The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Students will look at the impact of Shakespeare's work yesterday, today, and tomorrow in order to interrogate this claim by critic Harold Bloom.
Project Summary William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s. His plays are now performed all over the world in nearly a hundred languages, and he is known as one of the greatest writers of all time. The fact that much literature - and indeed a lot of other media — draws on and borrows from Shakespeare’s works, speaks to how important he is to a global cultureOne dynamic and exciting way to experience Shakespeare is by working collaboratively to perform scenes or a show. After reading The Reduced Shakespeare Co. presentsThe Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged), students will re-enact at least one scene in classic Shakespearean style, and also in a modern context. Throughout the semester you will discover whether or not Shakespeare is the making of our culture, and debate whether he is still relevant today. You will also identify and explain an age-old problem in Shakespeare’s plays and propose several feasible solutions to help combat the problem and conclusions as to how Shakespeare still speaks to young people today.
Essential Questions
Is Shakespeare the making of us?
Why is Shakespeare popular?
How is his work relevant to us today?
How can we make Shakespeare more appealing to everyone?
How does creating drama for an audience make us more able to communicate with others?
Project Goals
Study in-depth one of Shakespeare’s incredible plays.
Have the opportunity to research not only the historical background of the play, but also to study William Shakespeare himself and the time in which he lived to better understand the context of the play.
Create a meaningful and expressive performance and written piece.
Utilize advanced skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation using the Habits of Heart and Mind, and will share this information through written, oral and multimedia communications.
Activities: Tudor table manners and food, Renaissance Dance and Music, Tudor Games, Finger Puppets, Shakespearean Language/Insults, Exploring the Geography of Shakespeare’s World, Costuming, Scenery, Stage Makeup, Stage Combat/Movement, Journals/blogs, class discussions, interviewing community members, Warm Ups, Monologues,
Final Products:
Writing a literary analysis essay that explores one of the major themes of the play you read in class.
Creation of Monologues (both classical and modern) and a written/visual piece identifying and explaining in detail how an age-old problem from Shakespeare’s plays continues to plague the community.
Propose several creative and feasible solutions to help combat the above problem and draw many insightful conclusions as to how Shakespeare still speaks to a 21st century audience. (Playbill, Movie Trailer, Pod Cast, Wiki, Puppet Show, Comic Book, Magazine)