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= William Shakespeare English Task - Oscar Shao and Patrick Ma 8L =

Overview
William Shakespeare was a playwright who lived during the Elizabethan Era. He wrote fantastical plays that the people loved and among them, to name a few, were 'The Tempest', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'Romeo and Juliet'. He is also known as the 'Bard of Avon' and the greatest dramatist of all time.

William Shakespeare's Personal Life
William Shakespeare's life is shrouded in mystery, as not many people recorded more than a tiny bit of information about him, even though his plays were well known and enjoyed. This is what we know about his personal life. Church records indicate that William Shakespeare was baptised somewhere around the 26th of April 1564(this is also the date that scholars acknowledge as his birth date) and was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. Before William's birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. He(William Shakespeare) married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester. Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at age 11. For seven years after this, there are no records of him and and his activities. Scholars call these the 'Lost Years'.

Shakespearean Speak
The words and vocabulary used back then are not often known by people today. For example, doth means does. Quite different. Below is a list of some of the many words used back then.

Ague - a fever

Artisan - a worker in a skilled trade

Bartholomew Fair - a summer fair in London; a play by Ben Jonson

Beauteous - beautiful

Bedfellows - companions

Bermoothes - Bermuda

Bess - nickname for Elizabeth

BoneHouse - a grave

Boon Companion - a close friend

Branle - lively circle dance

Cathay - China

Cant/Canting - slang spoken by criminals

Certes - I assure you

Chaplet - a garland for the head

Choleric - to do with the bodily fluid that creates n aggressive mood

Christendom - the civilised world

Contemn’d - rejected

Cudgel - beat with a club

Cutpurse - pickpocket

Doth - does

Entreat - plead with

Familiars - the pets of witches

Feigns - pretends

Foppish - too concerned with clothes and appearance

Fray -  a fight

Fury - a spirit of punishment

Gallant - well-dressed aristocrat

Gallimaufry - a stew of mixed savouries and sweets

Goal - a jail

Garret - an attic room

Gewgaw - a showy object

Goodwife - a housewife

Groundling - an audience member who stands on the ground near the stage

Hast - you have

Hob - a sprite or hobgoblin

Humour - one of the four bodily fluids believed to influence personality and mood

In Sooth - in truth

Japery - a joke; playfulness

Jest - a joke

Leman - a lover

Livery - a uniform worn by officials of a noble household

Lo - behold

Marriage Banns - an announcement of an upcoming marriage

May had - perhaps

Melancholic - to do with the bodily fluid that creates a thoughtful, depressed mood

Methinks - I think

Missive - a letter

Motley - multicoloured, varied

Nigh - near

Obsidian - shiny black rock

Penny-Pit - the groundlings’ yard in the Globe theatre

Pike - a pointed weapon

Phlegmatic - to do with the bodily fluid that creates a calm, lazy mood

Player - an actor

Porpentine - a porcupine

Privy - private

Providence - blessing or protection of God

Pullet - a young hen

Puritan - a person of strict beliefs and morals

Rusticate - pass time in the country

Sages - wise ones

Sanguine - to do with the bodily fluid that creates a passionate, cheerful mood

Score - a group or a set of twenty

Shrew - a bad tempered person

Siren - a creature whose song leads sailors to their deaths

Shrovetide - Shrove Tuesday and the two days before it

Smutch-Handed - with dirty hands

Tapster - a person who serves drinks

Thee - you(used between close friends and family)

Tho’ - though

‘Twixt - between

Valet - male servant

Volta - a dance with high leaps

Wench - a young woman

Wert - were

Withal - with; in addition

Woo - declare love for

Wrangling - arguing

Wroth - angry

Religion
During the Elizabethan Era, there we two major religions. Catholic and Protestant. The belief in these religions were so immense, that they lead to the executions of anyone adherent to either religion.

Witchcraft and Superstition
During the Elizabethan Era, people believed in superstitions and witches. They believed that witches flew on flying broomsticks, brewed potions, had familiars(pets of sorts) and were warty old hags. Some superstitions that they believed in were: sneezing, eclipse and the 7th son,of a seventh son, black cats and broken mirrors.

The Great Chain of Being
The Great Chain of Being is a hierarchical structure of all matter and life though to be decreed by God. The chain starts with God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, commoners, wild animals, domesticated animals, trees, other plants, precious stones, precious metals and other minerals.

Divine Right of Kings
The Divine Right of Kings, divine right, or God's mandate is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God. The king is thus not subject to the will of his people, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the realm. It implies that only God can judge an unjust king and that any attempt to depose, dethrone or restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute a sacrilegious act. It is often expressed in the phrase "by the Grace of God", attached to the titles of a reigning monarch.

Elizabethan England
England became much healthier and ‘optimistic’ than ever before, and thus saw a boom in literature- especially poetry. England trumps over the Spanish- a hated rival kingdom- and financially the people grew much healthier under Elizabeth’s rule. The people believed most commonly in Catholic and Protestant faiths. The living standards, even though an improvement from previous years, were still low. Hygiene was poor among the lower ranks they often had to go hungry. Upper classes wore expensive silks and exotic fabrics like velvet. Furs were also considered fashionable. Woolen clothing was more common in lower classes. Education was poor, with only nobles receiving proper schooling (peasants were often not rich enough to afford to finish education). The most common entertainment was theatre- plays, like those written by William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's Work and the Conventions of a Comedy and Tragedy
Shakespeare’s many works are regarded as classics of literature. His comedies usually involve a young couple falling in love but not being allowed to marry, some element of separation then unification, mistaken identities and disguises, a clever servant, family tensions, complex and interwoven plots, frequent use of puns, and jokes/pranks. His tragedies, on the other hand, are usually about social breakdowns, unavoidable doom (prophecies and such), and usually end in everyone dying. The main character is usually strong and noble, but has a character flaw that results in their eventual downfall.

Gender Comparison - Masculine and Feminine, Elizabethan and Now
As of many earlier eras, women were seen as less capable and strong than men and as such were given more humble roles. Men had great influence over women, and women were expected to do what men commanded. The women only received education if they were a member of nobility, and after marriage, were expected to stay at home and work around the house. Men, on the other hand, handled much of society’s decisions. However, it is interesting that the monarch at the time was a woman.

Bibliography/Referencing

 * Great chain of being - Wikipedia. 2018. Great chain of being - Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being. [Accessed 15 May 2018].
 * Divine right of kings - Wikipedia. 2018. Divine right of kings - Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings. [Accessed 15 May 2018].
 * Religion in Elizabethan England. 2018. Religion in Elizabethan England. Available at: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/religion-elizabethan-england.htm . [Accessed 15 May 2018].
 * http://elizabethanenglandlife.com/the-life-and-roles-of-elizabethan-era-women.html
 * https://owlcation.com/humanities/Shakespeares-Plays-Comedy-Tragedy-History