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Page 3 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616) William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest ever English writers. Some of Shakespeare s better known plays include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 before moving to London to become an actor at the age of 21. He wrote different genres of plays throughout his career, starting out mainly with comedies and histories before moving on to tragedies as he grew older. In 1599, along with some fellow actors, Shakespeare built a theatre on the South Bank of the River Thames which he named The GloBe. It was here that many of his plays were performed. Today visitors to London can still watch Shakespeare s plays at the restored Globe Theatre. William Shakespeare was a very well-known character in Tudor England. It is thought that Queen Elizabeth I was fan of his plays.
Page 4 QUEEN ELIZABETH I (1558-1603) ELIZABETH I is also known as the Virgin Queen and Good Queen Bess. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and succeeded her half-sister Mary I to the throne of England. After many turbulent years, her long reign gave some much needed stability to England. She never married, realizing perhaps that by doing so she surrendered power and control over England to her husband. Instead she declared herself married to England. Elizabeth was a Protestant and England became a protestant country again. This led to war with Spain and in 1558 the Spanish Armada was famously defeated off the coast of England. When she died without any children the Scottish King James VI also became King of England, James VI. Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor rulers.
Page 5 GLOBE THEATRE The GLOBE THEATRE was a theatre in London built by William Shakespeare with some of his fellow actors. It was built in 1599 on the South Bank of the River Thames. It was here that many of his plays were performed. It was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. THE MODERN GLOBE This theatre is located on Bankside, about 230 metres from the original site. The building itself is constructed of wood. The seats are simple benches and the Globe has the first and only thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666. The theatre has many backstage areas for actors and musicians. Attached to the theatre there are also a modern lobby, restaurant, gift shop, and a visitor centre. Seating capacity is 857 with an additional 700. This makes up an audience about half the size of a typical audience in Shakespeare s time.
Page 6 SHAKESPEARE S PLAYS A. TRAGEDIES 1. Antony and Cleopatra (1607-1608) 2. Coriolanus (1607-1608) 3. Hamlet (1600-1601) 4. Julius Caesar (1599-1600) 5. King Lear (1605-1606) 6. Macbeth (1605-1606) 7. Othello (1604-1605) 8. Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595) 9. Timon of Athens (1607-1608) 10. Titus Andronicus (1593-1594) B. HISTORIES 1. Henry IV, Part I(1597-1598) 2. HenryIV, Part II (1597-1598) 3. Henry V (1598-1599) 4. Henry VI, Part I (1591-1592) 5. Henry VI, Part II (1590-1591) 6. Henry VI, Part III (1590-1591) 7. Henry VIII, (1612-1613) 8. King John (1596-1597) 9. Richard II (1595-1596) 10. Richard III (1592-1593)
Page 7 C. COMEDIES 1. All s Well that Ends Well (1602-1603) 2. As You Like It ( 1599-1600) 3. The Comedy of Errors ( 1592-1593) 4. Cymbeline ( 1609-1610) 5. Love s Labour s Lost (1594-1595) 6. Measure for Measure ( 1604-1605) 7. The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597) 8. The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601) 9. A Midsummer Night s Dream (1595-1596) 10. Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599) 11. Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609) 12. The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594) 13. The Tempest (1611-1612) 14. Troilus and Cressida ( 1601-1602) 15. Twelfth Night (1599-1600) 16. Two Gentlemen of Verona ( 1594-1595) 17. The Winter s Tale (1610-1611)
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Page 9 ROMEO AND JULIET by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1. Who is Romeo? Romeo was the only son of Montagues, an important family in Verona who had always been fighting with the Capulets, Juliet s family. Romeo was a dreamer, a romantic boy. He is the best example of how love s strength can win men s silly fights. 2. Who is Juliet? Juliet is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet. She was thirteen years old. Her father wanted her to marry Paris, a noble gentleman of Verona and friend of Prince of the City. Her family was one of the most prominent families of the city. The Capulet s enemies were the Montagues, members of the second oldest family of Verona. They had hated each other for many years and it was forbidden to have any relationship between the two families.
Page 10 3. What happened when Romeo saw Juliet for the first time? Romeo saw Juliet for the first time during the party. He went to her and told her that his lips wanted to kiss hers. At the very beginning Juliet was a bit surprised but she couldn t resist any longer: Romeo was very charming and they kissed each other twice. Unfortunately the nurse arrived to take Juliet home and introduced each lover to the other, as they didn t know the partner s identity (they were wearing masks). 4. Where did Romeo and Juliet meet after the party? They met in the garden of the Capulets. Juliet was there thinking of her first love. She was conscious that their love would meet many difficulties owing to their parents. Romeo listened to her monologue and then told her that he would always love her. So they decided to get married in a secret way. 5. How do you know that Juliet fell in love with Romeo? The same night when Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio his friends left the party, Juliet went to her room and started talking to the moon. She said she was in love with the wrong person because of their names and their families. Suddenly she heard a voice, it was Romeo. He hadn t left the Capulet s House and had jumped over the garden wall and arrived under Juliet s balcony. The two lovers promised love to each other and decided to have a secret wedding the following day. 6. Who agreed to help the two lovers? Romeo went to Friar Laurence who was in his garden: he was a friend and a teacher of him and agreed to help the two lovers. The monk decided to marry them because he thought that marriage could help make the Capulets and the Montagues friends. Another person who agreed to help Romeo and Juliet was Juliet s nurse who loved the girl a lot. 7. Friar Laurence had a plan; what was wrong with his plan? Friar Laurence had a plan. Juliet had to drink a potion and with it could deceive her family because they would have thought she was dead. 8. How did Romeo kill himself? Romeo was so desperate that decided to kill himself: he went to Juliet s tomb after having defeated Paris and he poisoned himself.
Page 11 9. What did Juliet do after she had woken up? When Juliet woke up, she saw her lover dead and so she decided to kill really herself: she didn t accept the monk s help and she took a knife and she killed herself. 10. What was the Prince s speech at the end of the play? The Prince of Verona was very sad and gave a short speech: he said that there were two people dead and the Capulets and the Montagues had to become friends
Page 12 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Major Characters Christopher Sly A drunken man who is fooled by a nobleman into thinking he is a great lord. The play that follows is performed for his entertainment. Baptista Minola A gentleman from Padua, he has two daughters and insists on finding a husband for the elder before permitting the younger to marry. Katherine Baptista s elder daughter, she is the shrew of the title. She terrorizes everyone around her, including her father, younger sister and anyone who dares pay court to her until she is tamed by Petruchio. Bianca Baptista s younger daughter, she is sweet and compliant and has many suitors, but is not permitted to marry until a match is found for the shrewish Kate. Vincentio A merchant from Pisa whose son is in love with Bianca. Lucentio Vincentio s son, he is in love with Bianca and is determined to win her hand at any cost. He finally succeeds. In order to do so he pretends to be a tutor named Cambio. Tranio Lucentio s servant.
Page 13 Biondello Another servant of Lucentio. Gremio An elderly suitor for Bianca s hand. Hortensio Another one of Bianca s suitors, he disguises himself as a music teacher to spend time with her. Widow Hortensio s wife. Petruchio An adventurer out to win a fortune by marriage, he determines to tame the shrew where all before have failed and win Kate s love. Grumio Chief servant to Petruchio. Pedant An elderly scholar hired by Tranio.
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Page 15 ΟΙ ΜΑΘΗΤΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΤ 1 ΤΑΞΗΣ : ΟΡΕΣΤΗΣ ΑΙΜΠΙΚΑΙ ΡΟΖΑΡ ΑΙΤΣΟΥΚΙ ΜΑΡΙΑ ΓΑΛΑΝΗ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑ ΓΑΛΙΔΑΚΗ ΛΥΔΙΑ ΓΕΒΡΕΚΟΥ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΓΚΟΛΙΝΑΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΔΕΡΜΑΤΗΣ ΝΑΣΟΣ ΕΥΜΟΡΦΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΜΑΡΙΟΣ ΖΩΤΟ ΙΝΒΑ ΙΝΤΡΙΖΗ ΜΑΡΙΑ ΚΑΡΑΝΤΖΑΒΕΛΟΥ ΝΕΦΕΛΗ ΚΟΚΑ ΑΛΚΗΣΤΙΣ ΚΟΚΑΡΑ & Η ΔΑΣΚΑΛΑ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΩΝ του τμήματός μας ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΑ ΗΛΙΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ