Introduction to P3 and Elizabethan England

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Welcome to P3

•  Today: What to expect in P3
• Watching a movie!
• But first: Recording a lesson?
  

So basically:

•  Read a book (King of Shadows)
  
• Watch a movie (A Midsummer's Night Dream)
  
• Write a practice essay (Deadline March 12)
  
• Credits (Deadline TBA)
  

How to get the book?

•  This afternoon 15:40
  
• If you do not live in Meppel, you can give your library pass/student number to someone who lives close to you, to collect your book as well.
  

Essay Writing

 A lesson a week on what an arumentative essay is and how to write one:

• What the lay-out is
• How to structure your essay
• What a thesis is
  
• How to improve your writing
  
• How to write effectively and interestingly
  
• Why? Because you will probably have to write a lot of essays in English when you go to Uni/HBO/Other.
  

Questions so far?

Introduction to the book

•  The book is about Nat, a young actor who travels to London with his theater group to perform "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by Shakespeare.
  
• He falls ill and is transported back to the year 1599, where he meets Shakespeare and becomes his apprentice. 
• Because they are performing "A Midsummer's Night Dream" we will watch this movie in the coming lessons, so you'll be able to understand what everything is about. 
• Questions?
  

Elizabethan England

The time of William Shakespeare
1570 - 1680

Elizabethan Beliefs

• The upper classes loved learning.  They sent their children to grammar school and then onto Oxford or Cambridge university

• They believed in thinking from ancient Rome.  Discussion on religion, death, politics, good and evil took place in the centre of towns.

• But by this point the lower classes could also and did send their sons to school, education was no longer only for the rich.
• The Elizabethans believed in the chain of being – all in its place.  God was at the top of the chain, then the queen, the lords of the land, the middle classes, lower classes and finally the beggars and animals.
  
  • The man was in charge of his household, the woman did what her husband told her.  He had to “tame” his wife to be obedient.
  
  

What was Elizabethan London like?

A place of hustle and bustle. One of the main features of Elizabethan London was the town market day. Local farmers brought their produce to sell, craftworkers displayed manufactured goods, and eager housewives filled the town square to purchase the week’s necessities. Far more exciting than the local market, however, was the hustle and bustle of a great fair. On such special occasions, fairgrounds were filled with food, wares, and entertainment of every possible kind.

Elizabethan London was a place of contrast

• On the one hand, London was the home of the Queen’s court, where life was luxurious. 
• On the other hand, life in the crowded streets was harsh. The poor became poorer which resulted in more beggars and vagabonds spilling onto the streets.
  

Poverty and Health

Health was a major concern in Elizabethan England. A growing population contributed to the spread of DISEASE, particularly in the crowded city of London. Poor SANITATION was the main cause of disease. Sickness was particularly common among the poor, and it could also contribute to greater poverty by making people unable to work.

The London Underworld

    The way that houses were built closely to one another led to lots of dark alleyways and twisted corners for people to get up to no good.  Taverns were places of corruption where betting, gambling and prostitution took place.  However, the poorer classes had a ‘gallows’ humour’, they laughed about things like death, revenge and poverty.

Enter Shakespeare 1564 - 1616

Theatre for the Wealthy

• Shakespeare often produced plays for royalty.  Macbeth was written for James I, a brave move, considering that his mother had committed suicide like Lady Macbeth does. The nobility looked for educational meaning in Shakespeare’s plays whereas the commoners enjoyed the rowdy scenes.
• The stalls were the place for the wealthy to sit.  The pit was the place for the poor to stand for the 3 hour performance.
  
  

Shakespeare and the Commoners

The Globe Theatre was built in the poor quarters of London.  The poor and the rich alike regularly attended the theatre.  The poor would stand in the pit; the part that was exposed to the open air.  If they were disappointed by an actor’s performance, they would bombard him with  the rotten fruit and veg they had saved all week

The Globe theater

Let's watch the movie!

Thursday we will start working on the essays.

Homework: Decide on a topic for your practice essay!

Bring this topic to class, because you will need it.

Need inspiration? Use google or the links I put in the homework.