Welcome to Shakespeare
We are very excited to have you in our Shakespeare Class this year. It's going to be an amazing year! Here are a few things to help you along the way. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any concerns, questions, and/or suggestions.
There are 10 steps in the Shakespeare Conquest.
1. Read Hamlet and discuss it in class.
2. Hand in completed Vocabulary list.
3. Watch, read, or listen to seven or more Shakespeare plays. Students who read, listen, or watch Shakespeare plays will be crowned according to how many they did at the end of the semester. The ultimate goal is 17 plays and being crowned king/queen.
4. Participate in the Parents Shakespeare Fair.
5. Participate in Spring performance.
6. Turn in Personal Vocabulary word list and the Common Old English Terms List.
7. Pass off Iambic Pentameter.
8. Make a 10-15 minute presentation of an Elizabethan Era topic.
9. Recite from memory the assigned Setpiece or Soliloquy.
10. Complete 9 Writing Assignments including a summary on the play (Hamlet) studied with the class.
Please do NOT watch Titus Andronicus. It is a very violent and graphic play.
There are many questionable moments in Shakespeare plays and we’ve run into some problems in previous years with finding appropriate versions for children to watch. Please take a look at these websites before you jump into watching plays.
http://charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/shakespeare-movies-for-family.html
Shakespeare Movies for the Family | Charlotte Mason Help
www.charlottemasonhelp.com
When a creative work clearly reveals the common struggles that all humans face, it is able to stand the test of time. Shakespeare goes even further, showing the natural consequences of our choices.
www.yeshakespeare.com/plays.html
Plays - Youth Experiencing Shakespeare
www.yeshakespeare.com
I always remind my students and the teachers I train that Shakespeare wrote PLAYS, not literature. Shakespearean plays were meant to be WATCHED!
Shakespeare Resource Center - Play Synopses
www.bardweb.net
Note and Disclaimer: These synopses are encapsulations of Shakespeare's works; reading a synopsis is in no way a substitute for actually reading a given play.
"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has multiple woes. The ghost of his father haunts Elsinore; his uncle, Claudius, has married Queen Gertrude, his mother, and assumed the throne; and Fortinbras of Norway threatens Denmark with an invading army. When Hamlet meets the ghost, his dead father reveals that Claudius poisoned him—and the ghost demands that Hamlet exact revenge. In order to carry this out, Hamlet feigns madness; as part of his insanity, he scorns the affections of Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, to whom he had made romantic overtures. Polonius grows concerned over the apparent insanity that has beset Hamlet and reveals it to the King and Queen. Meanwhile, Hamlet struggles to convince himself that Claudius is the murderer of his father, and in an attempt to "catch the king's conscience," Hamlet convinces a traveling troupe of actors to perform a play in which the action closely resembles the events related to him by the ghost.
While Hamlet, judging the reaction of Claudius, is convinced of the new king's guilt, he can't bring himself to slay him outright. Instead, Hamlet rebukes Gertrude with the news that she is sleeping with the killer of her husband. Unfortunately, Polonius—who is hidden behind a tapestry in the Queen's chamber, eavesdropping—panics and cries for help; Hamlet stabs him, thinking it is Claudius. Of course, when this news is given to Claudius, the King sends Hamlet to England with the ostensible purpose of securing Hamlet's safety and the recovery of his senses. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two childhood friends of Hamlet's who are now little more than spies for Claudius, are to accompany him. The trick is that Hamlet will bear a letter to the King of England in which Claudius asks England to sentence Hamlet to death.
In the midst of these events, Ophelia loses her own sanity; she is driven to madness by Hamlet's condition and the death of Polonius. Laertes, her brother, returns to Elsinore from his studies and vows his vengeance upon Hamlet for what the prince has done to his family. News is brought that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, much to the surprise of Claudius, and that Ophelia has drowned herself in a river. Claudius now plots with Laertes to kill Hamlet upon his return to Elsinore. Meanwhile, Hamlet meets Horatio, his best friend, and tells how he altered the letter so that the execution order was for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead of him. At the end of Hamlet's tale, Ophelia's funeral procession enters, and Laertes and Hamlet confront one another. Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel.
This is all part of Claudius's plot; instead of dull blades, Laertes will select a sharp one. In addition, Laertes is to poison the tip of his blade so that a wound will kill the prince. And, just in case the previous measures are not enough, Claudius will keep a poisoned chalice from which Hamlet will drink. The plan goes awry from the beginning; Laertes is unable to wound Hamlet during the first pass. Between rounds, Gertrude raises a toast to Hamlet with the poisoned chalice. Then, in the heat of the duel, Laertes manages to wound Hamlet but loses the poisoned rapier to him, and Laertes himself is poisoned as well. Gertrude swoons to her death; Laertes falls and reveals the plot against Hamlet, telling him he has "not a half-hour's life" in him. Enraged, Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned foil, then makes him drink from the chalice that slew Gertrude. This done, Hamlet collapses and dies in Horatio's arms as Fortinbras enters the castle. Fortinbras is left to rule Denmark, as the entire royal family is dead, and he bids his men give Hamlet and the rest a proper funeral."
Here is a list of Shakespeare's plays:
All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
The Taming of the Shrew
Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello, the Moor of Venice
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Richard II
Richard III
Cymbeline
Pericles
The Tempest
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Winter's Tale
There are 10 steps in the Shakespeare Conquest.
1. Read Hamlet and discuss it in class.
2. Hand in completed Vocabulary list.
3. Watch, read, or listen to seven or more Shakespeare plays. Students who read, listen, or watch Shakespeare plays will be crowned according to how many they did at the end of the semester. The ultimate goal is 17 plays and being crowned king/queen.
4. Participate in the Parents Shakespeare Fair.
5. Participate in Spring performance.
6. Turn in Personal Vocabulary word list and the Common Old English Terms List.
7. Pass off Iambic Pentameter.
8. Make a 10-15 minute presentation of an Elizabethan Era topic.
9. Recite from memory the assigned Setpiece or Soliloquy.
10. Complete 9 Writing Assignments including a summary on the play (Hamlet) studied with the class.
Please do NOT watch Titus Andronicus. It is a very violent and graphic play.
There are many questionable moments in Shakespeare plays and we’ve run into some problems in previous years with finding appropriate versions for children to watch. Please take a look at these websites before you jump into watching plays.
http://charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/shakespeare-movies-for-family.html
Shakespeare Movies for the Family | Charlotte Mason Help
www.charlottemasonhelp.com
When a creative work clearly reveals the common struggles that all humans face, it is able to stand the test of time. Shakespeare goes even further, showing the natural consequences of our choices.
www.yeshakespeare.com/plays.html
Plays - Youth Experiencing Shakespeare
www.yeshakespeare.com
I always remind my students and the teachers I train that Shakespeare wrote PLAYS, not literature. Shakespearean plays were meant to be WATCHED!
We recommend Cliffs Complete Shakespeare’s Hamlet. We will be reading from this book in class and using it in our discussions. You can get the plays and summaries of the plays on the internet for free. It might be helpful to read the summary before you read, see, or listen to the play. www.nosweatshakespeare.com There are also free audiobooks online. On youtube.com you can find many audiobooks of the plays on Greatest Audiobooks for free. Here is the link to the Hamlet one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Y-tYrGBDc They have different people reading the different parts. I'm sure there are many other free sources as well.
Shakespeare Resource Center - Play Synopses
www.bardweb.net
Note and Disclaimer: These synopses are encapsulations of Shakespeare's works; reading a synopsis is in no way a substitute for actually reading a given play.
"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has multiple woes. The ghost of his father haunts Elsinore; his uncle, Claudius, has married Queen Gertrude, his mother, and assumed the throne; and Fortinbras of Norway threatens Denmark with an invading army. When Hamlet meets the ghost, his dead father reveals that Claudius poisoned him—and the ghost demands that Hamlet exact revenge. In order to carry this out, Hamlet feigns madness; as part of his insanity, he scorns the affections of Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, to whom he had made romantic overtures. Polonius grows concerned over the apparent insanity that has beset Hamlet and reveals it to the King and Queen. Meanwhile, Hamlet struggles to convince himself that Claudius is the murderer of his father, and in an attempt to "catch the king's conscience," Hamlet convinces a traveling troupe of actors to perform a play in which the action closely resembles the events related to him by the ghost.
While Hamlet, judging the reaction of Claudius, is convinced of the new king's guilt, he can't bring himself to slay him outright. Instead, Hamlet rebukes Gertrude with the news that she is sleeping with the killer of her husband. Unfortunately, Polonius—who is hidden behind a tapestry in the Queen's chamber, eavesdropping—panics and cries for help; Hamlet stabs him, thinking it is Claudius. Of course, when this news is given to Claudius, the King sends Hamlet to England with the ostensible purpose of securing Hamlet's safety and the recovery of his senses. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two childhood friends of Hamlet's who are now little more than spies for Claudius, are to accompany him. The trick is that Hamlet will bear a letter to the King of England in which Claudius asks England to sentence Hamlet to death.
In the midst of these events, Ophelia loses her own sanity; she is driven to madness by Hamlet's condition and the death of Polonius. Laertes, her brother, returns to Elsinore from his studies and vows his vengeance upon Hamlet for what the prince has done to his family. News is brought that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, much to the surprise of Claudius, and that Ophelia has drowned herself in a river. Claudius now plots with Laertes to kill Hamlet upon his return to Elsinore. Meanwhile, Hamlet meets Horatio, his best friend, and tells how he altered the letter so that the execution order was for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead of him. At the end of Hamlet's tale, Ophelia's funeral procession enters, and Laertes and Hamlet confront one another. Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel.
This is all part of Claudius's plot; instead of dull blades, Laertes will select a sharp one. In addition, Laertes is to poison the tip of his blade so that a wound will kill the prince. And, just in case the previous measures are not enough, Claudius will keep a poisoned chalice from which Hamlet will drink. The plan goes awry from the beginning; Laertes is unable to wound Hamlet during the first pass. Between rounds, Gertrude raises a toast to Hamlet with the poisoned chalice. Then, in the heat of the duel, Laertes manages to wound Hamlet but loses the poisoned rapier to him, and Laertes himself is poisoned as well. Gertrude swoons to her death; Laertes falls and reveals the plot against Hamlet, telling him he has "not a half-hour's life" in him. Enraged, Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned foil, then makes him drink from the chalice that slew Gertrude. This done, Hamlet collapses and dies in Horatio's arms as Fortinbras enters the castle. Fortinbras is left to rule Denmark, as the entire royal family is dead, and he bids his men give Hamlet and the rest a proper funeral."
Here is a list of Shakespeare's plays:
All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
The Taming of the Shrew
Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello, the Moor of Venice
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Richard II
Richard III
Cymbeline
Pericles
The Tempest
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Winter's Tale
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