Process
Form groups of three and each choose a role, either Biographer, Historian or Librarian.
Before you begin your separate roles, take some time to watch this video to build on your pre-existant knowledge of Shakespeare.
Once you have finished watching the video, scroll down to your separate role and read what is required of you.
BIOGRAPHER
You must research the life of William Shakespeare! Use the links, images and video below to guide you through his life and his lifes' work!
Take notes of worthy information and document where the information came from.
You will need to keep these notes to help you form your part of the essay!
What did Shakespeare look like?
HINT: Establish a timeline of Shakespeare's life and emphasis important events!
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HISTORIAN
“Shakespeare's record is essentially a record of Elizabethan life and times.”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely recognised as a literay icon. The reality is that Shakespeare was very much a product of the huge cultural shifts that were occurring during his lifetime. In England, the Renaissance (1450-1600) was called the Elizabethan Age, in reference to the reign of the monarch of the time, Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). This period saw a level of political, economic and social stability and prosperity previously unknown in England and is often regarded to be the golden age in English history.
Financially, the country was quite well established compared to the other European nations of the time, benefiting greatly from the new era of trans-Atlantic trade and widespread peace, both domestically and abroad. The easing of English Reformation tensions between Protestants and Catholics saw internal peace and stability and the foreign threat of the centuries long Anglo-French conflict was largely suspended for most of Elizabeth's reign. While a centralised and effective administration governed the nation during this period, it still lacked the power to challenge the monarchy; a conflict that would engulf the nation in the latter part of the 17th Century.
The Elizabethan Age witnessed the transition away from the restrictive ideas enforced by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. From the Fourteenth Century onwards, people started to break away from the focus on the absolute power of God and began questioning humankind’s relationship to God – an idea that challenged accepted social hierarchy. This new focus on humanity created an unheralded freedom for artists, writers and philosophers to question the world around them and this can be seen in Shakespeare’s works.
Click on the images and links to find out more!
Resources for the Elizabethan Age
Beliefs and Lifestyle of Shakespeare's time
Read this book. What else does it tell you about Shakespeare's time?
Shakespeare's London by Henry Thew Stephenson
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LIBRARIAN
William Shakespeare wrote 36 plays in total which are divided into three main genres: tragedy, history and comedy. Your task is to choose one of the plays from below for each of the three genres and focus specifically on the significance of the play and why it would be important for students to study today.Think about what similarities it has to issues people face in society today. You may like to include information about the types of plays Shakespeare created and his use of language, props, costumes and music. Please feel free to add any additional knowledge you think would help support your argument.
(Choose 1 play from each genre)
Tragedies:
Histories:
Comedies:
Once you have selected your plays, have a look at these websites for more general themes:
Shakespeare's Works and Themes
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Once you have finished your research, reform with your group and create a concept map to formulate your thesis and paragraphs for your essay. (Return to the Task page to make sure you are answering the question)
When you have completed your assignment, you will need to copy and paste your essay into WORDLE and use the word cloud as your assignment cover page.
(Here is an example Wordle, using one of Shakespeare's texts)
