The first main tests of the year are...

Tomorrow, and if you know me I am stressed out. I have a French test and a business test, and though I feel like I know the material, I still feel very nervous. The fact that I have a major project due Monday isn't helping either. I have no idea how the tests will go, but can you guys edit my essay for me? Just tell me if anything sounds awkward, or doesn't make sense. Help with the overall grammar and phonetics would be helpful as well. Thanks guys, I am barely surviving these days. My eyes have dark circles under them.

On a side note, my dad got an iPhone and I stayed up last night playing it.

Here is my essay.

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare

Shakespearean Scavenger Hunt

1. A typical day of public school in the Elizabethan era varied quite drastically from what we experience on a daily basis at public school in the 21^st century. Back then, the most prominent and probably most important difference was that only boys went to school. The schooling cycle back then also differed from the cycle we have adopted in the present day. In those times, young boys would start out in what was then called petty school. Petty school was taught by a young housewife who would collect a small fee from the families of the students and teach skills like reading English and doing sums in her own house. The main goal of this petty school was to get the students into grammar school. Grammar school was essentially a school of Latin grammar, where having a basic hold on the language was the key for success. Typical grammar school texts included Plautus, Terence, and Seneca- though Lily’s grammar was used most often as a guide. The primary goal of grammar school was to further prepare the students for university, where all the classes would be taught in Latin.

Like we do today, the way the school day progressed was based on a schedule, which could be compared to the schedule of a present-day Catholic school (in the sense that prayers took/take place in both). For all students the day would begin at 7:00 AM during the winter, and 6:00 AM during the summer. Prayers would take place until 9:00 AM, and then breakfast would be served. After breakfast the students would study until 11:00 AM, when dinner was served until 1:00 PM. Once again the students would resume their school work and eventually the day would end at either 5:00 or 5:30 PM.

2. Like the people of our generation, people in the Elizabethan era had to stay nourished during the day and as a result many snacks were popular among the group. Most people enjoyed eating: marzipan/marchpane, gingerbread, fruit pies, sweet cakes, puddings, daryole, and pretzels and bagels.

3. Christmas celebrations during the Elizabethan era may seem quite foreign when compared to the traditions we practice today. Back then, gambling and being silly were named “principal elements” of the festival and kissing under the mistletoe was unheard of. Burning Yule logs was common among the rich and poor, as well as the celebration of Christmas in general. In those times Christmas, unlike today, had only a passing reference to religion and was more of a festive time for everyone. Christmas or the Christmastide lasted 12 days (from December 24^th to January 6^th). The 12 days of Christmas also happened to inspire the Christmas carol of the same name and the name of the famous Shakespeare play, The Twelfth Night. On the Twelfth Night (of Christmastide) the last party of the season would occur.

Now although there were ample differences from our Christmas celebrations and theirs, we do share some similarities and many of them are past traditions of the Elizabethan era which still exist today. Some of these similarities include the consumption of ham or roast beef at Christmas dinners, Christmas still being a family/friend affair where large numbers of guests would gather and enjoy a Christmas feast, and lastly the evergreen tradition of Christmas trees. Back then greenery on Christmas was very important, and as a result families would cut down trees and put them in their homes. We still take part in this tradition today, calling these trees “Christmas trees”.

4. Spare time is something the people of Shakespeare’s time had back then as well and as a result many of the wealthy folk of that time would indulge in hobbies such as gossiping, various sports such as tennis and lawn bowling, theatre (of course), lessons (dancing, singing), and the infamous “Bear Pit” (letting dogs loose on a restrained bear and watching the outcome).

5. One of the main changes people have noticed from Shakespeare’s time and that of our own is the fact that many of the jobs people had back then still exist today, but under different names. A list of the jobs people had then, and their names in that time are listed below.

Warrener- Someone who farms/hunts rabbits professionally (for eating purposes)

Ostler- Someone who works in a stable to take care of horses

Sawyer- Someone who is hired to chop or saw wood

Draper- Someone from whom you can purchase ready-made clothing

Wet Nurse- Someone who is hired to breast feed babies

Stationer- Someone who sells books

6. As time progresses and evolves so does the form of speech known as the mainstream. As a result of this change quite often the terms and phrases we use today for certain things are very different from those used in the Elizabethan era for much of the same items and ideas. A few common terms used in the 1500-1600s are listed below along with their present-day equivalent and a reflective comment.

Ø Marry shall I = Okay: Upon first glance of this phrase I was dumbstruck. I had absolutely no idea what the definition could possibly be, but as I began to dissect the phrase in my mind, the present-day equivalent began to make sense. When you are okay with something it means the idea satisfies you, hence you are giving your consent by marrying it. Though the inference may be vague, it provides enough insight for me to comprehend the use of this term and why it was used in the context respectively.

Ø Gramercy = Thank you: Unlike the phrase above, this one made a bit more sense. In French merci means thank you, and though the spellings vary, it is quite possible the term originated from the French word. Or, if we were to continue making inferences to language, it is also very probable that the term “mercy” was taken from the Latin word merces which is where the French word originated from. This theory makes sense because Latin was a very prominent language in the Elizabethan era and French is a language which is derived from Latin. Another take on this word is that gramercy is another form of grant mercy- to which anyone would be very thankful- though once again, the inference is vague; yet it provides sufficient understanding to the individual who decides to read it.

Ø Little room of office = Bathroom/washroom: At first I found this term a little odd because you don’t work when you use the washroom, but then the term “doing your business” came to mind and it was simple to see where the present-day phrase came from. Little room of office could easily mean washroom because like we say today, you do your business in the washroom, and business is often associated with offices. All in all, an old phrase like little room of office having even a subtle relation to a phrase used today is amazing. It is also amazing to see how language has evolved over the years.

Ø Certes! = Certainly: It is not hard to see how this term could be distinguished as “certainly” because both words have a similar beginning and similarities are typically how people guess what words mean. It is for this reason I was able to guess the meaning of the term correctly on my first guess.

Ø Prithee [I pray thee] = Please: When I first looked up this word, the broken up form, I pray thee was also present, thus I was able to come up with a reasonable guess as to what the modern-day equivalent of the word would be. I pray thee needs only a little modification to become I pray for thee (to...) and thus having inference to the word please. This one was a little distant in terms of relation, but it allowed me to comprehend the word nonetheless.

7. Fruits

Cornel-

Mulberry-

Gooseberry-

Vegetables

Endive-

Broadbean-

Leek-

Shakespeare and His Theatre Site

B. Theatre during the Elizabethan era was a world of its own. Playwrights worked night and day to perfect their scripts so that the public would enjoy them, the actors spent night and day practicing so the playwrights would approve of their representation of the play, and the public would spend almost all their free time at the theatre watching these spectacles which the theatre community worked so hard to put together. Now behind the noticeable hard work, such as that by the actors and playwrights, there was also the strenuous labour of the set makers and costume designers to make sure everything was up to the standards of the public. Ornate yet contemporary costumes (of that time) were a must in Elizabethan theatre. In fact, even if the play were to take place in a time before French hoses and Venetians such as in Ancient Egypt, actors would still be seen bearing the apparel of their time as opposed to clothes which would match the theme of the play. This is most likely due to the fact that dress was very important in Shakespeare’s time. Dressing well and dressing in accordance to the latest fashions was crucial. Men in general had much more ornate clothing than women, though the women did try to dress as well as they could. As opposed to assisting plays as clothing does now, back then clothing was the play. Many a time a play’s success would be based on how nice or elaborate the clothes were. As opposed to being an assistant to the ambiance of a play, back then clothing and costume were essential assets to the play. Though clothing did play a big role in theatre back in the Elizabethan era, set design was of equal importance. Stages and sets back then seemed to grow along with Shakespeare’s plays. As his plays grew more in intricacy so did the sets. Realism was a common characteristic in plays then, and set designers worked as hard as they could to makes settings for specific locations as true to life as possible. Lastly, for a long time during the Elizabethan era plays were held in the afternoon during the warmer months. The reason for this being the plays were outdoor and it was easier for the public to stay outside when it was warm and sunny. Unlike the rectangular design of today’s theatres back then the outdoor theatres were circular and the stage was a platform which protruded into “the pit” (a standing area for lower class people attending the plays). As you can see, theatre during Shakespeare’s time differed quite a bit from theatre now, but main aspects like hard work, perseverance, and team work will always remain.

C. According to those who have seen a variety of his plays, Shakespeare tends to follow certain patterns in his plays. In a comedy like A Midsummer Night’s Dream it is expected to hear quite a few puns, insults, and metaphors. Wordplay is very common as well. Other patterns audiences of Shakespeare’s plays have noticed the famous playwright complied to are in accordance to the fact that most of the comedies circled around plots which included disguises and mistaken identities. Many people claim the plots in Shakespeare’s comedies are often complicated and hard to follow, mainly because the playwright used a lot of characters, many of whom were either stock characters or introduced for a brief period of time, and then disappeared never to be seen again throughout the play. Love was often considered a universal theme for William’s plays and his comedies were no exception. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a persistent father insists that his daughter marry one man, whereas she is in love with another. This play lightly makes fun of the familiar concept of love at first sight and uses vibrant characters to do so. One flaw people have noticed in the comedies of this famous man is that they are too predictable. For example, in almost every play the hero does not make an entrance in the opening, but we hear about him from different characters. The heroes of his plays are often described as virtuous and strong, though they all seem to have one imperfection. The female leads are generally described as petite or small and wear male disguises. Another repeated characteristic in Shakespeare’s plays is the fact that the theme of the play often revolves around the struggle of the forces of good and evil. In a comedy such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we can expect to see much of what is listed above.

By: Ghazal

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