Introduction to Shakespeare's Othello Notes

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About William Shakespeare:

- Shakespeare was born in April 1564

- Location born: Stratford-on-Avon

-Education: received a classical education, including in languages such as Latin and Greek. Also received education in history, math, music and astronomy.

- Most likely started as an actor in the beginning.

- Shakespeare wrote 38 plays that included comedies, histories, romances and tragedies.

- Shakespeare also wrote 4 lengthy poems and a sonnet cycle

Shakespeare Vocab:

- Verse: a poetic language that includes a meter and sometimes a rhyme; has a consistent number of syllables and in organized lines.

- Prose: an ordinary written language with no rhythm or meter; still organized in sentences.

* Usage: Verse can be used for high status characters and tragic moments while Prose can be used for low status characters.

- Meter: pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Responsible for creating a rhythm of a line.

- Foot: a group of syllables that make one complete unit of a metrical pattern.