Act 2 scene 1 of the Winter's tale : Video analysis

Hermione sits with her ladiesin waiting and Mamillius, her son. He is mischievous and charming. Leontes enters with Antigonus and various lords. They are telling him about the flight of Camillo and Polixenes, and their news makes Leontes feel certain that his suspicions were correct. He now believes that Camillo was a double agent working for Polixenes. He has Mamillius taken from Hermione, and he cruelly insults Hermione in front  of the lords and Hermione's ladies. He says that she has committed adultery, and Hermione bears his insults with dignity. When he tells her that she is to be put in prison, she insists that her ladies accompany her because she is pregnant and needs their help. The lords weep as she is escorted out, and she tells them that they would have reason to weep if she were guilty; for the innocent, suffering leads to grace. She brings her women with her as she goes to her prison.

Antigonus tries  to make Leontes reconsider his suspicions. He declares absolute faith in the queen's virtue, but Leontes remains unconvinced. From Leontes' point of view, the truth of the matter is apparent, and he seeks no counsel from his men in determining whether or not his suspicions are correct, he has been even more convinced by Camillo's flight. The king announces that he has sent messengers to Apollo's oracle at Delphos to ask about the queen's fidelity. Although he has no doubt as to what the answer will be, the oracle will at least put the minds of his subjects at ease.


Act 2 opens with the peaceful scene of the prince playing with his mother and the ladies-in-waiting. The charm and happiness of the moment makes the contrast with the jealousy of Leontes all the more jarring. Shakespeare is giving us a glimpse of the normal pattern of their family life, which invites greater sympathy for the queen and prince and gives us a sense of what Leontes is destroying.
Leontes' delusions isolate him from his family and his court. He removes his wife and son from his company, and he continues to believe strongly in Hermione's infidelity even though everyone at court thinks the idea is ridiculous. He is completely alone in his suspicions, insisting on them most violently when someone at court tries to contradict him. These scenes reveal a king who is withdrawing further and further into his own paranoia. He interprets Camillo's flight with Polixenes as conclusive proof of his suspicions, ignoring the fact that if Camillo, Hermione, and Polixenes were innocent Camillo would do exactly the same thing. 

Synopsis on Shakespeare : Elizabethan Theatre

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
Though no birth records exist, church records indicate that William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed he was born on or near April 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as William Shakespeare's birthday.
 William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund.
Scant records exist of William's childhood, and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King's New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. Being a public official's child, William would have undoubtedly qualified for free tuition. But this uncertainty regarding his education has led some to raise questions about the authorship of his work and even about whether or not William Shakespeare ever existed.

William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. Hathaway was from Shottery, a small village a mile west of Stratford. William was 18 and Anne was 26. Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born,. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at age 11.
William was an English poet and playwright widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language, as well as one of the greatest in Western literature, and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He wrote about thirty-eight plays and 154 sonnets, as well as a variety of other poems. Already a popular writer in his own lifetime, Shakespeare's reputation became increasingly celebrated after his death and his work adulated by numerous prominent cultural figures through the centuries. In addition, Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the literature and history of the English-speaking world.
Shakespeare is believed to have produced most of his work between 1586 and 1616, although the exact dates and chronology of the plays attributed to him are often uncertain. It was in William Shakespeare's later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies "Hamlet," "King Lear," "Othello" and "Macbeth." In these, Shakespeare's characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal. Possibly the best known of these plays is "Hamlet," with its exploration of betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare's plots, destroying the hero and those he loves.
In William Shakespeare's final period, he wrote tragicomedies. Among these are "Cymbeline," "The Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest." Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of "King Lear" or "Macbeth" because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.
He is counted among the very few playwrights who have excelled in both tragedy and comedy. Shakespeare's works have been translated into every major living language, and his plays are continually performed all around the world. In addition, many quotations and neologisms from his plays have passed into everyday usage in English and other languages. Over the years, many people have speculated about Shakespeare's life, raising questions about his sexuality, religious affiliation, and the authorship of his works.
Today, his plays are highly popular and constantly studied and reinterpreted in performances with diverse cultural and political contexts. The genius of Shakespeare's characters and plots are that they present real human beings in a wide range of emotions and conflicts that transcend their origins in Elizabethan England.






ELIZABETHAN THEATRE

The first proper theatre as was built at Shoreditch in 1576. Before this time plays were performed in the courtyard of inns, or sometimes, in the houses of noblemen. A noble had to be careful about which play he allowed to be performed within his home. Anything that was controversial or political was likely to get him in trouble with the crown.

After the Theatre, further open air playhouses opened in the London area, including the Rose , and the Hope. The most famous playhouse was the Globe built in 1599 by the company in which Shakespeare had a stake.The Globe was only in use until 1613, when a canon fired during a performance of Henry VIII caught the roof on fire and the building burned to the ground. The site of the theatre was rediscovered in the 20th century and a reconstruction built near the spot.

These theatres could hold several thousand people, most standing in the open pit before the stage, though rich nobles could watch the play from a chair set on the side of the stage itself.

Theatre performances were held in the afternoon, because, of course, there was no artificial lighting. Women attended plays, though often the prosperous woman would wear a mask to disguise her identity. Further, no women performed in the plays. Female roles were generally performed by young boys.

The history of the theater is fascinating. How plays were first produced in the yards of inns - the Inn-yards. The very first theater and the development of the amphitheatre.The Elizabethan Entrepreneurs, the building, design and construction of a London Elizabethan Theatre. The plays, the playwrights, the politics and the propaganda all play an important part in the history of the Elizabethan Theatre. The Elizabethan Theatre was a booming business. People loved the Theatre.The Elizabethan plays and theatres were as popular as the movies and cinemas of the early 20th century. Vast amounts of money were made. The inn-keepers increased their profits by allowing plays to be shown on temporary stages erected in the yards of their inns
In England, prior to 1576 or the reign of queen Elizabeth I there were no established theatres in the country. Actors of that time wandered around looking for spectators. They usually performed in the courtyards of Royal Palaces or anywhere that could accommodate large audiences. 

          

What does friendship mean to me

1) Define "Theme" : This can be defined as the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.

2) What does friendship mean to you?
Friendship is important to me but what is  more important, is quality over quantity. A good friend should be someone who understands without asking, and always knows the best ways to make me feel good about myself and life in general.

3)  What does loyalty mean to you?
Loyalty to me means being a true friend. Someone being there for me whenever I need it and will stick with me through thick and thin.

4) How would you react if you best friend betrayed you?
First off, I would resist the urge to character assassinate. It feels good in the moment, but afterwards, it seems quite immature. Secondly,I find someone who I trust and then talk about it, making sure that person is neutral. Not in a “he said, she said” kind of way, but talk through the situation and my feelings. And finally, I use it as an opportunity to get closer to other friends. They may have been my best friend, but they aren’t my only friend.

5) recall a situation where you thought you were betrayed only to find out you were wrong.
Once when I confided in my best friend, eventually, I heard the secret from someone else too. I thought my best friend was sharing my secret with others only to realize that I forgot that I told that person the secret too.


6) Have you ever been cheated on?
No.

7)What if you felt the betrayer was your best friend?
I would feel heart broken and deceived. If i cannot trust my best friend, who can I trust?

8) What length would you go to ensure payback to your friend?
I would do nothing. Pick myself up and move on.Vengeance belongs to God. It's up to him to wreak vengeance.

9) Call a situation where you caused grief to someone

I have no recollection of ever hurting anyone. If I did, it was unintentional and I was unaware.

10) If you were to choose punishment for that crime, what would it be?
The truth. Having that person express to me the way they felt about the situation is the most appropriate punishment because there's no feeling more dreadful than a heavy heart knowing that you've done something wrong. I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.