Sonnet Help

So I am really struggling with this Sonnet and if anyone else is I found two websites that helped me get started they are:

http://www.ehow.com/how_3335_write-sonnet.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Sonnet

Hope this helps

Kiera

Shakespeare Notes

William Shakespear

• born 1564 - church records


• 1565- baptized - town church- stratford on Avon


• John Shakespeare and Mary Arden- parents


• John: prominent member of town life in stratford-was a butcher- was on town council-town mayor-William didn't have a normal childhood-Shakespeare attended Stratford grammar school-didn't attend college-inherits everything-oldest son


• Theater companies went to the country side- sponsored by nobility- nobility would help out the towns if the town hosted the theater companies. The mayor would put up the theater companies-where William Shakespear encountered the theater. Explains how butchers son from stratford England makes it to London.


• 1582-applies for marriage license to marry Anne Hathaway-26 - asks for 2 exceptions- 1. bands of marriage are only read once not 3 times- i.e 2 weeks till the wedding not 4 and 2. Wedding be allowed to occur during advent in December. -requests are granted- 6 months later baby Susana is born


• 1585-have twins Hamnet and Judith


• 1596-Hamnet dies-death of 1st born son leads Shakespeare to write a tragic masterpiece.


• 1592-In London-joins play writing industry- Mr. Greene writes pamphlet, rips Shakespeare a new one, editor apologizes to everyone including gentle Bill aka Shakespeare


• 1592- Black plague in London - closed all public gathering places including theaters-playwrites leave town-change in London city gov't-the Puritans take over-love working and praying not working and praying=sinning therefore going to plays=sinning - sinning was evil- in a play: pretending to be something your not aka lying-mortal sin against God-keep people from sinning= close theaters. Theaters close for another 2 years


• Writing Career: 1. Start with histories - factual- what you know. 2. comedies- more creative but not quite serious 3. tragedy


• 1594-theaters reopen Shakespeare and contemporary playwrites opened a theater company - a company in which Shakespeare did not own but was an EQUAL partner in. "Shakespeare Company"


• The companies noble patron=Lord Chamberlain: highest legal office in the land- equivalent to today's attorney general


• How they made money: wrote a play-company bought play-company could direct own play-act in own play - each step the company made money - The company was lucrative and Shakespeare was able to buy the 2nd largest estate in Stratford


• Plays ran about 2 weeks long- theaters always wanted knew plays - quick writing- quick turnover - $$$$


• Most contemporaries averaged about 2 plays per year- Shakespeare was a little slower than most-writing on his own


• 11 year period of high play productivity-apex of his career-his best comedies came about in this period(1596-1600) - writing early tragedies as well.


• 1598: performance of 12th knight-Merry Knights of Windsor- great comedies- Julius Caesar written during this period.


• 1600-1605: best tragedies- Hamlet, King Lear, A fellow, Macbeth


• Writing tragedies b/c tragic period in England


• 1603- Death of Queen Elizabeth - Virgin Monarch of England- Devoted herself to England and England only- on the surface she was a queen underneath she was a fairly violent dictator


• James IV of Scotland became new monarch in England- King James I of British Isles - England, Ireland and Scotland - wanted his own theater company - takes Lord Chamberlain's theater company


• 1610 Shakespeare writes the Tempest - he thinks its his last play - it is basically him saying good-bye to the theater- goes home to the wife and kids to retire


• Beaumont and Fletcher replace Shakespeare in the theater company and begin writing Henry VIII-Father of Queen Elizabeth


• Beaumont hits a snag in his court work which is his full time job-responsibilities become too much and is force to leave the theater company


• Fletcher needs Shakespeare to help him finish Henry VIII


• 1613: Henry VIII is released the special effects and the cannon burn the globe theater to the ground-ends Shakespeare's career


• 1616- last document last will and testament- 2 interesting things about it


• 1. Very hastily drawn up- b/c he became very ill very quickly


• 2. What he left to his wife- he left her only one thing and that was the 2nd best bed- the bed is their marriage bed and he is giving her the love he had for all of the years since they were married


• April 23,1616 Shakespeare dies - on his birthday

Notes on Shakespear

Kiera

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1

Does anyone know what the answer to the last question of the act one scene one questions is?
The question is:
What tone is established in this scene?
Kiera