William Shakespeare's Richard the Third & Much Ado About Nothing Name

162 Pages·2010·38.88 MB·English

William Shakespeare’s
Richard the Third

&
Much Ado About Nothing
Oxford Academy
English 12
Rovente
Name: ___________________
Shakespeare Unit Objectives, Standards, & Essential Questions

Objectives: Students will engage in a series of activities to help them explore the one of the
​
foremost poets & playwrights of the English language - William Shakespeare. Students will by the
end of this unit be able to utilize various skills to close read, paraphrase, and analyze a
Shakespearean sonnet and play. Students will explore the various types of Shakespearean drama
(Tragedy, Comedy, History, & Romance), Elizabethan theatre, and Shakespeare’s continued impact
on the English language and modern entertainment.

NYS Standards:

● RL12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
● RL12.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the
text.
● RL 12.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the
course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
● RL 12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how
the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
● RL 12.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how
Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by
Shakespeare).
● RI 12.5 Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences,
paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g. a section or chapter).
● RI 12.6 Determine in an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to
advance that point of view or purpose.
● RI 12.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and
multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
● RI 12.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
● W 12.1 (a-b) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning
and relevant and sufficient evidence.
● W 12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a
self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple
sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
● W 12.9a Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Apply
grades 11-12 reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source
material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later
author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).
● W 12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
● SL 12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
● SL 12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious
reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
● L12.1b, L12.2c, & L12.3a
Richard III Essential Questions

● What are the qualities of a good leader?
● What must an individual do to get power, keep power, and use it effectively?
● What does it mean to be honorable? (How do you know if you are honorable?)
● When is ambition a positive versus negative trait?
● What methods does Richard use to manipulate others?
● What, ultimately, does the play say about “conscience”?
● While considered to be one of Shakespeare’s “History” plays, is the play an accurate
depiction of the real Richard III?

Much Ado About Nothing Essential Questions

● What is the importance of honor?
● How can deception be used both positively and negatively as a means to an end?
● How can misinterpretation and misconception cloud our judgement?
● What is true love?
● How do emotions influence our perceptions?
● Is there a difference between “love at first sight” and “true love”?
Shakespeare’s Life, Language, & World
Introduction to Shakespeare
Scavenger Hunt
Directions: Using the packet and/or the internet, find the
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answers to the following biographical information.

When do we believe William Shakespeare was born why do we not know the exact date?

Where was William Shakespeare born?

What were the names of Shakespeare’s parents?

What did Shakespeare’s father do for a living?

During the year in which he was born, what tragedy struck England?

Where did Shakespeare go to school? What did he study?

At what age did Shakespeare stop going to school?

When was Shakespeare married and what was the woman’s name?

How many children did Shakespeare have and what were their names?

Who was eleven when he died?

Why did Shakespeare move to London?

What were the names of the two acting companies allowed to perform plays in Elizabethan
England? Which did Shakespeare write and perform for?
What was the name of the theatre Shakespeare started his career at?

What were the names of the other theatres used during Shakespeare’s time?

In 1599 what theatre did Shakespeare and his business partners build?

Name the two monarchs who ruled during Shakespeare’s lifetime.

In 1603 the original name of Shakespeare’s acting troupe was changed to what?

At what time of day were the plays performed? Typically how many people were in attendance?

What were the prices of admission to the theatre in Shakespeare’s day?

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

What are the genres (some scholars break it into 3 categories and some 4 categories) of plays that
Shakespeare wrote?

How many Sonnets did Shakespeare write?

What year did the Globe theater burn down? How and during which play?
Why did authorities not like the Elizabethan theatres? Why did they often close the theatres in
Shakespeare’s day?

What nickname was William Shakespeare known by?

When did Shakespeare die?

Where is Shakespeare buried?

What is written on Shakespeare’s grave?

What other famous author died on the same day and in the same year as William Shakespeare?
(Hint: Don Quixote)

What was discovered missing from Shakespeare’s grave in after a radar scan was performed on his
grave in 2015/2016?
WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare is world famous. We know What was Shakespeare’s family like?
quite a lot about him but there is still much that William was born to prosperous parents. His mother,
remains a mystery. We don’t know his date of Mary, was the daughter of a local farmer. His father,
birth. We don’t know the date of his marriage. We John, was a glove-maker and wool trader with a large
even have very little idea of what he looked like. family house. When William was four years old, his father
So what DO we know about William Shakespeare, was elected Bailiff of Stratford – effectively the mayor.
the man?
But his early life wasn’t easy. Although William was the
When and where was Shakespeare born? third of eight children, he grew up as the oldest. His
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford- two older sisters both died very young. And William
upon-Avon, a market town in a farming area of the was lucky to survive. When he was just a baby, in 1564,
Midlands. About 1000 people lived there. Shakespeare plague killed about 200 people in Stratford – 1 in 5 of the
was baptised on 26th April 1564, but we don’t know his population. Fortunately, William survived.
exact date of birth.
Where did Shakespeare go to school?
From the age of seven, boys like William went to
grammar school. There was one in Stratford and it is still
there today. But schooling was different then. The boys
learned to read, speak and write in Latin. They also had
to memorise and perform stories from history - useful
skills for an actor and writer. Shakespeare probably left
school aged fifteen.

When did Shakespeare marry?
In late 1582, we don’t know the exact date, Shakespeare
married Anne Hathaway – a local farmer’s daughter.
William was only 18 years old. Most men at this time
married in their mid- to late-20s. So why did William
marry so young? The answer came six months later,
when William’s daughter, Susanna, was baptised.
What do we know of Shakespeare’s family life?
The answer is… practically nothing. We know William
and Anne had two more children, Hamnet and Judith,
twins, born in 1585. Anne and the three children
probably lived with William’s parents at first. Later, they
moved to New Place, a large house in Stratford. But it
was a strange family life. Shakespeare spent most of his
time 100 miles away, in London.
This engraving of William Shakespeare was engraved by Martin
Droeshout in 1623. It is used on the title page of the First Folio
collection of Shakespeare’s plays, but may be more flattering than
he really looked.
did you know?
Shakespeare, England’s greatest writer, died on the day SHAKESPEARE’S SIGNATURE
of England’s patron saint – St George’s Day – 23rd April.
Shakespeare may have been born on St. George’s Day We have six surviving versions of Shakespeare’s signature.
too. He was baptised on 26th April, so it is possible, They are all different. He wrote:
but we really don’t know.
• Willm Shakp
• Wm Shakspe
• Willm Shakspere
• William Shaksper
• Willm Shakspere
• William Shakespere
What did Shakespeare do in London? • and William Shakespeare.
From about 1590 to 1613, Shakespeare lived mainly in The last version, taken from his will in 1616 is the version
London and by 1592 was a well-known actor there. He we use today.
was also a playwright. His play, Henry VI, was performed
at the Rose theatre in 1592. He went on to write, or co-
write, about 40 plays. Shakespeare was also a poet and
in 1609 published a book of 154 sonnets.
And Shakespeare was a businessman too. He was a
sharer (part-owner) of a theatre company called The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men. And from 1599, he was
part-owner of the Globe Theatre.
So, for about twenty years, he made money from acting,
writing and running a theatre company.
When did Shakespeare die?
After 1613, Shakespeare spent more time at Stratford.
Then, in January 1616, he made a will and died on
23rd April 1616. He is buried in Holy Trinity church in
Stratford-upon-Avon.
Further Resources
National Portrait Gallery
This webpage has 92 images of Shakespeare. We can’t be
sure any show exactly what he looked like, but many share
similar features.
www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.
php?LinkID=mp04051
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
This web page has 13 videos answering questions about
Shakespeare’s life.
www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/about-
shakespeare
© 2013 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
Commercial copying, hiring, lending, is prohibited.
LONDON
Although William Shakespeare worked in London What was London like?
theatres, plays were performed outside London; London wasn’t just big; it was also growing fast, mostly
there was a theatre in Bristol, for example. Theatre due to migrants from the countryside and from Europe.
companies also toured the all over the country, Between 1550 and 1600 it is estimated the city grew from
performing outdoors and in town halls. But around 50,000 residents to over 200,000. Inside the city’s
Shakespeare spent most of his working life in London. old medieval walls, every available space was being built
on. Outside, the suburbs grew steadily into the countryside.
Why London?
London was the biggest and richest city in England; it London was a bustling, overcrowded city. In 1599,
was the home of the first permanent playhouses. Wealthy a Swiss visitor said, “one simply cannot walk along the
traders and manufacturers – and their workers – lived streets for the crowds”. Another visitor called the crowded
there. They had the money to go to the theatre. By 1600, streets “dark and narrow”. The dark attracted thieves and
London’s theatre-goers numbered 20,000 per week. the overcrowding brought disease. Plague struck most
London was also home to royalty and much of the nobility. summers; in 1593 about about 10,000 people were killed
Rich noblemen became patrons of theatre companies, and all the theatres were closed. In 1607, John Donne
giving financial and legal support. Royalty also supported called it “London, plaguey London, full of danger and vice”.
the theatre. From 1603 to 1613, Shakespeare’s company
played at the court of King James about 15 times per year.
Part of a panorama of London by Claes Van Visscher, 1616, showing London Bridge spanning across the Thames.