1. The type of gun Sandburg was describing was anti-aircraft gun or cannon.
2. The “jackies” were sailors from the past who were famous for wearing white uniforms. They sang war chants as they were about to go into war to motivate themselves.
3. He means to say that guns are brothers of shovel as they are made of the same material. This is because when there is a war, the iron-made shovel will be melted and then made into guns to be placed on warships. When the war is over, the guns will be melted and then made into shovels.
4. The significance of the title “And They Obey” is that they have no say over what they do. When they say something, all have to do what they command. This show how powerful the rulers were as they full control of the people.
5. The effect of the contrasting effect tells us that no matter how bad the war is fought, there will always be a time when the city has to be rebuilt. The attitude toward them is that what they are doing is meaningless and they always go back to square one.
6. In my opinion, it is easier to destroy a society then to rebuild it. This can be seen by the fact that it took at least 10 years for Singapore to recover from WW2 economically and socially, compared to the fact only 4-5 years were needed to destroy it.
7. In the past, people ride horses to war and this will cause the drums of hoofs of the horses to be heard. In the present, motor powered tanks were created and that caused the hum of motors and the tracks of the tanks caused the tread of its rubber tires. The future would be a big question mark. It represents quick silent death.
8. Like how The Egypt dictator was overthrown by his own people as he became a convict and lost his power to rule over them.
IN-CLASS ONLINE LESSON #8
Dear Diary,
Today was frustrating day for me. I just got involved in World War II, whereby we had to face the heavily-armored Japanese soldiers.
The British army was heavily injured and got their loots stolen during their battles. Because of their failure to defend Singapore from the Japanese, Chinese soldiers were needed to assist them. One of them was me. For the past few months, we had trainings every day and learn survival skills such as learning how to kill animals and cook them, purify water for consumption and most importantly learning how to use the gun.
Today was my first day at war. It turned to out to be one of the worst days of my life. Our weapons were so inferior when compared to the Japanese and our zero fighter planes were nothing compared to their high-technology planes. The Japanese proved to be too strong for us and many of my comrades died. Luckily for me, I managed to survive. However, I sustained an injury on my leg as someone had shot me.
I always thought that my comrades and I were capable to dealing with the Japanese. However, news got out saying that many of our soldiers are dying quickly and our resources are running out. We actually failed. The general was shocked by how capable the Japanese were. A huge physiological damage was done on us.
I’m really uncertain about my battle tomorrow. I really hope the tables will turn in our favor. We keep ourselves calm and fight for the country like relentless warriors. I do believe that Singapore still has hope in keeping the Japanese away. As long as we do our best, there would still be a chance for many us to come out of this war victorious. Until then, our lives are on the line.
Winston Tan
Today was frustrating day for me. I just got involved in World War II, whereby we had to face the heavily-armored Japanese soldiers.
The British army was heavily injured and got their loots stolen during their battles. Because of their failure to defend Singapore from the Japanese, Chinese soldiers were needed to assist them. One of them was me. For the past few months, we had trainings every day and learn survival skills such as learning how to kill animals and cook them, purify water for consumption and most importantly learning how to use the gun.
Today was my first day at war. It turned to out to be one of the worst days of my life. Our weapons were so inferior when compared to the Japanese and our zero fighter planes were nothing compared to their high-technology planes. The Japanese proved to be too strong for us and many of my comrades died. Luckily for me, I managed to survive. However, I sustained an injury on my leg as someone had shot me.
I always thought that my comrades and I were capable to dealing with the Japanese. However, news got out saying that many of our soldiers are dying quickly and our resources are running out. We actually failed. The general was shocked by how capable the Japanese were. A huge physiological damage was done on us.
I’m really uncertain about my battle tomorrow. I really hope the tables will turn in our favor. We keep ourselves calm and fight for the country like relentless warriors. I do believe that Singapore still has hope in keeping the Japanese away. As long as we do our best, there would still be a chance for many us to come out of this war victorious. Until then, our lives are on the line.
Winston Tan
IN-CLASS ONLINE LESSON #7
Soldiers were piles of rubble all over the place. The destruction caused by months of grenades and shooting was unmistakable. There were many holes in the walls and scorch marks on the rubble and debris all around the war zone -buildings were none existent. The piles of wood and rocks underfoot made it really hard for the untrained man to navigate through the terrain. Scout enemy camps made frequent trips to the area, and finding cover was a big concern for them. Without any cover, the scouting missions succeeded by killing of many soldiers. They were shot by snipers from enemy camps. Some got hit on the arm or the leg. Others were the receivers of head shots. The soldier who got that shot in the picture fell to the ground. His comrades quickly surround him, and offered their silent prayer for him. Biting back emotions, one of them sought to unbuckle the ammunition strip from their dead counterpart. The other kept a vigilant look in grief, just keeping a lookout just in case bullets were fired out again from the enemy camp. If that happened, he sacrificed his life and helped his friend. Tears were flowing down their cheeks. They had to suppress their feelings as they knew that emotions can affect one’s focus, making them more vulnerable. Fumbling while holding the ammunition strip, his comrade finally got it out. Their waste of ammunition had caused their problems. You never know when you need more of it. They could have used their bullets at the right time rather than shooting aimlessly, hoping that they would succeed when they tried. Nonetheless, the soldier laid there full of pride and awaiting death. The comrades got up and ran back for shelter. They knew that their fate would soon be the same as the soldier.
IN-CLASS ONLINE LESSON #6
Dear Takumi,
I recently heard about the devastating news whereby Japan got struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami afterwards. The entire northern side of Japan is in a bad state and many buildings have collapsed due to the natural disasters. It is a total mayhem out there in the disaster zone. I was shocked to hear the news and thought of sending a letter to you.
Please remain optimistic and hope for the better. Also, you can always seek help from me as will always be there for you. You are welcome to stay with me too. I hope you have not given up hope even though your family is lost. Please do not be demoralized and lose faith at whatever you do.
The Japanese government is also trying their best to seek refuge for all the victims. There is a mammoth challenge for you and your fellow Japanese, to rebuild your homeland. Please do not be despair but instead, show the determination in you. There is still so much worth to fight for – your home, your country and your pride. Live life to its fullest as your parents and do your parents proud.
Once again, you must perseverance and have the determination. By standing tall and taking up all challenges that you face, you will bounce back stronger than ever. I send you my warmest regards and hope that you will make the right decisions in life and succeed in the future.
Yours Sincerely,
Winston Tan
I recently heard about the devastating news whereby Japan got struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami afterwards. The entire northern side of Japan is in a bad state and many buildings have collapsed due to the natural disasters. It is a total mayhem out there in the disaster zone. I was shocked to hear the news and thought of sending a letter to you.
Please remain optimistic and hope for the better. Also, you can always seek help from me as will always be there for you. You are welcome to stay with me too. I hope you have not given up hope even though your family is lost. Please do not be demoralized and lose faith at whatever you do.
The Japanese government is also trying their best to seek refuge for all the victims. There is a mammoth challenge for you and your fellow Japanese, to rebuild your homeland. Please do not be despair but instead, show the determination in you. There is still so much worth to fight for – your home, your country and your pride. Live life to its fullest as your parents and do your parents proud.
Once again, you must perseverance and have the determination. By standing tall and taking up all challenges that you face, you will bounce back stronger than ever. I send you my warmest regards and hope that you will make the right decisions in life and succeed in the future.
Yours Sincerely,
Winston Tan
IN-CLASS ONLINE LESSON #5
ONLINE LESSON
Group #5: Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro Trials
a. What event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?(Shao Wei)
It started in December 1 ,1955. Rosa Parks who was an African American, did not surrender her seat for a white man when she was sitting in the bus in Alabama. the reason i say surrender was because at the time blacks were supposed to give up their seats to white people because Alabama at the time was a segregated country. Rosa parks was then sent to court where she was found guilty and so was fined a total of us $ 14 dollars. with her arrest, sparked the Montgomery bus boycott where blacks refused to take bus services in Alabama.
b. Which two organizations were primarily involved in coordinating the boycott? (Glenn)
WPC and Montgomery NAACP
c. Why did the boycott catapult Martin Luther King, Jr. to prominence?(Shao Wei)
The bus boycott was planned by E.D. Nixon and after that was led by martin Luther king Jr, which lasted 386 days. in fact the situation became so intense that martin Luther kings house was bombed. king was arrested during the boycott and the united states district court ruling in the end ended the racial segregation on all Montgomery bus services . this was how martin Luther king Jr rose to fame during the boycott.
d. How is the Scottsboro trial related to the trial in TKAM? (Winston)
The Scottsboro trial was related to the trial in TKAM in a sense that both trials saw coloured people getting accused of rape. There was a miscarriage of justice and in the end, the coloured people were eventually ‘found guilty’ Back then, many people were racist and sided the white people. These two incidents have caused an uproar in the community due to the unfairness of the law.
e. State the specifics of each trial and why they were significant.(Chuan Xin)
Montgomery bus boycott
There was not really much of a trial in this case because the trial only lasted 30minutes, but instead, the main focus of this movement was the bus boycott. The bus boycott was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat to the whites because she ‘did not feel like it’. She was arrested and fined and jailed for a trial that only lasted 30 minutes. This sparked of the bus boycott, in which the famous Martin Luther King was in charge of.
The main aim of the bus boycott was to let the whites know that the blacks have had enough of then treatment by the whites. 90% of the blacks stayed of the bus service in the country, and thus the bus operators have lost a lot of business. The KKK took action by intimidating the blacks, but the blacks were under orders to play it cool, and thus did not retaliate at all, no matter what the KKK did. This non-action made the KKK feel even angrier, and thus they started a lot of burnings and killings. However, the blacks stand was impassive, and in the end, due to their efforts, they won the match against the whites.
The Scottsboro Trial
The trial was significant because the jury was all white, which increased the chances for a miscarriage of justice during the trial
f. In what way are these trials similar?(Jun Jie)
They are similar in terms of racism towards to black, when both the cases are either minor, or when the “culprit” is totally Innocent.
Compiled and edited by Tan Yan Shen
Reflection
The topic that we did on that had to do with racism was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Scotsborro Trials. After reading up about both cases of racism, I feel that the whites in the past were really extreme in their methods of putting down other races to maintain their supremacy. I am really glad that even though racism is not completely eradicated and most probably never will be, it is already greatly reduced and the hurt caused to the blacks have been minimized potentially.
In relation to TKAM and Mississippi Burning, I feel that all of the main ‘leaders’ of racism was the KKK. In the bus boycott, they also appeared to terrorize the blacks when they stopped taking the bus. In TKAM, the court was most likely KKK members, since there was a previous mention about clans and gangs by Scout, and Jem was trying to bluff her into believing that there was not any. In Mississippi Burning, the KKK presence is outright, where they kidnaped and killed the civil rights workers and set fire to all the black communities houses and churches.
The KKK were very immoral, and most of the extreme actions taken against blacks were seemingly done by the KKK and associated members of the society. They guided their actions through their twisted aim of maintaining white supremacy, but they never thought about what the white supremacy will achieve for them. The KKK were misguided and did not spare a thought for the black community by ‘walking around in their skin’, as said in TKAM.
Group #5: Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro Trials
a. What event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?(Shao Wei)
It started in December 1 ,1955. Rosa Parks who was an African American, did not surrender her seat for a white man when she was sitting in the bus in Alabama. the reason i say surrender was because at the time blacks were supposed to give up their seats to white people because Alabama at the time was a segregated country. Rosa parks was then sent to court where she was found guilty and so was fined a total of us $ 14 dollars. with her arrest, sparked the Montgomery bus boycott where blacks refused to take bus services in Alabama.
b. Which two organizations were primarily involved in coordinating the boycott? (Glenn)
WPC and Montgomery NAACP
c. Why did the boycott catapult Martin Luther King, Jr. to prominence?(Shao Wei)
The bus boycott was planned by E.D. Nixon and after that was led by martin Luther king Jr, which lasted 386 days. in fact the situation became so intense that martin Luther kings house was bombed. king was arrested during the boycott and the united states district court ruling in the end ended the racial segregation on all Montgomery bus services . this was how martin Luther king Jr rose to fame during the boycott.
d. How is the Scottsboro trial related to the trial in TKAM? (Winston)
The Scottsboro trial was related to the trial in TKAM in a sense that both trials saw coloured people getting accused of rape. There was a miscarriage of justice and in the end, the coloured people were eventually ‘found guilty’ Back then, many people were racist and sided the white people. These two incidents have caused an uproar in the community due to the unfairness of the law.
e. State the specifics of each trial and why they were significant.(Chuan Xin)
Montgomery bus boycott
There was not really much of a trial in this case because the trial only lasted 30minutes, but instead, the main focus of this movement was the bus boycott. The bus boycott was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat to the whites because she ‘did not feel like it’. She was arrested and fined and jailed for a trial that only lasted 30 minutes. This sparked of the bus boycott, in which the famous Martin Luther King was in charge of.
The main aim of the bus boycott was to let the whites know that the blacks have had enough of then treatment by the whites. 90% of the blacks stayed of the bus service in the country, and thus the bus operators have lost a lot of business. The KKK took action by intimidating the blacks, but the blacks were under orders to play it cool, and thus did not retaliate at all, no matter what the KKK did. This non-action made the KKK feel even angrier, and thus they started a lot of burnings and killings. However, the blacks stand was impassive, and in the end, due to their efforts, they won the match against the whites.
The Scottsboro Trial
The trial was significant because the jury was all white, which increased the chances for a miscarriage of justice during the trial
f. In what way are these trials similar?(Jun Jie)
They are similar in terms of racism towards to black, when both the cases are either minor, or when the “culprit” is totally Innocent.
Compiled and edited by Tan Yan Shen
Reflection
The topic that we did on that had to do with racism was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Scotsborro Trials. After reading up about both cases of racism, I feel that the whites in the past were really extreme in their methods of putting down other races to maintain their supremacy. I am really glad that even though racism is not completely eradicated and most probably never will be, it is already greatly reduced and the hurt caused to the blacks have been minimized potentially.
In relation to TKAM and Mississippi Burning, I feel that all of the main ‘leaders’ of racism was the KKK. In the bus boycott, they also appeared to terrorize the blacks when they stopped taking the bus. In TKAM, the court was most likely KKK members, since there was a previous mention about clans and gangs by Scout, and Jem was trying to bluff her into believing that there was not any. In Mississippi Burning, the KKK presence is outright, where they kidnaped and killed the civil rights workers and set fire to all the black communities houses and churches.
The KKK were very immoral, and most of the extreme actions taken against blacks were seemingly done by the KKK and associated members of the society. They guided their actions through their twisted aim of maintaining white supremacy, but they never thought about what the white supremacy will achieve for them. The KKK were misguided and did not spare a thought for the black community by ‘walking around in their skin’, as said in TKAM.
Expert Circles Activities
Topic 1: Will the real William Shakespeare please stand up?
Scholars and historians feel that the name “William Shakespeare” is a pen name for he real author of the plays to hide his identity from the public. Many scholars and literature historians feel that the thought that “William Shakespeare” was simply a pen name is counted a fringe belief. Then, the language that Shakespeare uses its in his biography seemed totally different from his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.
The controversy has since created a large number of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford. The full list is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare_authorship_candidates
Edward was a well-educated and well-traveled nobleman of Queen Elizabeth court which may be comparable with the intelligence of William Shakespeare as William needed to very intelligent and also smart to be able to have written so many superb and historical plays which are still being acted and read till date. Another reason is that Edward was also not known being a playwright or a writer, and simply attributed to have high level of intelligence, which William Shakespeare may have wanted, not wanting anyone to recognise him for anything, if he used a pen name to avoid the public. Edward was also known to be pursuing literature, which William Shakespeare should be doing because the only reason he wrote so many plays was because he loved literature. Last but not least, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare is very close, with the birth date being unknown, only that it is known that he was baptised in 1564, which may be possible as Edward was born in 1550. However, there is a 14-year difference in the year of death, which may also be caused by mistake during recording such as assuming that he was dead just because he disappeared and left.
Topic 2 : Queen Elizabeth 1
Elizabeth I born 7 September 1533 died 24 March 1603 was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She was known as the virgin queenand was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. In 1558 Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels
Throughout the Early Modern Period English foreign policy underwent many dramatic shifts as the Monarch moved within the Franco-Spanish-Burgundian triangle. King Henry VII had been incredibly isolationist and intent on recovering from England’s internal problems after the War of the Roses, but his son Henry VIII had grandiose imperial ambitions. Elizabeth had more in common with her grandfather than her father, and yet her reign would see England involved in fighting from Brussels to the New World and one of the great martial victories of English history, over the Spanish Armada. She was very sensitive to the European situation and it was often a catalyst for change in her foreign policy. This was a time of change for English foreign relations and Elizabeth learnt after a decade that the old-fashioned and well-trodden paths of her ancestors would need re-examining. England had strong relationship with Spain & France prior to 1567, Philip II of Spain, most powerful man in the World, had been married to Elizabeth’s estranged sister, Mary I. But such a direct Spanish link to England had offended the common people, and Elizabeth declined Philip’s offer of marriage to herself upon her accession.
Queen Elizabeth I liked plays that were acted out for her. She likes Shakespeare’s plays because in some of his play, Shakespeare cleverly hinted passages referring to the Queen and other events that affiliated during both of their life time. Queen Elizabeth I was a great supporter of the arts, mainly she supported plays and masques.
Topic 4: The (historical and cultural) Setting of Venice
Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East. Venice started declining in the 16th century after various attacks like the Kingdoms of France and Spain. One of such example will be the Turks. In the summer of 1570, about 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell — September 9, 1570 — 20,000 Nicosian Greeks and Venetians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted.
However, Venice flourished and was an important trading centre and art centre due to its stable political climate. There were over a 100,000 people living in Venice in the 15th and 16th century. At the beginning of the 16th century, theatres were introduced and were welcomed by the citizens. Groups of actors performed in the houses of nobles and even they charged admission.
Venice was a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice. As a major port of trade, Venice was able to find ready markets for whatever decorative arts Venetian craftsmen could produce. The whole Republic was crawling with ceramists, glassworkers, woodworkers, lace makers and sculptors (in addition to painters), all of whom made entirely satisfactory livings. Trading was also very important in Venice as it was along one of the main trading routes during the Renaissance.
While Jews had been legally banned from England since 1290, Venice had laws in place to protect non-Venetian traders who supported the city’s economic well-being
Shakespeare’s setting is filled with religious strife, especially between Christians and Jews. Also, in 16th century, Venice was more tolerant of foreigners than Elizabethan England; Jews in Venice were confined to ghettos at the time Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice.
Topic five : Jews vs Christian
Love in Christianity: Jewish conception of love to justice, and the Christian conception of love to charity.
Sin: in both religions, sin refers to an offense towards god. these sin can be thoughts, words and deeds.
However, in the christian religion, sin is grouped into different types. the first one is called a venial sin, in which the sinner has wounded their relationship with god. on the other hand a complete destruction of the relationship with god is most often called a mortal sin. Christians think that unless the sinner has salvation from sin, after they die they will go to hell in the afterlife
Christians thought that Jews are inferior to them and therefore, should not be accepted into their society. What is more is that if a Jew wants to be accepted into the society, they will have to be converted to a Christian. They are also openly discriminated by the Christians and treated as slaves.
Among socio-economic factors were restrictions by the authorities. Local rulers and church officials closed many professions to the Jews, pushing them into marginal occupations considered socially inferior, such as tax and rent collecting and moneylending, tolerated then as a “necessary evil”. Catholic doctrine of the time held that lending money for interest was a sin, and forbidden to Christians. Not being subject to this restriction, Jews dominated this business. The Torah and later sections of the Hebrew Bible criticise Usury but interpretations of the Biblical prohibition vary. Since few other occupations were open to them, Jews were motivated to take up money lending. This was said to show Jews were insolent, greedy, usurers, and subsequently led to many negative stereotypes and propaganda. Natural tensions between creditors (typically Jews) and debtors (typically Christians) were added to social, political, religious, and economic strains. Peasants who were forced to pay their taxes to Jews could personify them as the people taking their earnings while remaining loyal to the lords on whose behalf the Jews worked.
Topic 6
Shakespeare’s plays were mostly performed in the Globe Theatre which was some sort of a medieval building. The outer view of the building has a much simpler design while the inside holds a much more intricate design which brings out a mystical atmosphere. The Globe Theatre had no roof, allowing sunlight to enter the building during the day. The building had no lighting equipment thus plays were mostly scheduled in the afternoon where there is light.
The theater that Cuthbert Burbage built for the Chamberlain’s Men had a total capacity of between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted, weather permitting, during the day (probably most often in the mid-afternoon span between 2 P.M. and 5 P.M.). Because most of the Globe and all of its stage was open air, acoustics were poor and the actors were compelled by circumstances to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures.
The language of Shakespeare’s plays are also descriptive as the theatres are open air without much scenery. The scenery are being described through dialogues and actions of the actors. Therefore the language of Shakespeare’s plays are often descriptive.
Shakespeare’s fellow members of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men acted in his plays. Among these actors were Richard Burbage (who played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III and King Lear), Richard Cowley (who played Verges in Much Ado About Nothing), William Kempe, (who played Peter in Romeo and Juliet and, possibly, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Henry Condell and John Heminges, are most famous now for collecting and editing the plays of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
People from all classes went to see Shakespeare’s plays in Shakespeare’s time. Anyone who could afford the minimum price of one penny could go and stand in the yard in front of the stage. They were known as ‘groundlings’ or ‘penny stinkers’; they stood all through the play. Those who could afford two pennies could sit on the covered benches; there were three tiers of covered seating around the edge of the yard. Rich people could sit above, or above and just to the side of the stage in the ‘Lords’ rooms’.
The Mayor and Corporation of London banned plays in 1572 as a measure against the plague, and in 1575 they formally expelled all players from the city1 This prompted the construction of playhouses outside the jurisdiction of London, in the liberties of Halliwell/Holywell in Shoreditch and later the Clink, and at Newington Butts near the established entertainment district of St. George’s Fields in rural Surrey
In the past, Shakespeare worked in places like the theatre.The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the second permanent theatre ever built in England, after the Red Lion, and the first successful one. Built by actor-manager James Burbage, near the family home in Holywell Street, The Theatre is considered the first theatre built in London for the sole purpose of theatrical productions. The Theatre’s history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors and/or bear baiting pits. The building was a polygonal wooden building with three galleries that surrounded an open yard.
However, the modern Globe theatre is different. Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction, of the 1614 building, was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre. The theatre was opened to the public in 1997, with a production of Henry V. The site also includes a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre.
Scholars and historians feel that the name “William Shakespeare” is a pen name for he real author of the plays to hide his identity from the public. Many scholars and literature historians feel that the thought that “William Shakespeare” was simply a pen name is counted a fringe belief. Then, the language that Shakespeare uses its in his biography seemed totally different from his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.
The controversy has since created a large number of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford. The full list is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare_authorship_candidates
Edward was a well-educated and well-traveled nobleman of Queen Elizabeth court which may be comparable with the intelligence of William Shakespeare as William needed to very intelligent and also smart to be able to have written so many superb and historical plays which are still being acted and read till date. Another reason is that Edward was also not known being a playwright or a writer, and simply attributed to have high level of intelligence, which William Shakespeare may have wanted, not wanting anyone to recognise him for anything, if he used a pen name to avoid the public. Edward was also known to be pursuing literature, which William Shakespeare should be doing because the only reason he wrote so many plays was because he loved literature. Last but not least, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare is very close, with the birth date being unknown, only that it is known that he was baptised in 1564, which may be possible as Edward was born in 1550. However, there is a 14-year difference in the year of death, which may also be caused by mistake during recording such as assuming that he was dead just because he disappeared and left.
Topic 2 : Queen Elizabeth 1
Elizabeth I born 7 September 1533 died 24 March 1603 was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She was known as the virgin queenand was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. In 1558 Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels
Throughout the Early Modern Period English foreign policy underwent many dramatic shifts as the Monarch moved within the Franco-Spanish-Burgundian triangle. King Henry VII had been incredibly isolationist and intent on recovering from England’s internal problems after the War of the Roses, but his son Henry VIII had grandiose imperial ambitions. Elizabeth had more in common with her grandfather than her father, and yet her reign would see England involved in fighting from Brussels to the New World and one of the great martial victories of English history, over the Spanish Armada. She was very sensitive to the European situation and it was often a catalyst for change in her foreign policy. This was a time of change for English foreign relations and Elizabeth learnt after a decade that the old-fashioned and well-trodden paths of her ancestors would need re-examining. England had strong relationship with Spain & France prior to 1567, Philip II of Spain, most powerful man in the World, had been married to Elizabeth’s estranged sister, Mary I. But such a direct Spanish link to England had offended the common people, and Elizabeth declined Philip’s offer of marriage to herself upon her accession.
Queen Elizabeth I liked plays that were acted out for her. She likes Shakespeare’s plays because in some of his play, Shakespeare cleverly hinted passages referring to the Queen and other events that affiliated during both of their life time. Queen Elizabeth I was a great supporter of the arts, mainly she supported plays and masques.
Topic 4: The (historical and cultural) Setting of Venice
Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East. Venice started declining in the 16th century after various attacks like the Kingdoms of France and Spain. One of such example will be the Turks. In the summer of 1570, about 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell — September 9, 1570 — 20,000 Nicosian Greeks and Venetians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted.
However, Venice flourished and was an important trading centre and art centre due to its stable political climate. There were over a 100,000 people living in Venice in the 15th and 16th century. At the beginning of the 16th century, theatres were introduced and were welcomed by the citizens. Groups of actors performed in the houses of nobles and even they charged admission.
Venice was a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice. As a major port of trade, Venice was able to find ready markets for whatever decorative arts Venetian craftsmen could produce. The whole Republic was crawling with ceramists, glassworkers, woodworkers, lace makers and sculptors (in addition to painters), all of whom made entirely satisfactory livings. Trading was also very important in Venice as it was along one of the main trading routes during the Renaissance.
While Jews had been legally banned from England since 1290, Venice had laws in place to protect non-Venetian traders who supported the city’s economic well-being
Shakespeare’s setting is filled with religious strife, especially between Christians and Jews. Also, in 16th century, Venice was more tolerant of foreigners than Elizabethan England; Jews in Venice were confined to ghettos at the time Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice.
Topic five : Jews vs Christian
Love in Christianity: Jewish conception of love to justice, and the Christian conception of love to charity.
Sin: in both religions, sin refers to an offense towards god. these sin can be thoughts, words and deeds.
However, in the christian religion, sin is grouped into different types. the first one is called a venial sin, in which the sinner has wounded their relationship with god. on the other hand a complete destruction of the relationship with god is most often called a mortal sin. Christians think that unless the sinner has salvation from sin, after they die they will go to hell in the afterlife
Christians thought that Jews are inferior to them and therefore, should not be accepted into their society. What is more is that if a Jew wants to be accepted into the society, they will have to be converted to a Christian. They are also openly discriminated by the Christians and treated as slaves.
Among socio-economic factors were restrictions by the authorities. Local rulers and church officials closed many professions to the Jews, pushing them into marginal occupations considered socially inferior, such as tax and rent collecting and moneylending, tolerated then as a “necessary evil”. Catholic doctrine of the time held that lending money for interest was a sin, and forbidden to Christians. Not being subject to this restriction, Jews dominated this business. The Torah and later sections of the Hebrew Bible criticise Usury but interpretations of the Biblical prohibition vary. Since few other occupations were open to them, Jews were motivated to take up money lending. This was said to show Jews were insolent, greedy, usurers, and subsequently led to many negative stereotypes and propaganda. Natural tensions between creditors (typically Jews) and debtors (typically Christians) were added to social, political, religious, and economic strains. Peasants who were forced to pay their taxes to Jews could personify them as the people taking their earnings while remaining loyal to the lords on whose behalf the Jews worked.
Topic 6
Shakespeare’s plays were mostly performed in the Globe Theatre which was some sort of a medieval building. The outer view of the building has a much simpler design while the inside holds a much more intricate design which brings out a mystical atmosphere. The Globe Theatre had no roof, allowing sunlight to enter the building during the day. The building had no lighting equipment thus plays were mostly scheduled in the afternoon where there is light.
The theater that Cuthbert Burbage built for the Chamberlain’s Men had a total capacity of between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted, weather permitting, during the day (probably most often in the mid-afternoon span between 2 P.M. and 5 P.M.). Because most of the Globe and all of its stage was open air, acoustics were poor and the actors were compelled by circumstances to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures.
The language of Shakespeare’s plays are also descriptive as the theatres are open air without much scenery. The scenery are being described through dialogues and actions of the actors. Therefore the language of Shakespeare’s plays are often descriptive.
Shakespeare’s fellow members of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men acted in his plays. Among these actors were Richard Burbage (who played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III and King Lear), Richard Cowley (who played Verges in Much Ado About Nothing), William Kempe, (who played Peter in Romeo and Juliet and, possibly, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Henry Condell and John Heminges, are most famous now for collecting and editing the plays of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
People from all classes went to see Shakespeare’s plays in Shakespeare’s time. Anyone who could afford the minimum price of one penny could go and stand in the yard in front of the stage. They were known as ‘groundlings’ or ‘penny stinkers’; they stood all through the play. Those who could afford two pennies could sit on the covered benches; there were three tiers of covered seating around the edge of the yard. Rich people could sit above, or above and just to the side of the stage in the ‘Lords’ rooms’.
The Mayor and Corporation of London banned plays in 1572 as a measure against the plague, and in 1575 they formally expelled all players from the city1 This prompted the construction of playhouses outside the jurisdiction of London, in the liberties of Halliwell/Holywell in Shoreditch and later the Clink, and at Newington Butts near the established entertainment district of St. George’s Fields in rural Surrey
In the past, Shakespeare worked in places like the theatre.The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the second permanent theatre ever built in England, after the Red Lion, and the first successful one. Built by actor-manager James Burbage, near the family home in Holywell Street, The Theatre is considered the first theatre built in London for the sole purpose of theatrical productions. The Theatre’s history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors and/or bear baiting pits. The building was a polygonal wooden building with three galleries that surrounded an open yard.
However, the modern Globe theatre is different. Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction, of the 1614 building, was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre. The theatre was opened to the public in 1997, with a production of Henry V. The site also includes a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre.
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