So far we’ve read two plays as a class; we’ve read some sonnets; we’ve acted out scenes from fifteen plays. Now it’s time to learn about the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare, plus learn about Shakespeare himself. To do this, we need these sources:

 

·        Shakespeare Alive!

 

·        The Riverside Shakespeare: the Introduction and the plates

 

·        Two movies:

o       Elizabeth

o       Shakespeare in Love

o        

And since I never want us to drift too far from the fire of Shakespeare’s words, I want us to keep reading the sonnets and a play.

 

So, here’s a start that takes advantage of the extra time we have this week (no meeting on Monday):

           

Wednesday, February 23rd:

 

·        Shakespeare Alive!: Read pages 1-102;

o       And answer all of the questions on the back of this sheet. You’ll find the answers in Shakespeare Alive! and in the Riverside.

 

·        The Riverside Shakespeare: pages 5-8; plates 1-7, 16-23, 24-31.

 

·        Watch the movie Elizabeth.

o       I’ll show it on Thursday, Feb. 17th, from 2:30-4:30 in Cedar 10;

o       Or Tuesday, Feb. 22nd, from 2:30-4:30 in Cedar 10; and again from 4:30-6:30 in Cedar 10.

o       Note: If I can find a better location to view this movie, I’ll put a note on the door of Cedar 10.

o       I’ll offer it one more time, on Friday, February 25th, from 11-1 in Cedar 10. And if that doesn’t work, you’re on your own.

 

·        Macbeth, Acts I-II (pages 1360-1371)

 

·        Sonnet 29

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                            Over………..

 

 

 

 

From the reading, answer the following questions. (I will likely call on folks at random to answer them next Wednesday and I’ll likely collect your responses.) To make it more pleasurable, you can answer these as if you are a character living in Elizabethan times, and your answers are buried within a narrative story.

 

1.      You are alive in 1590 England. Describe…

a.      your life in the country;

b.      London;

c.       your education;

d.      the entertainment options.

2.      What was the Renaissance? Explain the “cultural explosion” that hit England.

3.      What were the new theories of the planets and the sun, and why did this matter to you (the chap in 1590 England)?

4.      What was England doing with world exploration, and what types of myths might you have heard about the world from these journeys?

5.      You are a Catholic. Why is this a problem?

6.      Explain the ideas of hierarchy and the Great Chain of Being as it applied to the family, to society, and to the cosmos.

7.      You are a superstitious lad (or lassie). Name a few of your superstitions.

8.      Explain your love of astrology.

9.      Explain your dread of ghosts.

10.  You have a story or two to tell about fairies and witches.

11.  Who saves you from these witches?

12.  What can you say about all these foreigners coming to England?

13.  I’ve heard you use the word “Turk.” What do you mean by that—and feel by it?

14.  What’s with these Africans?

15.  And Jews?

16.  And Spaniards?

17.  You are a woman during these times. What could be expected of you in terms of work, education, place in society, and place in a marriage?

a.      What is the standard of beauty—outer and inner? (And do you fit it?)

18.  What can you say about our glorious queen, Elizabeth? Also, what makes her such a successful ruler?

19.  You are an apprentice. Explain.

20.  You’re in love and want to marry. Can you?

21.  Do you feel that we in England are living in a time of greatness?