteemed Be brave
(angesehen) → good
relation to society
Act thoughtfully
and decisively
(entschlossen)
Be intelligent
Think independently