1.
Twelfth Night
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Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Nights entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck, Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man, the first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the years calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio, Illyria, the setting of Twelfth Night, is important to the plays romantic atmosphere. Illyria was an ancient region of the Western Balkans whose coast covered the coasts of modern-day Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and it included the city state of the Republic of Ragusa which has been proposed as the setting. Illyria may have suggested by the Roman comedy Menaechmi, the plot of which also involves twins who are mistaken for each other. Illyria is also referred to as a site of pirates in Shakespeares earlier play, Henry VI, the names of most of the characters are Italian but some of the comic characters have English names. Oddly, the Illyrian lady Olivia has an English uncle, Sir Toby Belch and it has been noted that the plays setting also has other English allusions such as Violas use of Westward ho. Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain and she loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be drowned. Disguising herself as a man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Duke Orsino then uses Cesario as an intermediary to profess his love before Olivia. Olivia, however, forgetting about the seven years in his case, falls in love with Cesario, in the comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivias pompous steward, Malvolio, believe that Olivia has fallen for him. This involves Olivias uncle, Sir Toby Belch, another suitor, a silly squire named Sir Andrew Aguecheek, her servants Maria and Fabian. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engage themselves in drinking and revelry, thus disturbing the peace of Olivias house until late into the night, Sir Toby famously retorts, Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are urged to plan revenge on Malvolio and they convince Malvolio that Olivia is secretly in love with him by planting a love letter, written by Maria in Olivias handwriting. It asks Malvolio to wear yellow stockings cross-gartered, to be rude to the rest of the servants, Malvolio finds the letter and reacts in surprised delight. He starts acting out the contents of the letter to show Olivia his positive response, Olivia is shocked by the changes in Malvolio and leaves him to the contrivances of his tormentors. Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they lock him up in a dark chamber, Feste visits him to mock his insanity, both disguised as a priest and as himself
2.
William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet, and the Bard of Avon and his extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a career in London as an actor, writer. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, in his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and it was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as not of an age, but for all time. In the 20th and 21st centuries, his works have been adapted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship. His plays remain highly popular and are studied, performed. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden and he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual date of birth unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholars mistake, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next day, two of Hathaways neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded the marriage, twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596, after the birth of the twins, Shakespeare left few historical traces until he is mentioned as part of the London theatre scene in 1592. The exception is the appearance of his name in the bill of a law case before the Queens Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term 1588 and 9 October 1589
3.
Steward (office)
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It was also a term used to refer to the chief servant of a landed estate. From Old English stíweard, stiȝweard, from stiȝ hall, household + weard warden, keeper, corresponding to Dutch, stadhouder, German Statthalter place holder, the Old English term stíweard is attested from the 11th century. Its first element is most probably stiȝ- house, hall, Old French estuard and Old Norse stívarðr are adopted from the Old English. The German and Dutch term is a parallel but independent formation corresponding to obsolete English stead holder, in medieval times, the steward was initially a servant who supervised both the lords estate and his household. However over the course of the century, other household posts arose. This meant that in the 13th century, there were two stewards in each house—one who managed the gang estate and the other, the majordomo. Stewards commonly earned up to 3 to 4 pounds per year, Stewards took care of their lords castles when they were away. Also, stewards checked on the taxes of the serfs on his lords manor, the Lord High Steward of England held a position of power in the 12th to 14th centuries, and the Lord Steward is the first dignitary of the court. The Stewart family traces its appellation to the office of the High Steward of Scotland, Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary office held since the 15th century. In the Netherlands, it developed into a type of de facto hereditary head of state of the thus crowned Dutch Republic. Stadtholders were appointed by feudal lords to govern parts of their territory, in the Low Countries from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, this was originally an essentially honorary title awarded by the Spanish Habsburg kings to major noblemen in each province. During the latter, the office was known as Rigsstatholder. The Statholder governed Norway on behalf of the King, as Norway was a separate kingdom with its own laws and institutions, it was arguably the most influential office in both Denmark-Norway and in the Swedish-Norwegian realm second to that of the king. The office was held by the Crown Prince, who was styled as Viceroy. The term Statholder means place holder, i. e. the one governing on behalf of the king, the modern Norwegian spelling is stattholder. The Croatian office of the Ban was equivalent of a viceroy, Ban was appointed by the monarch with a mandate to govern a part of country, or whole country, in the name of the King of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia. Bosnia was a banate of the Kingdom of Hungary 1136–1377, during that period Bosnia was governed by an autonomous hereditary viceroy, called ban. The last of them, Tvrtko, became the first king of the Kingdom of Bosnia, the Russian equivalent of stadtholder is posadnik, the term sometimes occurs as stadtholder in English-language literature
4.
Olivia (Twelfth Night)
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Olivia is a fictional character from William Shakespeares play Twelfth Night, believed to have been written around 1600 or 1601. She is at the center of the plots, both the comedic and the romantic. Olivia is a lady of noble birth who lives in Illyria. Before the play begins, she has recently lost her brother who was her guardian after her father died. This loss has made her grief-stricken and she has refused to see anyone who does not reside in her household, because of her wealth and beauty Olivia attracts various men who wish to marry her. The play begins with the Duke of Illyria, Orsino, pining away over his love for Olivia while she refuses to him as a suitor. Sir Andrew has been invited to her household by Sir Toby, Malvolio uses his position as steward to gain her affections. Despite all of the going on at her home, Olivia refuses all visitors until Orsino sends his new page. Viola has been shipwrecked and she has taken on the disguise of a boy so that she may work for Orsino with no one knowing her true identity. During the shipwreck, Viola lost her brother, Sebastian, Olivia quickly descends in love with the witty Cesario because Cesario is unafraid of saying what he/she is thinking, even though Cesario never says anything nice to Olivia. Cesario also compliments Olivia on her beauty, something that helps heal Olivias heart from the losses she has recently incurred, Olivia attempts to woo the young Cesario/Viola and repeatedly asks/lures him to come back to her estate by using various tricks and problems. Olivia eventually comes to the conclusion that she must marry him, however, in a case of mistaken identity, she marries Violas twin brother, Sebastian. All ends well however, because Sebastian and his sister are extremely similar, the climax of the play takes place at Olivias estate. It is here that Olivia and Sebastian are hastily married, Viola and Sebastian rediscover each other, Malvolio is rescued, Olivia falls in love with Cesario very quickly and decides that, despite her previous declaration of mourning, she will marry him. This brings to question Olivias sexuality, as Duke Orsino notes Cesario is semblative a womans part, one of Shakespeares most popular plays, Twelfth Night has been produced for both the stage and film multiple times. In 2009, Shakespeare in the Park put on a production starring Anne Hathaway as Viola, in 2014, Mark Rylance played the role in an all-male production that ran in repertory with Richard III. He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Olivia, in the first film version of the play, made in 1910, Julia Swayne Gordon depicted Lady Olivia. Helena Bonham Carter played Olivia in Trevor Nunns film, Twelfth Night, in 2006 the play was adapted into a modern retelling titled Shes the Man, starring Amanda Bynes as Viola and Laura Ramsey as Olivia
5.
Puritans
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Puritanism in this sense was founded as an activist movement within the Church of England. The founders, clergy exiled under Mary I, returned to England shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, Puritanism played a significant role in English history during the first half of the 17th century. One of the most effective stokers of anti-Catholic feeling was John Pym, Puritans were blocked from changing the established church from within and were severely restricted in England by laws controlling the practice of religion. They took on distinctive beliefs about clerical dress and in opposition to the episcopal system and they largely adopted Sabbatarianism in the 17th century, and were influenced by millennialism. Consequently, they became a political force in England and came to power as a result of the First English Civil War. Almost all Puritan clergy left the Church of England after the Restoration of 1660, the nature of the movement in England changed radically, although it retained its character for a much longer period in New England. Puritans by definition were dissatisfied with the extent of the English Reformation. They formed and identified with various groups advocating greater purity of worship and doctrine, as well as personal. Puritans adopted a Reformed theology and, in sense, were Calvinists. In church polity, some advocated separation from all other established Christian denominations in favor of autonomous gathered churches. The Puritans were never a formally defined sect or religious division within Protestantism, the Congregationalist tradition, widely considered to be a part of the Reformed tradition, claims descent from the Puritans. Historically, the word Puritan was considered a term that characterized Protestant groups as extremists. According to Thomas Fuller in his Church History, the dates to 1564. Archbishop Matthew Parker of that used it and precisian with the sense of the modern stickler. In modern times, the word puritan is often used to mean against pleasure, in this sense, the term Puritan was coined in the 1560s, when it first appeared as a term of abuse for those who found the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559 inadequate. The term Puritan, therefore, was not intended to refer to strict morality, a common modern misunderstanding, the word Puritan was applied unevenly to a number of Protestant churches from the late 16th century onwards. Puritans did not originally use the term for themselves, the practitioners knew themselves as members of particular churches or movements, and not by a single term. Precise men and Precisians were other early derogatory terms for Puritans, seventeenth century English Puritan preacher Thomas Watson used the godly to describe Puritans in the title of one of his more famous works The Godly Mans Picture
6.
Sir Toby Belch
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Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night, believed to have been written around 1600. He is considered one of William Shakespeares finest characters, a mix of high spirits. He first appears in the third scene, when he storms onto the stage the morning after a hard night out. What a plague means my niece to take the death of her brother thus, im sure cares an enemy to life. But it also raises the question of how far the audience is expected to sympathize with him, is his criticism of his niece a justified statement of the old truism that life must go on, or an insensitive blunder by a hungover old drunkard. At the beginning Sir Toby appears to be friends with another character, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, however as the play progresses, it transpires that Sir Toby is just taking advantage of Sir Andrews riches, one of the more sinister plots of the generally comedic play. His tormenting of the steward Malvolio is similarly double-edged in its tone of sportful malice, the plot against Malvolio is generally considered a comic highlight of the play, but critics have often complained of its cruelty. The play ends with the still unresolved, and Olivia warning that Malvolio hath been most notoriously abused. Whatever his faults, no study can accuse Sir Toby of snobbishness. Though he taunts Malvolio with the demand Art any more than a steward and he only does so after Malvolio has threatened him with being turned out if he doesnt reform his ways. Indeed part of Malvolios complaint is that Sir Toby and his companions are not acting like noblemen by drinking and singing, in the words of his enemy widow, Sir Toby Belch has no respect of place, persons, nor time. He cannot, or will not, change his behaviour to conform to anything, thus Shakespeare offers him to the audience not as an answer to the problems of love and melancholy in Twelfth Night, but as an alternative spirit, with its own rude energy and boorish flaws
7.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
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Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a comic character in William Shakespeares play Twelfth Night, or What You Will. One of the characters, Sir Andrew is a stereotypical fool, who is goaded into unwisely duelling with Cesario. He is dim-witted, vain and clownish and his role in the play not only provides comedy through his pathetic situation and his long speech, but also by his distinct, long-faced appearance and garish dress sense. The role has been a favorite for noted actors such as Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Paul Scofield, Sir Andrew Aguecheek first appears in the third scene of Act I, as the so-called friend of Sir Toby Belch. Sir Andrew is a guest at the home of Sir Tobys niece Lady Olivia, where Sir Toby, ineptly, Sir Andrew attempts to court Olivia, and her rejection of him, in favour of dashing Cesario, prompts Sir Andrew to challenge Cesario to a duel. Sir Andrew fancies himself a dancer and swordsman, and the scenes where he ineptly engages in these activities are points of physical comedy in the play. Sir Andrews age is not made clear, but it is assumed that he is a number of years younger than Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Malvolio are probably the only characters whose situation at the end of the play is not as favourable as in the beginning. Amongst three happy couples and a humiliated Malvolio in the scene, Sir Andrew has already made his closing exit. Friendless and deep in debt, this ending echoes one of Sir Andrews better known lines, from the scene of the second act. The negative outcome for Sir Andrew, combined with his having been the subject of jokes, as one of the central supporting roles in Twelfth Night, Sir Andrews character speaks a total of 152 lines and appears in seven of the eighteen scenes. The Elizabethan actor John Sinklo has been associated with the role of Sir Andrew, actors who have distinguished themselves in the role of Sir Andrew include Alec Guinness, Paul Scofield, Juan Garibay, and Christopher Plummer. When Maria tricks Malvolio into wearing yellow stockings, she reveals to her fellow conspirators that tis a colour abhors and they then turn to Sir Andrew who is wearing a yellow waistcoat, tie and stockings. Like the others, however, he is allowed some dignity by kissing the hand of Olivia before leaving her estate, but I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit. Nay, let me alone for swearing Sir Andrews boast that he is an expert at cursing and he does it with a better grace, but I do it more natural Sir Andrew Aguecheek compares his fooling with that of Sir Toby Belch. I was adored once too The reference of this quote is unclear, Sir Andrew Aguecheek is the first part of Hans Werner Henzes Second Sonata on Shakespearean Characters for guitar, known as Royal Winter Music. Twelfth Night, The Critical Edition of Shakespeare
8.
Feste
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Feste is a fool in the William Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night. He is attached to the household of the Countess Olivia and he has apparently been there for some time, as he was a fool that the Lady Olivias father took much delight in. He is referred to by name only once during the play, curio responds Feste, the jester, my lord, a fool that the lady Olivias father took much delight in. Throughout the rest of the play, he is addressed only as Fool, Feste seems to leave Olivias house and return at his pleasure, rather too freely for a servant. His habit of roaming gets him into trouble with Lady Olivia and he succeeds, and once back in his ladys good graces, he weaves in and out of the action with the sort of impunity that was reserved for a person nobody took seriously. There are instances in the play where Feste is believed to be an almost omniscient presence and he is then shown watching Viola arrive in Illyria and the film ends with him watching the various supporting players leave Olivias estate. When Viola removes her Cesario disguise he gives her a necklace which she discarded when first shipwrecked on Illyrias shores. Kingsleys Feste dresses in old clothes and appears to be a wanderer of no fixed abode, though he slips in and he plays a number of musical instruments and, like most of the cast, displays a mixture of comedy and pathos. Feste, as a fool, has a repertoire of songs, O Mistress mine and your true loves coming, That can sing both high and low. Trip no further, pretty sweeting, Journeys end in lovers meeting, Every wise mans son doth know, present mirth hath present laughter, Whats to come is still unsure. In delay there lies no plenty, Then come kiss me, sweet, youths a stuff will not endure. Come away, come away, death, And in sad cypress let me be laid, Fie away, fie away, breath and my shroud of white, stuck all with yew, O prepare it. My part of death, no one so true O did share it, when that I was and a little tiny boy, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, A foolish thing was but a toy, For the rain it raineth every day. But when I came to mans estate, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate, For the rain, it raineth every day. But when I came, alas, to wive, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, By swaggering could I never thrive, For the rain, it raineth every day. But when I came unto my beds, With hey, ho, the wind, a great while ago the world begun, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain. But thats all one, our play is done, And well strive to please you every day I am gone, and anon, sir, Ill be with you again, In a trice, Like to the old Vice, Your need to sustain. Who with dagger of lath, In his rage and his wrath, like a mad lad, Pare thy nails, dad
9.
Garter (stockings)
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Garters are articles of clothing, narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg, used to keep up stockings, and sometimes socks. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, the advent of elastic has made them less necessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion. Garters have been worn by men and women, depending on fashion trends. Garters were popular in the 1930s and 1940s, and were a convenient way for ladies to carry small valuables, in Elizabethan fashions, men wore garters with their hose, and colorful garters were an object of display. In Shakespeares Twelfth Night, cross braced garters are an object of some derision, in male fashion, a type of garter for holding up socks has continued as a part of male dress up to the present, although its use may be considered somewhat stodgy. There is a Western wedding tradition for a bride to wear a garter to her wedding and this garter is not normally used to support stockings. This practice is interpreted as symbolic of deflowering, though some sources attribute its origin to a superstition that taking an article of the brides clothing will bring good luck. In the Middle Ages, the groomsmen would rush at the new bride to take her garters as a prize, today, the practice of removing the brides garter is traditionally reserved to the groom, who will then toss the garter to the unmarried male guests. This is performed after the tossing of the bouquet, in which the bride tosses her bouquet over her shoulder to be caught by the female guests. According to superstition, the lady who catches the bouquet and the man who catches the garter will be the man and woman among those in attendance to be married. The ceremony often continues with the man who catches the garter obliged to place it on the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet, traditionally, the pair are obliged to share the next dance. Prom garters were common in the 1960s & 70s, and often conferred on the date as a souvenir, if the date received the garter, it was typically hung from his rear-view mirror. The prom garter may be throughout the evening and is sometimes given to the young womans date as a souvenir. A young woman may choose to keep the garter rather than give it away. In cases like this where the garter is given early in the evening, the suspenders are typically clipped to the stockings with metal clips into which a rubber disc is inserted through the stocking material effectively locking the stocking in place. These are normally attached to a length of elastic allowing for adjustment and these clips, also known as suspender slings, are best attached to stockings with a simple welt that do not have lace, or hold-ups with a silicon rubber lining. Suspender belts for men do exist, usually worn when there is a need to wear support hosiery for medical reasons, suspender belts are usually worn at the waist or just slightly below. If worn too low on the hips, there is a chance of the sliding down
10.
Heresy
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Heresy /hār ə sē/ is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs, the term is usually used to refer to violations of important religious teachings, but is used also of views strongly opposed to any generally accepted ideas. It is used in particular in reference to Christianity, Judaism, the word heresy is usually used within a Christian, Jewish, or Islamic context, and implies slightly different meanings in each. The founder or leader of a movement is called a heresiarch. Heresiology is the study of heresy, according to Titus 3,10 a divisive person should be warned two times before separating from him. The Greek for the phrase divisive person became a term in the early Church for a type of heretic who promoted dissension. In contrast correct teaching is called not only because it builds up the faith. The Church Fathers identified Jews and Judaism with heresy and they saw deviations from orthodox Christianity as heresies that were essentially Jewish in spirit. The use of the word heresy was given currency by Irenaeus in his 2nd century tract Contra Haereses to describe. He described the beliefs and doctrines as orthodox and the Gnostics teachings as heretical. He also pointed out the concept of succession to support his arguments. By Roman law the Emperor was Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of the College of Pontiffs of all recognized religions in ancient Rome. To put an end to the doctrinal debate initiated by Arius, Constantine called the first of what would afterwards be called the ecumenical councils and then enforced orthodoxy by Imperial authority. The first known usage of the term in a context was in AD380 by the Edict of Thessalonica of Theodosius I. Prior to the issuance of this edict, the Church had no state-sponsored support for any particular legal mechanism to counter what it perceived as heresy, by this edict the states authority and that of the Church became somewhat overlapping. One of the outcomes of this blurring of Church and state was the sharing of state powers of legal enforcement with church authorities and this reinforcement of the Churchs authority gave church leaders the power to, in effect, pronounce the death sentence upon those whom the church considered heretical. The edict of Theodosius II provided severe punishments for those who had or spread writings of Nestorius and those who possessed writings of Arius were sentenced to death. For some years after the Reformation, Protestant churches were known to execute those they considered heretics
11.
Pythagoreanism
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Later revivals of Pythagorean doctrines led to what is now called Neopythagoreanism or Neoplatonism. Pythagorean ideas exercised an influence on Aristotle, and Plato. According to tradition, pythagoreanism developed at some point into two schools of thought, the mathēmatikoi and the akousmatikoi. There is the inner and outer circle John Burnet noted Lastly, we have one admitted instance of a philosophic guild, that of the Pythagoreans. And it will be found that the hypothesis, if it is to be called by that name, of a regular organisation of scientific activity will alone explain all the facts. The development of doctrine in the hands of Thales, Anaximander, according to Iamblichus in The life of Pythagoras, by Thomas Taylor There were also two forms of philosophy, for the two genera of those that pursued it, the Acusmatici and the Mathematici. The latter are acknowledged to be Pythagoreans by the rest but the Mathematici do not admit that the Acusmatici derived their instructions from Pythagoras, memory was the most valued faculty. All these auditions were of three kinds, some signifying what a thing is, others what it especially is, others what ought or ought not to be done. By musical sounds alone unaccompanied with words they healed the passions of the soul and certain diseases, enchanting in reality and it is probable that from hence this name epode, i. e. enchantment, came to be generally used. Each of these he corrected through the rule of virtue, attempering them through appropriate melodies, therefore its function is none of what are called ‘parts of virtue’, for it is better than all of them and the end produced is always better than the knowledge that produces it. Nor is every virtue of the soul in that way a function, nor is success, for if it is to be productive, different ones will produce different things, as the skill of building produces a house. However, intelligence is a part of virtue and of success, according to historians like Thomas Gale, Thomas Taler, or Cantor, Archytas became the head of the school, about a century after the murder of Pythagoras. According to August Böckh, who cites Nicomachus, Philolaus was the successor of Pythagoras, and according to Cicero, Philolaus was teacher of Archytas of Tarentum. According to the historians from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Philolaus and Eurytus are identified by Aristoxenus as teachers of the last generation of Pythagoreans, a Echecrates is mentioned by Aristoxenus as a student of Philolaus and Eurytus. The mathēmatikoi were supposed to have extended and developed the more mathematical, the mathēmatikoi did think that the akousmatikoi were Pythagorean, but felt that their own group was more representative of Pythagoras. Commentary from Sir William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Aristotle states the fundamental maxim of the Pythagoreans in various forms. According to Philolaus, number is the dominant and self-produced bond of the continuance of things. But number has two forms, the even and the odd, and a third, resulting from the mixture of the two, the even-odd and this third species is one itself, for it is both even and odd
12.
Richard Burbage
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Richard Burbage is considered the first great actor of English theatre. He is one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre of his time, in addition to being a stage actor he was also a theatre owner, entrepreneur and painter. He was the brother of Cuthbert Burbage. They were both actors in drama, Burbage was a business associate and friend to William Shakespeare. The son of James Burbage, a joiner who became a theatrical impresario, Burbage was a popular actor by his early 20s. He excelled in plays with the theme of tragedies and his early acting career is poorly documented. As many young actors of his time, he may have played the part of women in productions before taking any of the roles he is known for. It has been suggested that he spent time working with the Earl of Leicesters company and he played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeares plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III, and King Lear. But he was in demand and also appeared in the plays of many of the great contemporary writers, such as Ben Jonson, John Marston, John Webster and Beaumont. Burbages power and scope as an actor is revealed in the size of the roles he played. He was a box office draw. Of the hundreds of plays and thousands of roles for actors that date from the 1580–1610 era and his acting style is closely compared with the method that actors use today called method acting, it would be another four centuries before this came into popularity. He was described as being short and stout, but said to be an impressive figure, Burbage was baptised at St Stephen in London on 7 July 1568. He was the son to his parents, followed by three younger sisters, Alice, Joane, and Ellen. His father brought Burbage to the theatre and became the greatest influence for his career and it gave him a great starting advantage in the theatre world by being the son of a builder and owner of the first successful permanent playhouse. After the death of their father in February 1597, Richard, the Blackfriars Theatre they kept but leased to lawyer and impresario Henry Evans, who used it for a troupe of child actors. The other, called simply The Theatre, was dismantled when they could not resolve terms for a new lease with Giles Allen, the landowner. The beams, posts, and other remnants of The Theatre were moved to a new location on the side of the Thames River
13.
Globe Theatre
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The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. A second Globe Theatre was built on the site by June 1614. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named Shakespeares Globe, opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet from the site of the original theatre, from 1909, the current Gielgud Theatre was called Globe Theatre, until it was renamed in 1994. The shape of the foundations is now replicated on the surface, as the majority of the foundations lies beneath 67—70 Anchor Terrace, a listed building, no further excavations have been permitted. The Globe was owned by actors who were shareholders in the Lord Chamberlains Men. 5%. These initial proportions changed over time as new sharers were added, Shakespeares share diminished from 1/8 to 1/14, or roughly 7%, over the course of his career. The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from a theatre, The Theatre. The Burbages originally had a 21-year lease of the site on which the theatre was built, however, the landlord, Giles Allen, claimed that the building had become his with the expiry of the lease. While only a hundred yards from the shore of the Thames. The new theatre was larger than the building it replaced, with the older timbers being reused as part of the new structure and he suggests that a Swiss tourists account of a performance of Julius Caesar witnessed on 21 September 1599 describes the more likely first production. The first performance for which a record remains was Jonsons Every Man out of His Humour—with its first scene welcoming the gracious. On 29 June 1613 the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII, a theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no-one was severely injured in the event. It was rebuilt in the following year, like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. It was pulled down in 1644-45, the cited document dating the act to 15 April 1644 has been identified as a probable forgery—to make room for tenements. A modern reconstruction of the theatre, named Shakespeares Globe, opened in 1997 and it is an academic approximation of the original design, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings, and is located approximately 750 feet from the site of the original theatre. The Globes actual dimensions are unknown, but its shape and size can be approximated from scholarly inquiry over the last two centuries, the evidence suggests that it was a three-storey, open-air amphitheatre approximately 100 feet in diameter that could house up to 3,000 spectators. The Globe is shown as round on Wenceslas Hollars sketch of the building, however, in 1988–89, the uncovering of a small part of the Globes foundation suggested that it was a polygon of 20 sides
14.
Alec Guinness
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Sir Alec Guinness CH CBE was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, he was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including The Ladykillers and he is also known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucass original Star Wars trilogy, receiving a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also won a BAFTA Award, Golden Globe and a Tony Award, in 1959, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1980, Guinness was born at 155 Lauderdale Mansions South, Lauderdale Road, Maida Vale, as Alec Guinness de Cuffe. His mothers maiden name was Agnes Cuff and she was born 8 December 1890 to Edward Cuff and Mary Ann Benfield. On Guinnesss birth certificate, the space for the name shows Agnes de Cuffe. The space for the name says Alec Guinness. The column for name and surname of father is blank, the identity of Guinnesss father has never been officially confirmed. From 1875, under English law, when the birth of a child was registered. Guinness himself believed that his father was a Scottish banker, Andrew Geddes, Geddes occasionally visited Guinness and his mother, posing as an uncle. Guinnesss mother later had a marriage to a British soldier who had survived the Irish War of Independence. His behaviour was erratic or even violent. Guinness first worked writing advertising copy and he appeared at the Albery Theatre in 1936 at the age of 22, playing the role of Osric in John Gielguds successful production of Hamlet. Also in 1936, Guinness signed on with the Old Vic, in 1939, he took over for Michael Redgrave as Charleston in a road-show production of Robert Ardreys Thunder Rock. An early influence from afar was Stan Laurel, whom Guinness admired, Guinness continued playing Shakespearean roles throughout his career. In 1937, he played Aumerle in Richard II and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice under the direction of John Gielgud and he starred in a 1938 production of Hamlet which won him acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1939, he adapted Great Expectations for the stage, playing Herbert Pocket, one of its viewers was a young British film editor, David Lean, who would later have Guinness reprise his role in Leans 1946 film adaptation of the play. Guinness served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in the Second World War, initially as a seaman in 1941 and he commanded a landing craft at the Allied invasion of Sicily, and later ferried supplies and agents to the Yugoslav partisans in the eastern Mediterranean theatre
15.
Henry Irving
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Sir Henry Irving, born John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. In 1895 he became the first actor to be awarded a knighthood, Irving is widely acknowledged to be one of the inspirations for Count Dracula, the title character of the 1897 novel Dracula whose author Bram Stoker was business manager of the theatre. Irving was born to a family in Keinton Mandeville in the county of Somerset. W. H. Davies, the poet, was a cousin. Irving spent his living with his aunt, Mrs Penberthy. He competed in a recitation contest at a local Methodist chapel where he was bested by William Curnow and he attended City Commercial School for two years before going to work in the office of a law firm at age 13. He married Florence OCallaghan on 15 July 1869 at St. Marylebone, London, but his personal life took second place to his professional life. On opening night of The Bells,25 November 1871, Florence, Irving exited their carriage at Hyde Park Corner, walked off into the night, and chose never to see her again. He maintained a distance from his children as well. Florence Irving never divorced Irving, and once he had been knighted she styled herself Lady Irving, Irving never remarried and his elder son, Harry Brodribb Irving, usually known as H B Irving, became a famous actor and later a theatre manager. His younger son, Laurence Irving, became a dramatist and later drowned, with his wife, H B married Dorothea Baird and they had a son, Laurence Irving, who became a well-known Hollywood art director and his grandfathers biographer. In November 1882 Irving became a Freemason, being initiated into the prestigious Jerusalem Lodge No 197 in London, in 1887 he became a founder member and first Treasurer of the Savage Club Lodge No 2190, a Lodge associated with Londons Savage Club. It could be said that Irving found his family in his professional company, whether Irvings long, spectacularly successful relationship with leading lady Ellen Terry was romantic as well as professional has been the subject of much historical speculation. Most of their correspondence was lost or burned by her descendants and we were terribly in love for a while. But at earlier periods in her life, when there were more people around to be offended, Terrys son Teddy, later known as Edward Gordon Craig, spent much of his childhood indulged by Irving backstage at the Lyceum. Craig, who came to be regarded as something of a visionary for the theatre of the future, wrote an especially vivid, George Bernard Shaw, at the time a theatre critic who was jealous of Irvings connection to Ellen Terry, conceded Irvings genius after Irving died. After a few years schooling while living at Halsetown, near St Ives, Cornwall, Irving became a clerk to a firm of East India merchants in London, but he soon gave up a commercial career for acting. On 29 September 1856 he made his first appearance at Sunderland as Gaston, Duke of Orleans, in Bulwer Lyttons play, Richelieu and this name he eventually assumed by royal licence
16.
E. H. Sothern
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Edward Hugh Sothern was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in Shakespeare roles. Sothern was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of English actor E. A. Sothern, Sothern was educated in England at St Marylebone Grammar School. His brothers and sister all became actors, Lytton Edward Sothern, George Evelyn Augustus T. Sothern, who used the stage name Sam Sothern, sotherns father had encouraged pursuits other than the stage, but Sothern had already caught the acting bug. After playing in Boston and touring in the U. S. he sailed for England, making his London debut in 1881 on a bill as Mr. Sharpe in False Colours. The next year, he played Arthur Spoonbill in Fourteen Days, in 1883, he returned to the U. S. and toured first with John Edward McCullough and then Helen Barry. Back in New York, in 1884, he played Eliphaz Tresham in The Fatal Letter, which he wrote himself, and in Nitas First. The next year, he was Alfred Vane in Favette, Knolly in Mona, John in In Chancery and Jules in A Moral Climate. He was hired by Charles and Daniel Frohman in the company of the old Lyceum Theatre in New York. He made a hit as the auctioneer in the romantic comedy The Highest Bidder. He was especially known for his portrayal of Rudolph Rassendyl in the first stage adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope. The role made him a star, in 1896, Sothern married actress Virginia Harned. After he left the Lyceum, he continued in roles in New York. In 1899, he played dArtagnan in The Kings Musketeers, and in 1900 he played Heinrich in The Sunken Bell, for several years, Sothern dreamed of mounting a spectacular and precise production of Hamlet. He finally opened the play in New York in 1900, but during the first week, after he recovered, he revived the piece on tour, but the sets and cosumes were destroyed by a fire in Cincinnati, Ohio. 1n 1901, he played the role in Richard Lovelace. In 1903, he played the role in Markheim and Robert. They toured all over the U. S. in these plays, adding The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night to their repertoire in 1905. Unhappy with their compensation from their manager, Charles Frohman, they continued under the management of the Shubert Brothers and he plays it with a fire and enthusiasm that approach closely to genius
17.
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
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Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s, by 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the rebuilding, and became manager, again, he promoted a mix of Shakespeare and classic plays with new works and adaptations of popular novels, giving them spectacular productions in this large house, and often playing leading roles. His wife, actress Helen Maud Holt, often played opposite him, although Tree was regarded as a versatile and skilled actor, particularly in character roles, by his later years, his technique was seen as mannered and old fashioned. He founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904 and was knighted, for his contributions to theatre and his famous family includes his siblings, explorer Julius Beerbohm, author Constance Beerbohm and half-brother caricaturist Max Beerbohm. His daughters were Viola, an actress, Felicity and Iris, a poet, a grandson was the actor Oliver Reed. Born in Kensington, London as Herbert Draper Beerbohm, Tree was the son and second child of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm. The senior Beerbohm was of Dutch, Lithuanian, and German origin, he had come to England in about 1830, Trees younger brother was the author and explorer Julius Beerbohm, and his sister was author Constance Beerbohm. A younger half-brother was the parodist and caricaturist Max Beerbohm, born from their fathers second marriage, Max jokingly claimed that Herbert added the Tree to his name because it was easier for audiences than shouting Beerbohm. The latter part of his surname, bohm, is north German dialect for tree, Trees early education included Mrs Adamss Preparatory School at Frant, Dr Stones school in Kings Square, Bristol, and Westbourne collegiate school in Westbourne Grove, London. After these, he attended his fathers alma mater, Schnepfeuthal College in Thuringia, upon his return to England, he began performing with amateur troupes, eventually using the name Herbert Beerbohm Tree, while working in his fathers business. In 1878 Tree played Grimaldi in Dion Boucicaults The Life of an Actress at the Globe Theatre, shortly after, for the next six years, he performed mainly on tour in the British provinces, playing character roles. He made his London debut late in 1878 at the Olympic Theatre under the management of Henry Neville and his first real success was as the elderly Marquis de Pontsablé in Madame Favart, in which he toured towards the end of 1879. Another London engagement was as Prince Maleotti in a revival of Forget-me-Not at the Prince of Waless Theatre in 1880 and his first London success came in 1884 as the Rev. Robert Spalding in Charles Hawtreys adaptation of The Private Secretary. Tree embellished the comic elements of the role, which added to the popularity of the play and his next role was Paolo Marcari in Called Back by Hugh Conway. The contrast between this dashing Italian spy and his timid parson in Hawtreys play, showed his versatility as a character actor, other appearances over the next two years included roles in revivals of A. W. Pineros The Magistrate and W. S. Gilberts Engaged. In 1886 he played Iago in Othello and Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal with F. R. Bensons company at Bournemouth. The same year, in London, he made a success at the Haymarket Theatre, in 1887, at age thirty-four, Tree took over the management of the Comedy Theatre in the West End of London
18.
Henry Ainley
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Henry Hinchliffe Ainley was an English Shakespearean stage and screen actor. He was born in Leeds on 21 August 1879 and he was baptised in St. Georges Parish Church and brought up in Morley by his father Richard, a cloth finisher, and his mother Ada, but moved to London as an adult to pursue an acting career. He made his stage debut for F. R. Bensons company of actors. He found fame in 1902 as Paolo in Paolo and Francesca, Ainleys first stage role was as a messenger in Macbeth. He subsequently appeared as Gloster in Henry V at the Lyceum in London, later roles included Oliver Cromwell, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar and Macbeth himself. He played Malvolio and Leontes under the direction of Granville Barker and portrayed Hamlet several times, John Gielgud held Ainley in high regard and fulfilled a longstanding ambition to perform with him when Gielgud played Iago opposite Ainleys Othello in a 1932 BBC Radio broadcast. Ainley played Robert Waring in The Shulamite at the Savoy Theatre in London in 1906 and he played Joseph Quinney in Quinneys on stage in 1915 and on film in 1919. He appeared in A. A. Milnes The Dover Road opposite Athene Seyler in 1922, in 1929, he played James Fraser in St. John Ervines The First Mrs. Fraser, a role he reprised for the film version in 1932. He also starred in stage and radio productions of James Elroy Fleckers Hassan, in 1921, Ainley became a member of the council of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and served as its president from 1931 to 1933. Ainleys own theatre company launched the career of Robert Eddison. In 1932, Ainley was part of the effort to save the debt-laden Sadlers Wells theatre, according to a report in The Times dated 15 March 1932, Ainley considered Sadlers Wells stalwart Samuel Phelps the greatest actor of all and Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson the greatest of Hamlets. Ainley died in London and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery and he was married three times - to Susanne Sheldon, Elaine Fearon and the novelist Bettina Riddle, who was known as the Baroness von Hutten zum Stolzenberg. He had several children which include the actors Henry T. Ainley, Richard Ainley and Anthony Ainley, and also Sam and Timothy Ainley, who were not actors. Fifteen letters in the possession of Laurence Oliviers widow Joan Plowright suggest that Ainley may have had a relationship with the younger actor in the late 1930s. He was also the father of Henrietta Riddle who was engaged to Alistair Cooke in 1932. Henry Ainley made recordings for the Gramophone Company by the acoustic method, the early acoustics were as follows,1456 The Day 101457 The Kaiser and God. 10 B393 The Charge of the Light Brigade,10 C490 Why Britain is at War. Poem by Emile Cammaerts, declamation with orchestral music composed by Edward Elgar and she Stoops to Conquer Sweet Lavender Sowing the Wind The Marriage of William Ashe The Manxman Build Thy House The Prince and the Beggarmaid The Royal Oak The First Mrs. Fraser Henry Ainley
19.
John Gielgud
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Sir Arthur John Gielgud OM CH was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trio of actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. A member of the Terry family theatrical dynasty, he gained his first paid acting work as a member of his cousin Phyllis Neilson-Terrys company in 1922. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art he worked in repertory theatre, during the 1930s Gielgud was a stage star in the West End and on Broadway, appearing in new works and classics. He began a career as a director, and set up his own company at the Queens Theatre. He was regarded by many as the finest Hamlet of his era, in the 1950s Gielgud feared that his career was threatened when he was convicted and fined for a homosexual offence, but his colleagues and the public supported him loyally. From the late 1960s he found new plays that suited him, by authors including Alan Bennett, David Storey, during the first half of his career, Gielgud did not take the cinema seriously. Though he made his first film in 1924, and had successes with The Good Companions and Julius Caesar, Gielgud appeared in more than sixty films between Becket, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination, and Elizabeth. As the acid-tongued Hobson in Arthur he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and his film work further earned him a Golden Globe Award and two BAFTAs. Although largely indifferent to awards, Gielgud had the distinction of winning an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy. He was famous from the start of his career for his voice and he broadcast more than a hundred radio and television dramas, between 1929 and 1994, and made commercial recordings of many plays, including ten of Shakespeares. Among his honours, he was knighted in 1953 and the Gielgud Theatre was named after him, from 1977 to 1989, he was president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Gielgud was born in South Kensington, London, the third of the four children and youngest of three sons of Frank Henry Gielgud and his second wife, Kate Terry-Gielgud, née Terry-Lewis. The two elder boys were Lewis, who became an official of the Red Cross and UNESCO. On his fathers side, Gielgud was of Lithuanian and Polish descent, the surname derives from Gelgaudiškis, a village in Lithuania. The Counts Gielgud had owned the Gielgudziszki Castle on the River Niemen, jan Gielgud took refuge in England with his family, one of his grandchildren was Frank Gielgud, whose maternal grandmother was a famous Polish actress, Aniela Aszpergerowa. Frank married into a family with wide theatrical connections, Frank had no theatrical ambitions and worked all his life as a stockbroker in the City of London. In 1912, aged eight, Gielgud went to Hillside preparatory school in Surrey as his brothers had done
20.
Simon Russell Beale
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Simon Russell Beale CBE is an English actor, author and music historian. Beale has been described by The Independent as the greatest stage actor of his generation and he has appeared in Persuasion, The Young Visiters, Dunkirk, The Deep Blue Sea and as Falstaff in the BBC made-for-television films Henry IV, Part I and Part II. He was part of the main cast of Showtimes Penny Dreadful, Beale was born in Penang, British Malaya, son of Lt-Gen Sir Peter Beale and Julia née Winter, where his father served as an army medic who later became Surgeon-General of HM Armed Forces. His family includes members who have pursued successful careers in medicine. He was first drawn to performance when, at the age of eight, he became a chorister at St. Pauls Cathedral, and a pupil at the adjoining St Pauls Cathedral School. In the sixth form at Clifton he also performed in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, after Clifton, he went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and obtained a first in English, after which he was offered a place to undertake a PhD. He pursued further studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduating in 1983 and he broadened his range in the early 1990s with moving performances as Konstantin in Chekhovs The Seagull, as Oswald in Ibsens Ghosts, Ferdinand in The Duchess of Malfi and as Edgar in King Lear. He won the 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Uncle Vanya, in 1999, he was a key part of Trevor Nunns ensemble, playing in Leonard Bernsteins Candide, Edward Bulwer-Lyttons Money and Maxim Gorkys Summerfolk at the National. In autumn 2006, he played Galileo in David Hares adaption of Brechts Life of Galileo, in 2000, he played Hamlet in a production directed by John Caird for the National Theatre, for which he was described by The Daily Telegraph as portly relatively long in the tooth. In 2005, Beale was directed by Deborah Warner as Cassius in Julius Caesar alongside Ralph Fiennes as Antony and that same year, he played the title role in Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre. In 2007, he reprised his 2005 Broadway role as King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot at the Palace Theatre, London. In 2008, he made his début as a presenter, fronting the BBC Four series Sacred Music with Harry Christophers. A second series was broadcast on BBC Four in Spring 2010, from 2009–2010, he played George Smiley in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of all the John le Carré novels in which Smiley featured. These were aired in nineteen 90-minute or 60-minute full cast radio plays, from March to June 2010, he played Sir Harcourt Courtly in London Assurance, again at the National. In August 2010 he appeared in the first West End revival of Deathtrap by Ira Levin, in March 2011 he made his debut with The Royal Ballet in Alices Adventures in Wonderland. In October 2011 he returned to the National to star as Joseph Stalin in the premiere of Collaborators, more recently, Beale was cast as the Coalition Home Secretary – William Towers, in the two final series of BBC Ones spy drama, Spooks. He played the role in Timon of Athens at the National Theatre from July to October 2012. The production was broadcast to cinemas around the world on 1 November 2012 through the National Theatre Live programme and he starred in a revival of Peter Nichols Privates on Parade as part of Michael Grandages new West End season at the Noël Coward Theatre from December 2012 to March 2013
21.
Maurice Evans (actor)
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Maurice Herbert Evans was a British actor noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. However, his screen roles are probably Dr. Zaius in Planet of the Apes. Hardy lived in Dorchester and thought highly of Evanss adaptations and productions, Young Maurice made his first stage appearance as a small boy in Far from the Madding Crowd. He first appeared on the stage in 1926 at the Cambridge Festival Theatre and joined the Old Vic Company in 1934, playing Hamlet, Richard II and Iago. This was followed by Lord Belvoir in The Man Who Ate the Popomack by W. J. Turner, then in 1927 Evans played a poet in The Pleasure Garden by Beatrice Mayor followed by Young Man in On Bailes Strand by W. B. Yeats, Midir in The Immortal Hour by Fiona Macleod, the Hon. Algernon Moodie in The Rumour by C. K, both Yeats and Shaw attended performances of their own plays. In 1927, he was one of a group of actors including Laurence Olivier. Sherriffs Journeys End directed by James Whale at the Apollo Theatre in London and it was a huge success, running for two years and making Maurices name. He played the young officer Raleigh, who dies at the end of the play, in 1934, he went to the Old Vic Theatre where his interpretation of Shakespeares Richard II was highly praised. It was as a result of this that he was invited to join Katharine Cornell in the U. S and he also starred opposite Cornell in the 1935 production of George Bernard Shaws St. Joan. Evans rose to the rank of Major by the end of the war and he then shifted his attention to the works of Shaw, notably as John Tanner in Man and Superman and as King Magnus in The Apple Cart. In 1952, he starred as the husband in the original stage-play version of Dial M for Murder. He was also a successful Broadway producer of productions in which he did not appear, in 1956, Evans recorded an LP of stories from Winnie-the-Pooh. American television audiences of the 1960s will remember Evans as Samanthas father, Maurice and his real-life insistence that his first name was pronounced the same as the name Morris was ironically at odds with his Bewitched characters contrasting stance that it be pronounced Maw-REESE. Evans also appeared in the season of Daniel Boone starring Fess Parker playing a French impresario Beaumarchais. He also played The Puzzler on Batman in a double episode storyline in December 1966. Continuing his American TV appearances, he guest starred in The Big Valley from the part of the fourth and final season of that western series in April 1969. Evans had great impact onscreen as well and he played a diabolical villain in 1951s Kind Lady, co-starring Ethel Barrymore and Angela Lansbury
22.
Ken Dodd
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He also created the characters of the Diddy Men. In the 1960s his fame in the UK was such that he rivalled the Beatles as a household name and his records have sold millions worldwide. As of 2017, he continues to tour the UK with his comedy and he was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. Kenneth Arthur Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of a merchant, Arthur Dodd. He had a brother, William and a younger sister. He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the church choir of St Johns Church. At the age of seven, Dodd was dared by his friends to ride his bike with his eyes shut. He accepted the dare, crashed and sustained facial injuries which resulted in his distinctive buck teeth and he then attended Holt High School, a grammar school in Childwall, but left at age 14 to work for his father. Not long after, his father bought him a ventriloquists dummy and he started entertaining at the local orphanage, then at various other local community functions. He got his big break at age 26 when, in September 1954, a nervous young man, he sat in a local milk bar for most of the afternoon, going over and over his lines before going to the theatre. He later said, Well at least they didnt boo me off and he continued to perform, and in 1955 he appeared at Blackpool, where, in the following year, he had a part in Lets Have Fun. His performance at the Central Pier was part of a revue with Jimmy James. Also on the bill were Jimmy Clitheroe and Roy Castle. Dodd first gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958 and he has guested on innumerable television and radio shows and made many appearances on BBC TVs long running programme, The Good Old Days. Dodd has been described as the last great music hall entertainer and his stand-up comedy style is fast and relies on the rapid delivery of one-liner jokes. He has claimed that his influences include other Liverpool comedians like Arthur Askey, Robb Wilton, Tommy Handley. He intersperses the comedy with songs, both serious and humorous, in an incongruously fine light baritone voice, and with his original speciality. At the time it was the UKs biggest selling single by a solo artist, Dodd was selected to perform the song on A Jubilee Of Music on BBC One on 31 December 1976, a celebration of the key pop successes of the Queens first 25 years as Britains monarch
23.
Richard Briers
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Richard David Briers CBE was an English actor. His fifty-year career encompassed television, stage, film and radio, Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines, but it was a decade later, when he narrated Roobarb and Noah and Nelly in. SkylArk and when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life, Later, he starred as Martin in Ever Decreasing Circles, and he had a leading role as Hector in Monarch of the Glen. From the late 1980s, with Kenneth Branagh as director, he performed Shakespearean roles in, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Briers was born in Raynes Park, Surrey, the son of Joseph Benjamin Briers and Morna Phyllis. He was the first cousin once removed of actor Terry-Thomas and he spent his childhood at Raynes Park in a flat, Number 2 Pepys Court, behind the now demolished Rialto cinema, and later at Guildford. His father drifted between jobs, while his mother wished for a career, she went on to become a member of Equity. Morna was also a pianist and a drama and music teacher. Briers attended Rokeby School in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, and the Ridgeway School in Wimbledon, which he left at the age of 16 without any formal qualifications. Briers first job was a clerical post with a London cable manufacturer, and for a time he went to evening classes to qualify in electrical engineering. At the age of 18, he was called up for two national service in the RAF, during which he was a filing clerk at RAF Northwood. When he left the RAF he studied at RADA, which he attended from 1954 to 1956, placed in a class with both Peter OToole and Albert Finney, Briers later credited academy director John Fernald with nurturing his talent. Graduating from RADA with a Silver Medal, he won a scholarship with the Liverpool Repertory Company and he made his West End debut in the Duke of Yorks Theatre 1959 production of Gilt And Gingerbread by Lionel Hale. In 1961, Briers was cast in the role in Marriage Lines with Prunella Scales playing his wife. In between the pilot and the series itself, Briers appeared in Brothers in Law as callow barrister Roger Thursby in 1962 and he was cast in this role by adaptors Frank Muir and Denis Norden, who had seen him in the West End. His other early appearances included The Seven Faces of Jim with Jimmy Edwards, Dixon of Dock Green, a production of Noël Cowards Hay Fever, in 1970, he starred in the Ben Travers Farce Rookery Nook, shown on the BBC. In the 1980s he played several Shakespearean roles, including Twelfth Night, Briers was featured twice on the Thames Television show This Is Your Life in May 1972 and March 1994. Briers persuaded the producers to cast his friend Paul Eddington, a council member of Equity. An enormously successful series, the last episode in 1978 was performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1977, he starred with his The Good Life co-star Penelope Keith in the televised version of Alan Ayckbourns trilogy The Norman Conquests
24.
Nigel Hawthorne
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Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE was an English actor. He portrayed Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister, for this role, he won four BAFTA TV Awards for Best Light Entertainment Performance. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying King George III in The Madness of King George. He later won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor, for the 1996 series The Fragile Heart and he was also an Olivier Award and Tony Award winner for his work in the theatre. Hawthorne was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, the son of Agnes Rosemary and Charles Barnard Hawthorne, when Nigel was three years old, the family moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where his father had bought a practice. Initially they lived in the Gardens and then moved to a newly built house near Camps Bay and he was educated at St Georges Grammar School, Cape Town and, when the family moved, the now defunct Christian Brothers College, where he played on the rugby team. He described his time at the latter as not being a happy experience. He enrolled at the University of Cape Town but withdrew and returned to the United Kingdom in the 1950s to pursue a career in acting, Hawthorne made his professional stage debut in 1950, playing Archie Fellows in a Cape Town production of The Shop at Sly Corner. He made his Broadway debut in 1974 in As You Like It and he returned to the New York stage in 1990 in Shadowlands and won the 1991 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He won a sixth BAFTA for the 1996 TV mini-series The Fragile Heart, Hawthorne was also a voice actor, and lent his voice to two Disney films, in 1985, Fflewddur Fflam in The Black Cauldron, and in 1999, Professor Porter in Tarzan. They met in 1968 when Bentham was stage-managing the Royal Court Theatre, from 1979 until Hawthornes death in 2001, they lived together in Radwell near Baldock and latterly at Thundridge, both in Hertfordshire, England. The two of them became fund raisers for the North Hertfordshire hospice and other local charities, Hawthorne had several operations for pancreatic cancer, although his immediate cause of death was from a heart attack, aged 72. He was survived by Bentham, and his service was held at St Marys. His funeral was attended by Derek Fowlds, Maureen Lipman, Charles Dance, Loretta Swit and Frederick Forsyth along with friends, the service was led by the Right Reverend Christopher Herbert, the Bishop of St Albans. The coffin had a wreath of white lilies and orchids and Trevor Bentham and he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1987, and was knighted in 1999. Nigel Hawthorne at the Internet Movie Database Nigel Hawthorne at the Internet Broadway Database
25.
Derek Jacobi
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Sir Derek George Jacobi CBE is an English actor and stage director. A forceful, commanding presence, Jacobi has enjoyed a successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya. He has twice awarded a Laurence Olivier Award, first for his performance of the eponymous hero in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1983. He also received a Tony Award for his performance in Much Ado About Nothing in 1984 and his stage work includes playing Octavius Caesar, Edward II, Richard III and Thomas Becket. He holds a knighthood and has appointed a Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog. His paternal great-grandfather had emigrated from Germany to England during the 19th century, Jacobi describes his childhood as happy. In his teens he went to the Leyton Sixth Form College and became a part of the drama club. While in the sixth-form, he starred in a production of Hamlet, at 18 he won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, where he read history at St Johns College and earned his degree. Younger members of the university at the time included Ian McKellen, during his studies at Cambridge, Jacobi played many parts including Hamlet, which was taken on a tour to Switzerland, where he met Richard Burton. As a result of his performance of Edward II at Cambridge and he played Laertes in the National Theatres inaugural production of Hamlet opposite Peter OToole in 1963. Olivier cast him as Cassio in the successful National Theatre stage production of Othello and he played Andrei in the NT production and film of Three Sisters, both featuring Olivier. On 27 July 1965, Jacobi played Brindsley Miller in the first production of Peter Shaffers Black Comedy and it was presented by the National Theatre at Chichester and subsequently in London. After eight years at the National Theatre, Jacobi left in 1971 to pursue different roles, in 1972, he starred in the BBC serial Man of Straw an adaptation of Heinrich Manns book Der Untertan, directed by Herbert Wise. Jacobi was increasingly busy with stage and screen acting, but his big breakthrough came in 1976 when he played the role in the BBCs series I. He cemented his reputation with his performance as the stammering, twitching Emperor Claudius, in 1979, thanks to his international popularity, he took Hamlet on a theatrical world tour through England, Egypt, Greece, Sweden, Australia, Japan and China, playing Prince Hamlet. He was invited to perform the role at Kronborg Castle, Denmark, known as Elsinore Castle, in 1978 he appeared in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of Richard II, with Sir John Gielgud and Dame Wendy Hiller. In 1980, Jacobi took the role in the BBCs Hamlet, made his Broadway debut in The Suicide. In 1986, he made his West End debut in Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore, starring in the role of Alan Turing, the play was taken to Broadway
26.
Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)
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Richard Wilson OBE is a Scottish actor, theatre director and broadcaster. He played Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave, a later role was as Gaius, the court physician of Camelot, in the BBC drama Merlin. Wilson was born in Greenock, Scotland and he studied science subjects at Greenock Academy, then did his National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in Singapore. He worked in a laboratory at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow as a research assistant and he trained at RADA and then appeared in repertory theatres in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. He initially turned down the role of Victor Meldrew and it was almost offered to Les Dawson before Wilson changed his mind, Wilson was awarded the OBE for services to drama as a director and actor in 1994. In April 1996, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow for a term of three years, Wilson has worked for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall and the Labour Party. He is one of the patrons of Scottish Youth Theatre, Wilson is also a long-time supporter of the charity Sense and in 2007 hosted their annual award ceremony. He is also one of the patrons of the London childrens charity. The narration of The Man Who Called Himself Jesus, from Strawbs eponymous first album, was performed by Wilson, wilsons biography, One Foot on the Stage, The Biography of Richard Wilson, was written by James Roose-Evans. He is a supporter of the Labour Party, and he recorded the partys manifesto for the 2010 General Election. Wilson was a supporter of his football club, Greenock Morton. He is a patron of the Manchester United Supporters Trust, Wilson has been a campaigner for gay rights for many years, and he came out as gay in a Daily Mail interview in March 2013. Wilson is good friends with his One Foot in the Grave co-star Angus Deayton and it was reported on 12 August 2016 that Wilson had suffered a heart attack. He had been due to reprise the role of Victor Meldrew in a show at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Crown Court – as a barrister, a Harlots Progress Would I Lie to You. Roose-Evans, One Foot on the Stage, The Biography of Richard Wilson Richard Wilson at the Internet Movie Database The Official Richard Wilson Archive Exclusive Interview with Richard Wilson
27.
Stephen Fry
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Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and activist. While at university, he involved with the Cambridge Footlights. As half of the double act Fry and Laurie, he co-wrote and co-starred in A Bit of Fry & Laurie and also took the role of Jeeves in Jeeves. He was also the long-time host of the BBC television quiz show QI and he has also filmed commercials, including an advertisement where he explains the essence of British culture to foreigners arriving at Londons Heathrow Airport. Fry was born in Hampstead, London, on 24 August 1957, the son of Marianne Eve Fry and Alan John Fry, a British physicist and inventor. The Fry family originates in Dorset, at Shillingstone and Blandford, in the early 1800s, Samuel Fry settled in Surrey, Frys mother is Jewish, but he was not brought up in a religious family. His maternal grandparents, Martin and Rosa Neumann, were Hungarian Jews, rosas parents, who originally lived in Vienna, Austria, were sent to a concentration camp in Riga, Latvia, where they were murdered. His mothers aunt and cousins were sent to Auschwitz and Stutthof, Frys father is English, and his paternal grandmother had roots in Kent and Cheshire. Fry grew up in the village of Booton near Reepham, Norfolk, having moved from Chesham, Buckinghamshire and he has an elder brother, Roger, and a younger sister, Joanna. He was expelled from Uppingham when he was 15 and subsequently from the Paston School, at 17, after leaving Norfolk College of Arts and Technology, Fry absconded with a credit card stolen from a family friend. He had taken a coat when leaving a pub, planning to spend the night sleeping rough and he was arrested in Swindon, and, as a result, spent three months in Pucklechurch Prison on remand. While Fry was in Pucklechurch, his mother had cut out the crossword from every copy of The Times since he had been away, Fry later stated that these crosswords were the only thing that got him through the ordeal. Following his release, he resumed his education at City College Norwich and he scored well enough to gain a scholarship to Queens College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Fry joined the Cambridge Footlights, appeared on University Challenge, Fry also met his future comedy collaborator Hugh Laurie at Cambridge and starred alongside him in the Footlights Club. Frys career in television began with the 1982 broadcasting of The Cellar Tapes, a second series, retitled Alfresco, was broadcast in 1983, and a third in 1984, it established Fry and Lauries reputation as a comedy double act. In 1983, the BBC offered Fry, Laurie and Thompson their own show, which became The Crystal Cube, undeterred, Fry and Laurie appeared in an episode of The Young Ones in 1984, and Fry also appeared in Ben Eltons 1985 Happy Families series. In 1986 and 1987 Fry and Laurie performed sketches on the LWT/Channel 4 show Saturday Live, forgiving Fry and Laurie for The Crystal Cube, the BBC commissioned, in 1986, a sketch show that was to become A Bit of Fry & Laurie. The programme ran for 26 episodes spanning four series between 1986 and 1995, and was very successful, in a 1988 television special, Blackadders Christmas Carol, he played the roles of Lord Melchett and Lord Frondo
28.
Shakespeare's Globe
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The original theatre was built in 1599, destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and then demolished in 1644. The modern Globe Theatre reconstruction is an approximation based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings. It is considered realistic, though contemporary safety requirements mean that it accommodates only 1400 spectators compared to the original theatre’s 3000. Shakespeares Globe was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker, built about 230 metres from the site of the theatre and opened to the public in 1997. The site also includes the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a theatre which opened in January 2014. This is a smaller, candle-lit space based on the indoor playhouses of Jacobean London, the Sackler Studios, an educational and rehearsal studio complex, is situated just around the corner from the main site. There is also an exhibition about Shakespeares life and work, and this inspired the founding of a number of Shakespeares Globe Centres around the world, an activity in which Wanamaker also participated. It was Wanamakers wish that the new building recreate the Globe as it existed during most of Shakespeares time there, that is, the 1599 building rather than its 1614 replacement. A study was made of what was known of the construction of The Theatre, for practical reasons, some features of the 1614 rebuilding were incorporated into the modern design, such as the external staircases. The design team consisted of architect Theo Crosby of Pentagram, structural and services engineer Buro Happold, the construction, building research and historic design details were undertaken by McCurdy & Co. The theatre opened in 1997 under the name Shakespeares Globe Theatre, Mark Rylance became the first artistic director in 1995 and was succeeded by Dominic Dromgoole in 2006. In January 2016, Emma Rice began her term as the Globes third Artistic Director, the theatre is located on Bankside, about 230 metres from the original site—measured from centre to centre. In addition, listed Georgian townhouses now occupy part of the original site, like the original Globe, the modern theatre has a thrust stage that projects into a large circular yard surrounded by three tiers of raked seating. The only covered parts of the amphitheatre are the stage and the seating areas, plays are staged during the summer, usually between May and the first week of October, in the winter, the theatre is used for educational purposes. Tours are available all year round, some productions are filmed and released to cinemas as Globe on Screen productions, and on DVD. The reconstruction was carefully researched so that the new building would be as faithful a replica of the original as possible. This was aided by the discovery of the remains of the original Rose Theatre, the building itself is constructed entirely of English oak, with mortise and tenon joints and is, in this sense, an authentic 16th century timber-framed building, as no structural steel was used. The seats are simple benches and the Globe has the first, the modern thatch is well protected by fire retardants, and sprinklers on the roof ensure further protection against fire
29.
Tamsin Greig
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Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig is an English actress. She played Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing and she currently stars in as Beverly Lincoln in the transatlantic sitcom Episodes, and as Jackie in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner. Greig was born in Maidstone, Kent, the second of three sisters and her father, Eric, worked as a colour chemist creating dyes, and her mother, Ann, was enthusiastic about amateur dramatics. The family moved to Kilburn when she was three, after graduating, she worked at the Family Planning Association and continued doing temporary work until 1996. She also spent some time at a secretarial college and her career began in early 1990, Greig is known for both dramatic and comedic roles. Comedy roles generally pose problems for Greig, who has admitted that she has problems with corpsing, Greig has had a long-running part as Debbie Aldridge in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers since 1991. As her other work increased, her appearances in the show decreased, Greig appeared in a number of supporting parts, notably as Lamia in Neverwhere and The Mother in an episode of People Like Us. Her first major role was Fran Katzenjammer in the sitcom Black Books, Fran was a friend of the main character, Bernard, and originally owned a gift shop called Nifty Gifty next door to his bookshop. In 2004, she played constantly embarrassed surgical registrar Dr. Caroline Todd and her performance won her Best Comedy Performance in the 2005 Royal Television Society Awards. She also appeared as Caroline in an appearance at The Secret Policemans Ball, in 2005 she also appeared as a nurse in an episode of the BBC series Doctor Who, entitled The Long Game. Greig appeared in the role of Edith Frank in the BBCs January 2009 production of The Diary of Anne Frank, also in 2009, she appeared as Miss Bates in the BBC serial Jane Austens Emma. In 2010, she played Sacharissa Cripslock in the two part mini-series Terry Pratchetts Going Postal, in 2011, she starred in the BBC/Showtime sitcom Episodes, alongside Matt LeBlanc and Green Wing co-star Stephen Mangan. Greig and Mangan play a husband-and-wife writing duo who travel to America to work on an adaptation of their successful series, Greig also stars in the Channel 4 sitcom, Friday Night Dinner, as the mother of a North London Jewish family. She played Beth in the 2012 BBC series White Heat and she also is the lead in The Guilty in the 3 part series on ITV in 2013, playing DCI Maggie Brand investigating the death of a young child who went missing five years ago. In 2014, she played Sally in the Inside No.9 episode Last Gasp, in 2015 the fourth season of Episodes was aired, and in 2016 a nine-episode fifth series, still starring Greig alongside Stephen Mangan and Matt LeBlanc, will begin filming in London. Whilst the win itself was a surprise, her speech was received very well as being highly entertaining, claiming that she was so excited that she had wet her dress. The speech was apparently completely improvised, backstage, when told not to tell her mother about her wetting her dress, she told the host that her mum was dead before dedicating her award to her dead mum. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2009, in 2008, she co-starred in the surreal sci-fi film Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth
30.
Royal National Theatre
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The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdoms three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain, from its foundation in 1963 until 1976, the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. The current building is located next to the Thames in the South Bank area of central London, in addition to performances at the National Theatre building, the National Theatre company tours productions at theatres across the United Kingdom. Since 1988, the theatre has been permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, the theatre presents a varied programme, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama, and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. In June 2009, the theatre began National Theatre Live, a programme of simulcasts of live productions to cinemas, first in the United Kingdom, the programme began with a production of Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren, which was screened live in 70 cinemas across the UK. NT Live productions have since been broadcast to over 1,000 venues in 35 countries around the world, the NT had an annual turnover of approximately £87 million in 2012–13, of which earned income made up 80%. Support from Arts Council England provided 20% of income, and the remaining 7% came from a mixture of companies, individuals, trusts, in 1847, a critic using the pseudonym Dramaticus published a pamphlet describing the parlous state of British theatre. Production of serious plays was restricted to the patent theatres, at the same time, there was a burgeoning theatre sector featuring a diet of low melodrama and musical burlesque, but critics described British theatre as driven by commercialism and a star system. There was a demand to commemorate serious theatre, with the Shakespeare Committee purchasing the playwrights birthplace for the nation demonstrating a recognition of the importance of serious drama, the following year saw more pamphlets on a demand for a National Theatre from London publisher Effingham William Wilson. The situation continued, with a renewed call every decade for a National Theatre, attention was aroused in 1879 when the Comédie-Française took a residency at the Gaiety Theatre, described in The Times as representing the highest aristocracy of the theatre. This still left the capital without a national theatre and this work was interrupted by World War I. The play was part of the campaign to build a National Theatre. Still, the Government tried to apply unacceptable conditions to save money, attempting to force the amalgamation of the publicly supported companies. In July 1962, with agreements reached, a board was set up to supervise construction. The National Theatre Company opened on 22 October 1963 with Hamlet, the current building was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley and structural engineers Flint & Neill and contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977. The construction work was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine, the Company was to remain at the Old Vic until 1977, when construction of the Olivier was complete. The National Theatre building houses three separate auditoria, additionally, a temporary structure was added in April 2013 and closed in May 2016
31.
Thomas Posthumous Hoby
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A Puritan, he has been claimed as the inspiration for Shakespeares character Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Hoby was born after his fathers death, which led to his gaining the name of Posthumus. His sisters Elizabeth and Anne died within a few days of other in February 1571, while his elder brother was the diplomat. Hoby was also a nephew of Sir Philip Hoby, Master-General of the Ordnance, Hoby was a very small boy and grew up to be nicknamed the little knight for his slightness and short stature. He was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Oxford, as his mother pursued favours for herself and her friends, Hoby became a protégé of Burghley. Among his many other first cousins were the philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon, in 1589 Hoby was elected Member of Parliament for Appleby. He was re-elected MP for Appleby in 1593, Hoby had been an unsuccessful suitor four years earlier, after Margaret had lost her first husband. They set up home at Hackness, Yorkshire, but had no children, Margaret Hoby is notable as a diarist. In 1597 Hoby was elected MP for Yorkshire and Scarborough but was declared ineligible at Yorkshire and he was elected MP for Scarborough again in 1604. In 1614 he was elected MP for Ripon and was re-elected MP for Ripon in 1621,1624,1625,1626 and 1628 and he was Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1621 to 1626. In 1609 he alleged in the Star Chamber that Sir Richard Cholmley had twice spoken contemptuously to him in the hope of provoking a duel, one historian of the period has described Hoby as that most overbearing, touchy, and resentful of Yorkshire magistrates. As a magistrate, Hoby has been described as exceptionally conscientious, on his mothers death in 1609 Hoby inherited from her all my pastures of the manor of Gyfford in Gloucestershire, and in 1617 he inherited the estates of his brother, Sir Edward. Hoby died on 30 December 1640 and was entombed with the remains of his wife in the Hackness parish church and he made further bequests to other members of the Sydenham family, and he also left each of his servants three years wages. A memorial to him was erected in the church at Hackness in 1682 by Sir John Posthumous Sydenham, the son of Hobys principal heir and a knight of the shire for Somerset. There is also an impressive memorial to him in All Saints Church, Bisham. Although Hoby had no children, his brother Edwards natural son Peregrine Hoby was the father of Sir Edward Hoby, 1st Baronet, whose baronetcy continued until the fifth Baronet died in 1766
32.
Yorkshire
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Yorkshire, formally known as the County of York, is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Due to its size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been undertaken over time by its subdivisions. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as a geographical territory, Yorkshire has sometimes been nicknamed Gods Own County or Gods Own Country. Yorkshire Day, held on 1 August, is a celebration of the culture of Yorkshire. Yorkshire is now divided between different official regions, most of the county falls within Yorkshire and the Humber. The extreme northern part of the county falls within North East England, Small areas in the west of the historic county now form part of North West England, following boundary changes in 1974. Yorkshire or the County of York was so named as it is the shire of the city of York local /ˈjɔːk/ or Yorks Shire, York comes from the Viking name for the city, Jórvík. Shire is from Old English, scir meaning care or official charge, the shire suffix is locally pronounced /-ʃə/ shuh, or occasionally /-ʃiə/, a homophone of sheer. Early inhabitants of Yorkshire were Celts, who formed two tribes, the Brigantes and the Parisi. The Brigantes controlled territory which later became all of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the tribe controlled most of Northern England and more territory than any other Celtic tribe in England. That they had the Yorkshire area as their heartland is evident in that Isurium Brigantum was the town of their civitas under Roman rule. Six of the nine Brigantian poleis described by Claudius Ptolemaeus in the Geographia fall within the historic county, the Parisi, who controlled the area that would become the East Riding of Yorkshire, might have been related to the Parisii of Lutetia Parisiorum, Gaul. Their capital was at Petuaria, close to the Humber estuary, initially, this situation suited both the Romans and the Brigantes, who were known as the most militant tribe in Britain. Queen Cartimandua left her husband Venutius for his bearer, Vellocatus. Cartimandua, due to her relationship with the Romans, was able to keep control of the kingdom. At the second attempt, Venutius seized the kingdom, but the Romans, under general Petillius Cerialis, the fortified city of Eboracum was named as capital of Britannia Inferior and joint-capital of all Roman Britain. During the two years before the death of Emperor Septimius Severus, the Roman Empire was run from Eboracum by him, another emperor, Constantius Chlorus, died in Yorkshire during a visit in 306 AD. This saw his son Constantine the Great proclaimed emperor in the city, in the early 5th century, the Roman rule ceased with the withdrawal of the last active Roman troops
33.
Charles Boyce
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Charles Boyce, is an American cartoonist known for his syndicated comic panel Compu-toon. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, hes also known for the creation and developing of the KeyPad Kid, a cartoon character used in public affairs awareness programs for training within the telecommunication industry. Boyce attended the Memphis Academy of Arts in the 1960s, and he continued his studies in the arts at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and University of Illinois/Chicago Circle Campus. In 1984, while working for the Chicago Tribune, Boyce had an opportunity to develop a comic strip - Compu-toon - for the in-house newsletter, the strip ran in approximately 150 newspapers from 1994 until 1997. Boyce took early retirement in 2003, and has since been producing daily panels on the Internet for Universal Press Syndicate including a panel for Sunday. He resides in Barrington, Illinois with his wife
34.
Shakespeare's plays
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The plays written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Many of his plays appeared in print as a series of quartos, but approximately half of them remained unpublished until 1738, the traditional division of his plays into tragedies, comedies and histories follows the categories used in the First Folio. Previously, the most common forms of popular English theatre were the Tudor morality plays and these plays, celebrating piety generally, use personified moral attributes to urge or instruct the protagonist to choose the virtuous life over Evil. The characters and plot situations are largely symbolic rather than realistic, as a child, Shakespeare would likely have seen this type of play. The other strand of tradition was classical aesthetic theory. This theory was derived ultimately from Aristotle, in Renaissance England, however, at the universities, plays were staged in a more academic form as Roman closet dramas. These plays, usually performed in Latin, adhered to classical ideas of unity and decorum, Shakespeare would have learned this theory at grammar school, where Plautus and especially Terence were key parts of the curriculum and were taught in editions with lengthy theoretical introductions. Archaeological excavations on the foundations of the Rose and the Globe in the twentieth century showed that all London English Renaissance theatres were built around similar general plans. Despite individual differences, the theatres were three stories high, and built around an open space at the centre. The upper level behind the stage could be used as a balcony, as in Romeo and Juliet, or as a position for a character to harangue a crowd, as in Julius Caesar. Usually built of timber, lath and plaster and with thatched roofs, the theatres were vulnerable to fire. When the Globe burned down in June 1613, it was rebuilt with a tile roof, a different model was developed with the Blackfriars Theatre, which came into regular use on a long term basis in 1599. The Blackfriars was small in comparison to the theatres, and roofed rather than open to the sky. For Shakespeare as he began to write, both traditions were alive, they were, moreover, filtered through the recent success of the University Wits on the London stage. By the late 16th century, the popularity of morality and academic plays waned as the English Renaissance took hold and their plays blended the old morality drama with classical theory to produce a new secular form. The new drama combined the rhetorical complexity of the play with the bawdy energy of the moralities. However, it was ambiguous and complex in its meanings. Shakespeares Elizabethan tragedies demonstrate his independence from classical models
35.
Shakespearean tragedy
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Tragedy is the designation given to most tragedies written by playwright William Shakespeare. Shakespeares romances were written late in his career and published originally as either tragedy or comedy and they share some elements of tragedy featuring a high status central character but end happily like Shakespearean comedies. Several hundred years after Shakespeares death, scholar F. S, boas also coined a fifth category, the problem play, for plays that dont fit neatly into a single classification because of their subject matter, setting, or ending. The classifications of certain Shakespeare plays are still debated among scholars, below is the list of Shakespeares plays listed as tragedies in the First Folio, along with a date range in which each particular play is believed to have been written. Shakespeare, as was customary for other playwrights in his day, used history, other plays, in Elizabethan England there were no copyright or protections against plagiarism, so characters, plots, and even whole phrases of poetry were considered common property. The majority of Shakespeares tragedies are based on figures, with the exception of Romeo & Juliet and Othello. The story of Lear appears in Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia regium Britanniae c. 1135, tragedies from these eras traced their philosophical essence back to Senecan tragedy, grounded in noble who have a tragic flaw or commit a grave error which leads to their reversal of fortune. Revenge tragedy was also of increasing popularity in this age, Shakespeares Hamlet is one example of this, plays of this age were also decidedly secular, in contrast to the religious morality plays which by this time were outlawed by Elizabeth I. One marked difference between English renaissance tragedies and the classics that inspired them, was the use and popularity of violence and murder on stage
36.
Antony and Cleopatra
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Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was performed first circa 1607 at the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre by the Kings Men and its first appearance in print was in the Folio of 1623. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antonys fellow triumvirs of the Second Triumvirate, many consider Shakespeares Cleopatra, whom Antony describes as having infinite variety, as one of the most complex and fully developed female characters in the playwrights body of work. She is frequently vain and histrionic enough to provoke an audience almost to scorn, at the time, Shakespeare invests her. These contradictory features have led to famously divided critical responses and it is difficult to classify Antony and Cleopatra as belonging to a single genre. It can be described as a play, as a tragedy, as a comedy, as a romance, and according to some critics, e. g. McCarter. All one can say with certainty is that it is a Roman play, even a sequel to another of Shakespeares tragedies, Julius Caesar. Mark Antony – one of the triumvirs of the Roman Republic, along with Octavius and Lepidus – has neglected his duties after being beguiled by Egypts Queen. He ignores Romes domestic problems, including the fact that his third wife Fulvia rebelled against Octavius, Octavius calls Antony back to Rome from Alexandria to help him fight against Sextus Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, three notorious pirates of the Mediterranean. At Alexandria, Cleopatra begs Antony not to go, and though he repeatedly affirms his deep love for her. The triumvirs meet in Rome, where Antony and Octavius put to rest, for now, Octavius general, Agrippa, suggests that Antony should marry Octaviuss sister, Octavia, in order to cement the friendly bond between the two men. Antonys lieutenant Enobarbus, though, knows that Octavia can never satisfy him after Cleopatra, a soothsayer warns Antony that he is sure to lose if he ever tries to fight Octavius. In Egypt, Cleopatra learns of Antonys marriage to Octavia and takes revenge upon the messenger that brings her the news. She grows content only when her courtiers assure her that Octavia is homely, short, low-browed, round-faced, before battle, the triumvirs parley with Sextus Pompey, and offer him a truce. He can retain Sicily and Sardinia, but he must help them rid the sea of pirates and they engage in a drunken celebration on Sextus galley, though the austere Octavius leaves early and sober from the party. Menas suggests to Sextus that he kill the three triumvirs and make himself ruler of the Roman Republic, but he refuses, finding it dishonourable, after Antony departs Rome for Athens, Octavius and Lepidus break their truce with Sextus and war against him. This is unapproved by Antony, and he is furious, Antony returns to Alexandria and crowns Cleopatra and himself as rulers of Egypt and the eastern third of the Roman Republic. He accuses Octavius of not giving him his share of Sextus lands, and is angry that Lepidus
37.
Coriolanus
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Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus, the tragedy is numbered as one of the last two tragedies written by Shakespeare, along with Antony and Cleopatra. Coriolanus is the given to a Roman general after his more than adequate military success against various uprisings challenging the government of Rome. Following this success, Coriolanus becomes active in politics and seeks political leadership and his temperament is unsuited for popular leadership and he is quickly deposed, whereupon he aligns himself to set matters straight according to his own will. The alliances he forges to accomplish his own will result in his ultimate downfall, the play opens in Rome shortly after the expulsion of the Tarquin kings. There are riots in progress, after stores of grain were withheld from ordinary citizens, the rioters are particularly angry at Caius Marcius, a brilliant Roman general whom they blame for the grain being taken away. The rioters encounter a patrician named Menenius Agrippa, as well as Caius Marcius himself, Menenius tries to calm the rioters, while Marcius is openly contemptuous, and says that the plebeians were not worthy of the grain because of their lack of military service. Two of the tribunes of Rome, Brutus and Sicinius, privately denounce Marcius and he leaves Rome after news arrives that a Volscian army is in the field. The commander of the Volscian army, Tullus Aufidius, has fought Marcius on several occasions, the Roman army is commanded by Cominius, with Marcius as his deputy. While Cominius takes his soldiers to meet Aufidius army, Marcius leads a rally against the Volscian city of Corioli, the siege of Corioli is initially unsuccessful, but Marcius is able to force open the gates of the city, and the Romans conquer it. Even though he is exhausted from the fighting, Marcius marches quickly to join Cominius, Marcius and Aufidius meet in single combat, which only ends when Aufidius own soldiers drag him away from the battle. In recognition of his courage, Cominius gives Caius Marcius the agnomen, or official nickname. When they return to Rome, Coriolanuss mother Volumnia encourages her son to run for consul, Coriolanus is hesitant to do this, but he bows to his mothers wishes. He effortlessly wins the support of the Roman Senate, and seems at first to have won over the commoners as well, however, Brutus and Sicinius scheme to undo Coriolanus and whip up another riot in opposition to his becoming consul. Faced with this opposition, Coriolanus flies into a rage and rails against the concept of popular rule and he compares allowing plebeians to have power over the patricians to allowing crows to peck the eagles. The two tribunes condemn Coriolanus as a traitor for his words, and order him to be banished, Coriolanus retorts that it is he who banishes Rome from his presence. After being exiled from Rome, Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius in the Volscian capital of Antium, moved by his plight and honoured to fight alongside the great general, Aufidius and his superiors embrace Coriolanus, and allow him to lead a new assault on Rome. Rome, in its panic, tries desperately to persuade Coriolanus to halt his crusade for vengeance, finally, Volumnia is sent to meet her son, along with Coriolanuss wife Virgilia and child, and a chaste gentlewoman Valeria
38.
Hamlet
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlets father, Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brothers widow. It has inspired many other writers—from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and he almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeares time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors in each successive century. Three different early versions of the play are extant, the First Quarto, the Second Quarto, each version includes lines and entire scenes missing from the others. The plays structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny, the protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his fathers brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlets widow, Gertrude, Hamlets mother, Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighboring Norway, which culminated when King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway, and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbrass infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian kings son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent. On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle and they vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed. As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, after the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his fathers death and his mothers hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself, as Poloniuss son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius gives him contradictory advice that culminates in the ironic maxim to thine own self be true. Poloniuss daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, and that night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees and the ghost vanishes, the prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to put an antic disposition on and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret. Privately, however, he remains uncertain of the ghosts reliability, soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving crazily. Polonius blames love for Hamlets madness and resolves to inform Claudius, as he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlets mood, additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard, messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his fathers battles. The forces that Fortinbras conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlets behavior, and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness but subtly insults Polonius all the while, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his friends warmly, but quickly discerns that they are spies
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Julius Caesar (play)
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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It is one of plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history. The play opens with the commoners of Rome celebrating Caesars triumphant return from defeating Pompeys sons at the battle of Munda, two tribunes, Flavius and Marrullus, discover the commoners celebrating, insult them for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, and break up the crowd. There are some made by the commoners, who insult them back. They also plan on removing all decorations from Caesars statues and ending any other festivities, in the next scene, during Caesars parade on the feast of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns Caesar to Beware the ides of March, a warning he disregards. The action then turns to the discussion between Brutus and Cassius, in this conversation, Cassius attempts to influence Brutus opinions into believing Caesar should be killed, preparing to have Brutus join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. They then hear from Casca that Mark Antony has offered Caesar the crown of Rome three times and that each time Caesar refused it, fainting after the last refusal. He compares Caesar to A serpents egg/ which hatchd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, / and kill him in the shell. Caesars assassination is one of the most famous scenes of the play, occurring in Act 3, scene 1. After ignoring the soothsayer, as well as his wifes own premonitions, the conspirators create a superficial motive for coming close enough to assassinate Caesar by means of a petition brought by Metellus Cimber, pleading on behalf of his banished brother. As Caesar, predictably, rejects the petition, Casca grazes Caesar in the back of his neck, at this point, Shakespeare makes Caesar utter the famous line Et tu, Brute. Shakespeare has him add, Then fall, Caesar, suggesting that such treachery destroyed Caesars will to live, the conspirators make clear that they committed this act for Rome, not for their own purposes, and do not attempt to flee the scene. After Caesar is killed, Brutus delivers an oration defending his actions, and for the moment, Antony, even as he states his intentions against it, rouses the mob to drive the conspirators from Rome. Amid the violence, an innocent poet, Cinna, is confused with the conspirator Lucius Cinna and is taken by the mob and that night, Caesars ghost appears to Brutus with a warning of defeat. At the battle, Cassius and Brutus, knowing that they will both die, smile their last smiles to each other and hold hands. During the battle, Cassius has his servant Pindarus kill him after hearing of the capture of his best friend, after Titinius, who was not really captured, sees Cassiuss corpse, he commits suicide. However, Brutus wins that stage of the battle—but his victory is not conclusive, with a heavy heart, Brutus battles again the next day. He loses and commits suicide by running on his own sword, there is then a small hint at the friction between Mark Antony and Octavius which characterizes another of Shakespeares Roman plays, Antony and Cleopatra. The main source of the play is Thomas Norths translation of Plutarchs Lives, Shakespeare makes Caesars triumph take place on the day of Lupercalia instead of six months earlier
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King Lear
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King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. The Tragedy of King Lear, a more theatrical revision, was included in the 1623 First Folio, Modern editors usually conflate the two, though some insist that each version has its own individual integrity that should be preserved. The tragedy is particularly noted for its probing observations on the nature of human suffering, george Bernard Shaw wrote, No man will ever write a better tragedy than Lear. The eldest, Goneril, speaks first, declaring her love for her father in fulsome terms, moved by her flattery Lear proceeds to grant to Goneril her share as soon as she has finished her declaration, before Regan and Cordelia have a chance to speak. He then awards to Regan her share as soon as she has spoken, in his anger he disinherits Cordelia and divides her share between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to Lears unfair treatment of Cordelia, enraged by Kents protests, Lear then summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, the King of France is shocked by Lears decision because up until this time Lear has only praised and favored Cordelia. Meanwhile, Gloucester has introduced his illegitimate son Edmund to Kent, Lear announces he will live alternately with Goneril and Regan, and their husbands. He reserves to himself a retinue of one hundred knights, to be supported by his daughters, Goneril and Regan speak privately, revealing that their declarations of love were fake, and that they view Lear as a foolish old man. Edmund resents his illegitimate status, and plots to dispose of his older brother Edgar. He tricks their father Gloucester with a letter, making him think Edgar plans to usurp the estate. Kent returns from exile in disguise under the name of Caius, Lear and Caius quarrel with Oswald, Gonerils steward. Lear discovers that now that Goneril has power, she no longer respects him and she orders him to behave better and reduces his retinue. Enraged, Lear departs for Regans home, Edmund learns from Curan, a courtier, that there is likely to be war between Albany and Cornwall, and that Regan and Cornwall are to arrive at Gloucesters house that evening. Taking advantage of the arrival of the duke and Regan, Edmund fakes an attack by Edgar and he disinherits Edgar and proclaims him an outlaw. Bearing Lears message to Regan, Caius meets Oswald again at Gloucesters home, quarrels with him again, when Lear arrives, he objects to the mistreatment of his messenger, but Regan is as dismissive of her father as Goneril was. Goneril arrives and supports Regans argument against him, Lear yields completely to his rage. He rushes out into a storm to rant against his ungrateful daughters, Kent later follows to protect him
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Macbeth
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Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I and it was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is his shortest tragedy. A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland, consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness, the events of the tragedy are usually associated with the execution of Henry Garnet for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In the backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, over the course of many centuries, the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comics, the play opens amidst thunder and lightning, and the Three Witches decide that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. Macbeth, the Kings kinsman, is praised for his bravery, in the following scene, Macbeth and Banquo discuss the weather and their victory. As they wander onto a heath, the Three Witches enter, though Banquo challenges them first, they address Macbeth, hailing him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and that he shall be King hereafter. Macbeth appears to be stunned to silence, when Banquo asks of his own fortunes, the witches respond paradoxically, saying that he will be less than Macbeth, yet happier, less successful, yet more. He will father a line of kings though he himself will not be one, while the two men wonder at these pronouncements, the witches vanish, and another thane, Ross, arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title, Thane of Cawdor. The first prophecy is fulfilled, and Macbeth, previously skeptical. King Duncan welcomes and praises Macbeth and Banquo, and declares that he spend the night at Macbeths castle at Inverness. Macbeth sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husbands uncertainty and wishes him to murder Duncan in order to obtain kingship. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overrides all of her husbands objections by challenging his manhood and he and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncans two chamberlains drunk so that they will black out, the next morning they will blame the chamberlains for the murder. They will be defenseless as they remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and he is so shaken that Lady Macbeth has to take charge
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Othello
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Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Roderigo is upset because he loves Desdemona and had asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago hates Othello for promoting a younger man named Cassio above him, whom Iago considers less capable a soldier than himself, Iago convinces Roderigo to wake Brabantio and tell him about his daughters elopement. Meanwhile, Iago sneaks away to find Othello and warns him that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio, provoked by Roderigo, is enraged and will not rest until he has beheaded Othello, but he finds Othellos residence full of the Duke of Venices guards, who prevent violence. News has arrived in Venice that the Turks are going to attack Cyprus, Brabantio has no option but to accompany Othello to the Dukes residence, where he accuses Othello of seducing Desdemona by witchcraft. Othello defends himself before the Duke of Venice, Brabantios kinsmen Lodovico and Gratiano, Othello explains that Desdemona became enamoured of him for the sad and compelling stories he told of his life before Venice, not because of any witchcraft. Iago, still in the room, takes note of Brabantios remark, the party arrives in Cyprus to find that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. Othello orders a celebration and leaves to consummate his marriage with Desdemona. In his absence, Iago gets Cassio drunk, and then persuades Roderigo to draw Cassio into a fight, Montano tries to calm an angry and drunk Cassio down, but end up fighting one another. Montano is injured in the fight, Othello reenters and questions the men as to what happened. Othello blames Cassio for the disturbance and strips him of his rank, Iago persuades Cassio to importune Desdemona to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio. Iago now persuades Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona, when Desdemona drops a handkerchief, Emilia finds it, and gives it to her husband Iago, at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. Othello reenters and vows with Iago for the death of Desdemona and Cassio, after which he makes Iago his lieutenant. Act III, scene iii, is considered to be the point of the play as it is the scene in which Iago successfully sows the seeds of doubt in Othellos mind. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassios lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassios reactions while Iago questions him. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. Othello sees this, and Iago convinces him that Cassio received the handkerchief from Desdemona, enraged and hurt, Othello resolves to kill his wife and asks Iago to kill Cassio
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Romeo and Juliet
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Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeares most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays, today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. The plot is based on an Italian tale translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562, Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by developing a number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed to have written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. The text of the first quarto version was of quality, however. Shakespeares use of his dramatic structure has been praised as an early sign of his dramatic skill. The play ascribes different poetic forms to different characters, sometimes changing the form as the character develops, Romeo, for example, grows more adept at the sonnet over the course of the play. Romeo and Juliet has been adapted numerous times for stage, film, musical, during the English Restoration, it was revived and heavily revised by William Davenant. David Garricks 18th-century version also modified several scenes, removing material then considered indecent, Performances in the 19th century, including Charlotte Cushmans, restored the original text and focused on greater realism. John Gielguds 1935 version kept very close to Shakespeares text and used Elizabethan costumes, the play, set in Verona, Italy, begins with a street brawl between Montague and Capulet servants who, like their masters, are sworn enemies. Prince Escalus of Verona intervenes and declares that further breach of the peace will be punishable by death, later, Count Paris talks to Capulet about marrying his daughter Juliet, but Capulet asks Paris to wait another two years and invites him to attend a planned Capulet ball. Lady Capulet and Juliets nurse try to persuade Juliet to accept Pariss courtship, meanwhile, Benvolio talks with his cousin Romeo, Montagues son, about Romeos recent depression. Benvolio discovers that it stems from unrequited infatuation for a girl named Rosaline, one of Capulets nieces, persuaded by Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo attends the ball at the Capulet house in hopes of meeting Rosaline. However, Romeo instead meets and falls in love with Juliet, Juliets cousin, Tybalt, is enraged at Romeo for sneaking into the ball but is only stopped from killing Romeo by Juliets father, who does not wish to shed blood in his house. Romeo makes himself known to her and they agree to be married, with the help of Friar Laurence, who hopes to reconcile the two families through their childrens union, they are secretly married the next day. Tybalt, meanwhile, still incensed that Romeo had sneaked into the Capulet ball, Romeo, now considering Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight. Mercutio is offended by Tybalts insolence, as well as Romeos vile submission, Mercutio is fatally wounded when Romeo attempts to break up the fight
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Timon of Athens
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Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the First Folio and probably written in collaboration with another author, most likely Thomas Middleton, in about 1605–1606. It is about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon, the central character is a well beloved citizen of Athens who through tremendous generosity spends his entire fortunes on corrupt hangers-on only interested in getting the next payout. The earliest known production of the play was in 1674, when Thomas Shadwell wrote an adaptation under the title The History of Timon of Athens, multiple other adaptations followed over the next century, by writers such as Thomas Hull, James Love and Richard Cumberland. The straight Shakespearean text was at Smock Alley in Dublin in 1761, Timon of Athens was originally grouped with the tragedies, but some scholars name it one of the problem plays. In the beginning, Timon is a wealthy and generous Athenian gentleman and he hosts a large banquet, attended by nearly all the main characters. Timon gives away money wastefully, and everyone wants to him to get more, except for Apemantus. He accepts art from Poet and Painter, and a jewel from the Jeweller, Timons servant, Lucilius, has been wooing the daughter of an old Athenian. The man is angry, but Timon pays him three talents in exchange for the couple being allowed to marry, because the happiness of his servant is worth the price, Timon is told that his friend, Ventidius, is in debtors prison. He sends money to pay Ventidiuss debt, and Ventidius is released, Timon gives a speech on the value of friendship. The guests are entertained by a masque, followed by dancing, as the party winds down, Timon continues to give things away to his friends, his horses, and other possessions. The act is divided arbitrarily into two scenes but the experimental and/or unfinished nature of the play is reflected in that it does not naturally break into a five-act structure. Now Timon has given all his wealth. Shadowing Timon is another guest at the banquet, the cynical philosopher Apemantus and he was the only guest not angling for money or possessions from Timon. Along with a Fool, he attacks Timons creditors when they show up to make their demands for immediate payment, Timon cannot pay, and sends out his servants to make requests for help from those friends he considers closest. Timons servants are turned down, one by one, by Timons false friends, elsewhere, one of Alcibiadess junior officers has reached an even further point of rage, killing a man in hot blood. Alcibiades pleads with the Senate for mercy, arguing that a crime of passion should not carry as severe a sentence as premeditated murder, the senators disagree, and, when Alcibiades persists, banish him forever. He vows revenge, with the support of his troops, the act finishes with Timon discussing with his servants the revenge he will carry out at his next banquet. Timon hosts a party, intended only for those he feels have betrayed him
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Titus Andronicus
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Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. The play is set during the days of the Roman Empire and tells the fictional story of Titus, a general in the Roman army. The play begins shortly after the death of the Roman emperor, Titus subsequently arrives to much fanfare, bearing with him as prisoners the Queen of the Goths, her three sons, and Aaron the Moor. Despite Tamoras desperate pleas, Titus sacrifices her eldest son, Alarbus, distraught, Tamora and her two surviving sons vow to obtain revenge on Titus and his family. Meanwhile, Titus refuses the offer of the throne, arguing that he is not fit to rule and instead supporting the claim of Saturninus, Saturninus tells Titus that for his first act as emperor, he will marry Tituss daughter Lavinia. Titus agrees, although Lavinia is already betrothed to Saturninuss brother, Bassianus, Tituss sons tell Titus that Bassianus is in the right under Roman law, but Titus refuses to listen, accusing them all of treason. A scuffle breaks out, during which Titus kills his own son, Saturninus then denounces the Andronici family for their effrontery and shocks Titus by marrying Tamora. Putting into motion her plan for revenge, Tamora advises Saturninus to pardon Bassianus and the Andronici family, during a royal hunt the following day, Aaron persuades Demetrius and Chiron to kill Bassianus, so they may rape Lavinia. They do so, throwing Bassianuss body into a pit and dragging Lavinia deep into the forest before violently raping her, to keep her from revealing what has happened, they cut out her tongue and cut off her hands. Meanwhile, Aaron writes a letter, which frames Tituss sons Martius and Quintus for the murder of Bassianus. Horrified at the death of his brother, Saturninus arrests Martius and Quintus, and sentences them to death. Some time later, Marcus discovers the mutilated Lavinia and takes her to her father, who is shocked at the accusations levelled at his sons. Aaron then visits Titus and falsely tells him that Saturninus will spare Martius and Quintus if either Titus, Marcus or, Tituss remaining son, Lucius, cuts off one of their hands and sends it to him. Titus has Aaron cut off his hand and sends it to the emperor but, in return. Desperate for revenge, Titus orders Lucius to flee Rome and raise an army among their former enemy, later, Lavinia writes the names of her attackers in the dirt, using a stick held with her mouth and between her mutilated arms. Meanwhile, Tamora secretly gives birth to a child, fathered by Aaron. Aaron kills the nurse to keep the race a secret. Thereafter, Lucius, marching on Rome with an army, captures Aaron, in order to save the baby, Aaron reveals the entire revenge plot to Lucius
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Troilus and Cressida
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Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeares problem plays, the play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus and Cressida. The work has in recent years stimulated exceptionally lively critical debate and this is tragedy of a special sort—the tragedy the basis of which is the impossibility of conventional tragedy. Troilus and Cressida is set during the years of the Trojan War. Essentially, two plots are followed in the play, in one, Troilus, a Trojan prince, woos Cressida, another Trojan. They have sex, professing their love, before Cressida is exchanged for a Trojan prisoner of war. As he attempts to visit her in the Greek camp, Troilus glimpses Diomedes flirting with his beloved Cressida, while this plot gives the play its name, it accounts for only a small part of the plays run time. The majority of the play revolves around the leaders of the Greek and Trojan forces, Agamemnon, Ajax is originally chosen as this combatant, but makes peace with Hector before they are able to fight. Achilles is prompted to return to only after his dear friend and possible lover. A series of skirmishes conclude the play, during which Achilles catches Hector and has the Myrmidons kill him, the conquest of Troy is left unfinished, as the Trojans learn of the death of their hero. The story was a one for dramatists in the early 17th century. Thomas Heywoods two-part play The Iron Age also depicts the Trojan war and the story of Troilus and Cressida, but it is not certain whether his or Shakespeares play was written first. In addition, Thomas Dekker and Henry Chettle wrote a play called Troilus and Cressida at around the time as Shakespeare. The play is believed to have written around 1602, shortly after the completion of Hamlet. It was published in quarto in two editions, both in 1609. No publication followed, however, until 1609, the stationers Richard Bonian,1609, and later that year issued the first quarto, but in two states. Some commentators have attempted to reconcile these contradictory claims by arguing that the play was composed originally around 1600–02, but heavily revised shortly before its 1609 printing. The play is noteworthy for its bitter and caustic nature, similar to the works that Shakespeare was writing in the 1605–08 period, King Lear, Coriolanus, in this view, the original version of the play was a more positive romantic comedy of the type Shakespeare wrote ca
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