Shakespeare was born to middle class parents. His father, John, was a Stratford businessman

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to middle class parents. His father, John, was a Stratford businessman. He was a glove maker who owned a leather shop. John Shakespeare was a well known and respected man in the town. He held several important local governmental positions. William Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden. Though she was the daughter of a local farmer, she was related to a family of considerable wealth and social standing. Mary Arden and John Shakespeare were married in 1557. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. He was one of eight children. The Shakespeare's were well respected prominent people. When William Shakespeare was about seven years old, he probably began attending the Stratford Grammar School with other boys of his social class. Students went to school year round attending school for nine hours a day. The teachers were strict disciplinarians. Though Shakespeare spent long hours at school, his boyhood was probably fascinating. Stratford was a lively town and during holidays, it was

  • Word count: 933
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Discuss the role of the Mechanicals and the significance of their play in this text

Discuss the role of Nick Bottom and the significance of his portrayal in this text The significance and role of Nick Bottom is made prominent by Shakespeare. This is due to the fact that the play he is in is relevant not just to the text, but also to Shakespeare in terms of his personal life and in historical context. Nick Bottom is part of the mechanicals who are a group of six men who meet to rehearse and later perform a play. Five of the mechanicals are performers and one is a narrator. Nick Bottom plays Pyramus in this play. It is based around two characters that fall in love; however circumstances prevent them from seeing each other. The play is to be performed for Theseus and Hippolyta at their wedding. The Mechanicals are a group of six men who would have been examples of ordinary men in Shakespeare's day. People's reaction to the play in Shakespeare's day is important in the analysis of this play. The mechanicals are significant to the overall play in their resemblance to amateur actors of the Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare depicts the mechanicals as stereotypes of amateur actors of his day who were usually extremely poor. This is illustrated in the play through the unprofessional portrayal of Bottom. This is highlighted by the point in the play when Nick Bottom talks to the audience: 'No, in truth sir, he should not. 'Deceiving me' is Thisbe's cue. She is to enter

  • Word count: 1400
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Compare and contrast the presentation of the Supernatural within your Devised Thematic Coursework with the theatrical treatment of this theme in different times and cultures.

GCSE Drama Written Coursework Compare and contrast the presentation of the Supernatural within your Devised Thematic Coursework with the theatrical treatment of this theme in different times and cultures. We decided to perform a piece of the supernatural having seen a production of a 'Woman in Black.' The texts that we used as the basis of our piece came from Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. The style of our piece was very comic and bold, all the actors with the exception of one were ghosts, which made the play unique. My particular acting role involved contributing to the 'ghostliness' of the play by enacting the outraged and far from scary ghost, Macbeth. The fact that none of us resembled anything 'scary' at all made the play all the more comic. The lighting effects we used in order to create atmosphere were not those usually associated with the supernatural. On the occasions that the lights were dim, this was not to create suspense or tension but to prevent the audience from seeing certain parts of the stage. The lighting effect most used was 'general cover' to create a sense of normality, as opposed to a supernatural sense. The style we really wanted to portray to a modern audience was a comic one. The 'ghostly' figures were therefore portrayed as being comical and not the conventional 'spooky' that we see so often today which could be very

  • Word count: 974
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Do you think the presentation of the Mechanicals, and their play, is funny or patronising, or do you think Shakespeare intended us to take them seriously?

Do you think the presentation of the Mechanicals, and their play, is funny or patronising, or do you think Shakespeare intended us to take them seriously? In the play I believe that the Mechanicals have no direct link to the lovers, I think that this highlights their role in the play as a source of comedy. Although one may be led to differ because of the Mechanical's performance at the end of the play I still believe this to be the case. The Mechanicals, who all have funny names, as a group represent simple, ordinary people. If not a little less intellectual and a little more clumsy than ordinary people. Their simplicity is reflected by the description of them as "Hard-handed men", this suggests that they are ordinary laborious people. Their preparations for an attempt to put on a play for Theseus and Hippolyta are ludicrous and hilarious but their honesty suggests a geniune effort , which at the end of the play one is inclined to respect. The Mechanicals first appear in Act 1 Scene 2. They meet in the woods to reheasre the play. This scene is comically effective because these somewhat unsophisticated men seem to take themselves so very seriously and because of their obvious misuse of english. This scene shows us that the Mechanicals' humour is very farce, in that it is very obvious and direct. In this scene the audience finds out immediately that the Mechanicals are

  • Word count: 978
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, daughter of a local farmer. Church records prove that Shakespeare was one of eight children to the Shakespeare household,

WILL'S LIFE. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon on April 23rd 1564. Records from the Holy Trinity Church show that he was baptised on 26th April 1564. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, daughter of a local farmer. Church records prove that Shakespeare was one of eight children to the Shakespeare household, sadly however, three died during childhood. Shakespeare is said to have gone to a free grammar school in his home town, but there is no proof. The excellence and talent of his works show that he had a solid education. Next in Shakespeare's life was his marriage to Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare was 18, but Anne was 26, and she was pregnant. The couple were married on November 26th 1582. Their first child Susannah was born on May 26th 1583. Finally came along the twins, Hamnet and Judith on February 2nd 1585. Sadly, Hamnet died during her childhood at the age of 11. For seven years, Shakespeare disappears from all records, and this has now been called ' The lost years. ' In 1592, William turned up in London. By 1594 Shakespeare was acting and writing plays. William's success meant that he could buy a new house, and he retired in Stratford in the year 1611. William Shakespeare also wrote his will in 1611, ( a copy of the will is in the project. ) and it is alleged that he died on his Birthday, April

  • Word count: 254
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Performing "Snow White"

Nicole Daniel 1 Clitherow Written Examination Drama Essay- Part 1 This coursework is going to be based on an extract from the play "More Grimm Tales" which was formerly written by "Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm" and "Wilhelm Carl Grimm" but later on adapted by Carol Ann Duffy. My group and me are performing "Snow White" which is an extract from "More Grimm Tales", In the play I perform two parts they are the part of the prince and three different dwarfs, as the prince my character is bold and courageous it is my duty as the prince to rescue Snow White and make her my bride. My role as dwarfs is to perform them in with different personalities. The personalities I have to I have to be performing are sleepy, happy, and doc. In my coursework am going to be describing the similarities and differences between the text and performance of "Snow White" and "The complete works of William Shakespeare", I am going to pay great detail to the social, historical, and cultural aspects of the texts, I will also be making comparisons with the designs, styles, characterisations and ideas within the plays. The play "More Grimm Tales" is a European folklore tale, which was written in the 19th century it incorporates the fairytales of the "Grimm Brothers". The story was developed and adapted by Carol Ann Duffy who rewrote the story in 1953 and turned them into play form, the play I am performing

  • Word count: 1444
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Historical references_Faust

Faust I Prologue in Heaven * The scene begins with the Three Archangels, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael, confessing their inability to comprehend the awe-inspiring works of God.In the Christian tradition, archangels are angels of the highest rank and are associated with certain functions or responsibilities.In "Prologue in Heaven," they personify the cosmos: Raphael describes and represents the heavens, Gabriel the earth, and Michael the elements. * Mephistopheles.Goethe's devil is inspired by a number of different literary sources, not just Christian. * The basic structure of the dialogue between the Lord and Mephistopheles is inspired by the first two chapters of The book of Job, in which Satan obtains permission from God to try and tempt Job to do evil. * Faust. The real Georg (or Johann) Faust was born in 1480 and died in 1540. Although contemporary sources suggest he was quite well known in Germany during his lifetime, his fame and notoriety is the result of an incredibly popular collection of (barely believable) anecdotes and stories about him called Volksbuch, which was published in 1587. The Volksbuch was an important source of inspiration to Goethe and other authors as they wrote about Faust. Night * The opening monologue is an indirect adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical history of Doctor Faustus. * Faust has in his possession a book by

  • Word count: 1759
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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William Shakespeare and his life.

Question 1: William Shakespeare and his life Very little it known about William Shakespeare's early years. There is no record of this live birth, but all that is known is that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April of 1564. But there is record of him being baptized on the 26th of April, and since he died on the 23rd of April, most historians say that he was born on April 23rd, the same day he was born. William's parents were John and Mary Shakespeare. His father held very high position in the little town. He was a whittawer and was a member of the city council, then constable, chamberlain, alderman, and the high bailiff (almost town mayor). A record of steep debt pulled John out of the high position and was kicked out of church for not paying his debts. Mary mothered 8 children, including William. William was the 3rd child and the first son. He would have attended Stratford's grammar school, of course, like all other records of the time, any documents proving his attendance have been lost. On November 28, 1582, a town bishop issued a wedding bond for William "Shagspeare" and Anne Hathaway. Anne was three months pregnant at the time of the wedding and 8 years his senior. On May 26, 1583, Susanna, their first child, was baptized. Two years later, Anne gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith, Hamnet wouldn't live past the age of 11. Their isn't any record known record

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Coalbrookdale Sources Question

History Coursework Coalbrookdale Question 4 Study Sources G, K and L. Use the evidence of these sources and your own knowledge, to explain the importance of good communications to the success of iron production in the Coalbrookdale area. It is clear from these sources that the importance of good communications was emense in Coalbrookdale and to the success of iron production. In source G, Abraham Darby II's wife Mrs Abiah Darby writes that Abraham Darby was the author of many improvements. This means that he improved the transport system in Coalbrookdale for the use of his production. He made roads with sleepers and rails as she says and this would have been very useful because the wagons could carry vast amounts of goods down the roads in an easy journey whereas before, he had just uses ordinary roads and ordinary horse and carriage. Another benefit of this is that the 3 horses that pulled the new wagons could carry as much as twenty horses could previously so the improvements were massive and this is why Abraham Darby was such a good innovator. Perhaps the most important factor was the discovery of Coke for smelting. As Abiah Darby says, the Coalbrookdale iron trade, or the Darby's iron trade in particular would have dwindled away if it weren't for this discovery as woods for charcoal would have been totally used up in no time. This is important to realise because the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Are we meant only to laugh at Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, or does he express some more serious wisdom?

Terence Landman Drama Exercise Student Number: A Midsummer Night's Dream 605L2621 Friday 12 August Are we meant only to laugh at Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, or does he express some more serious wisdom? In this exercise there will be an in depth analysis of Bottom the weaver and to what extent his folly may morph into wisdom of various sorts. This exercise will attempt to describe how Bottom is both foolish and wise (wise in his foolishness and foolish in his wisdom). The exercise will also analyse the parody found within the texts spoken by Bottom and that of Corinthians and the possible implications it might have on the level of wisdom to which Bottom can be judged. Bottom's monologue in act 4.1.211 line 205- 207 states the following: " The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was!" If we compare this to the King James version (1611) of 1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 we can see, to a large extent, that they are extremely similar and is indeed a parody: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit: for the spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God" The Geneva Bible (1557) however

  • Word count: 736
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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