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Introduction
Why is it that the adults around us, and the way that schools shape their curriculum, make Shakespeare so boring? Today, I'm going to have y'all research some of the more... let's call them fun, facts about Billy Shakes and the world around him.We're gonna go back to the 16th and 17th centuries, inside foul-smelling theatres and cross-dressing acting companies, to learn more about this dude we're gonna read for the next month or so.
There will be four different categories in this assignment, so each of you will pick one and research it. You will all become experts on this topic and so come out being able to explain in what ways we can teach Shakespeare as more interesting.
Use Canva to create it, by searching 'pamphlet templates'. I'd suggest you use a flap of the pamphlet for each role to fill in their information and analysis (or if you notice you don't need that much space you can do two of the roles in one flap of the pamphlet). If you're going over, that's ok! Make an extra page on the document to add the information you need to add. Once you're done, submit it to Google Classroom.
Task
Your task is to condense the information each of you read (you can use the Guiding Questions under each heading), to then create a 'pamphlet' to share with teachers or parents about the Shakespeare they might not know, one which might be beneficial if taught to students.
In the 'pamphlet', you will:
1. Give a summary of all information learned (can be one to two paragraphs for each person).
2. Explain your new perspective on Shakespeare (so synthesizing all the information and sharing your opinion, again for each person), as well as what your opinion had been before the WebQuest.
3. Persuade a school/teacher/parent about why it might be important to teach this sort of 'Shakespeare' (whole-group analysis).
Overall, I'm looking for you to persuade me with facts learned, your own perspective on Shakespeare, and how you as a student can make it meaningful to other students and the wider community.
Process
1. William Shakespeare:
Look up information here (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/shakespeares-world/william-shakespeare/), and these two paragraphs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-VzzOLXzbckc7hND6JzS4VWuRGQpa3uQRJHWxaIOI_Y/edit?usp=sharing
Some guiding questions:
- What biographical details do we know - or not know - about him?
- What was his education/social class like, and how did people see him because of it?
- What is the story of his marriage, and how does it challenge ideas of marriage from then and now?
- Do we know for certain what his name was? What could we tell people about his many signatures?
2. Performance/Theatres
Look up information here (https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/life-and-times/historical-context/theatrical/shakespeares-theater/), here (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/shakespeares-world/special-effects/), and in this paragraph: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eLl6xsb-QPPUrX2ZG80qAgnEQcTIs2r3QRMNPCkIywc/edit?usp=sharing. I encourage you also to use my 3D model of the Globe, as well as downloading the Globe Theatre 360 app.
Some guiding questions:
- What is the story of Shakespeare's Globe, and how is it different from theatres nowadays?
- What were the specific parts of a theatre like the Globe? How did it change performances from what we consider plays nowadays?
- What were the 'special effects' of back then?
- What costumes did they use, and how important were they? How about props?
3. Audiences/Writing/Actors
Look up information here (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/shakespeares-world/audiences/), (https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/shakespeares-world/writing-plays/), (https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/life-and-times/historical-context/theatrical/actors/), as well as this paragraph: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tcMkuXfjiYgi2J0SwPV2ui4qY_s4ll8SI_eGFm7Vquo/edit?usp=sharing. I encourage you to look through my copies of the First Folio of Hamlet and Othello.
Some guiding questions:
- How did the people see plays? How did authorities see plays and theatre?
- How did audiences act when watching a play? What categories of audiences existed?
- What are the most jarring parts of the process from writing a play to having it ready for a performance?
- How does the fact that Shakespeare was writing for actors and not characters change how you understood Shakespeare?
4. Social Norms
Look up information here (https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/life-and-times/social-context/women-in-shakespeares-england/), here (https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/life-and-times/social-context/sexuality-in-shakespeares-plays/), and in the first paragraph of this link (https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/life-and-times/social-context/sexuality-in-shakespeares-plays/).
Some guiding questions:
- In what way did professions/jobs break down? How narrow were they for women?
- What are all the things Shakespeare tells us about fathers in relation to their daughters? How about in terms of marriage?
- Which would be the biggest changes societally that would happen if we changed our definitions of sexuality to those of Shakespeare's time?
- Think of how actors playing women ties into a performance of Romeo and Juliet from back then. From whatever you know of the play, how does that change your understanding of the play's history?
Evaluation
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Conclusion
Very very nice job, y'all! Once you feel like you're done, go ahead and submit the pamphlet on Google Classroom.
Get excited for next class, we're gonna go full-throttle into the actual play!
Credits
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