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Dear Educator, There’s little debate that William Shakespeare is one of the world’s greatest poets and playwrights. But who is William Shakespeare? The answer to that question is the starting point for Anonymous, TARGE T AUDIENCE AC T IVI T Y 2 Sony Pictures’ exciting new This program is designed for students in English literature, TH E SOUL O F th E AGE historical thriller directed by Roland theater, and British history classes. Emmerich (Independence Day, The This activity introduces students to Edward de Vere, Earl of Day After Tomorrow) and starring PROGRAM OBJEC T IVES Oxford. Students consider the evidence, conduct their own Rhys Ifans and Vanessa Redgrave, research, and either write a position paper or conduct a • To encourage critical thinking by challenging students debate about the issues. You might have them write a which arrives in theaters on to examine the theories about the authorship of soliloquy for de Vere, either defending him and his October 28, 2011. Shakespeare’s works and to formulate their own anonymity, or denying that he is the author. opinions. Anonymous takes us back to a • To strengthen students’ communication skills through Follow-Up Activity: After students have seen time when plays and politics were classroom discussion and debate. Anonymous, explore how the life of a courtier like de intertwined and when uncovered • To engage students in creative writing exercises. Vere is reflected in Shakespeare’s plays. To what extent do characters like Hamlet and Henry V seem to speak from secrets revealed how the works we PROGRAM COM P ONEN T S within the world of royalty? To what extent are they attribute to William Shakespeare portrayed from an outsider’s perspective on that world? may have actually been written by • This one-page teacher’s guide Queen Elizabeth I’s one-time • Three reproducible activity masters • A classroom wall poster AC T IVI T Y 3 favorite, Edward de Vere, the Earl A KINGDOM F OR A ST AGE of Oxford. HOW T O USE TH IS PROGRAM The London theater of the late 1500s is the focus of this Your students can explore this Make a master copy of these materials to share with your activity, which includes pre- and post-film viewing colleagues. Each activity is designed for one class period, theory, and gain a fresh exercises. Before seeing the film Anonymous, discuss the with additional research, writing, and follow-up lessons. elements of a Shakespearean tragedy. Use plays you’ve perspective on Shakespeare and After hanging the wall poster, read the film synopsis aloud his times, with this free read in class as reference. Point out that a protagonist prior to beginning the activities. It is not necessary to see may have a tragic flaw which causes the character to educational program from Sony the film to complete the activities. make errors and contributes to his or her destruction or Pictures and the curriculum demise. The character may recognize the errors late in the specialists at Young Minds FILM SYNO P SIS plot, prompting the audience to feel pity or sympathize. Inspired (YMI). The program Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, includes easy-to-implement Anonymous (Rated PG-13) speculates on an issue that After seeing the film, have students assess how the plot of activities for English literature, has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds the film mirrored a Shakespearean tragedy and what role theater played in the drama. theater, and British history classes. ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely, was William Students will investigate the true ISCUSSION ESEARC H AND identity of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare the author of all the plays for which he is D , R , and discover how power struggles given credit? Experts have debated, books have been WRITING ACTIVITIES written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting surrounding Queen Elizabeth and or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of these • Have students research the Stratfordian and Anti- the political strife of 16th-century most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous Stratfordian theories. Using their research and knowledge England impacted the players and poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when of Shakespeare’s works, they should decide which group playwrights of that Golden Age. cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the they choose to support. Students might write an opinion Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for paper on the topic or engage in a class debate. We encourage you to share this the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely • The de Vere vs. Shakespeare of Stratford authorship of places—the London stage. question has been the subject of mock trials, including program with your colleagues. one held at American University in 1987, presided over Although these materials are by Supreme Court Justices Harry Blackmun, William protected by copyright, you may AC T IVI T Y 1 Brennan, and John Paul Stevens. Have students research make as many copies as you MIS T AKEN IDEN T I T Y ? the trial—partial footage is available on YouTube, and need for your classes. Please In this activity, students are introduced to the ongoing segments of the transcripts can be found on PBS’s “The share your comments on debate about the authorship of William Shakespeare’s Shakespeare Mystery.” Then, conduct your own mock the program at works. After discussing the conflicts posed by the historical trial on the subject. www.ymiclassroom.com/ records and the biographies of the men proposed to have • Experts suggest that knowing the author of the anonymousfeedback.html. written Shakespeare’s works, students can use the Shakespearean plays and sonnets is important because it We depend on your feedback to questions on the sheet as a springboard for additional affects how they are interpreted and read. Do your research. Have them write an opinion piece about who students agree or disagree? Does the question about the continue providing free authorship influence their appreciation of the writings? educational programs that make a they believe is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays, or engage in a class debate on the topic. • Censorship was a concern for playwrights in the real difference in students’ lives. Elizabethan era. Likewise, concern about revealing insider Follow-Up Activity: Discuss how (or if) knowing the information about the Court is cited as a reason for de Sincerely, identity of the author influences our appreciation of the Vere’s anonymity. Have students review the Shakespearean plays. plays you are reading to identify religious, social, or political themes and messages that may have been Dr. Dominic Kinsley included as propaganda and considered seditious. Editor in Chief Young Minds Inspired is the only company developing free, innovative classroom materials that is owned and directed by award-winning former teachers. Visit our website at www.ymiclassroom.com to send feedback and download more free programs. For questions, contact us at 1-800-859-8005 or email us at [email protected]. © 2011 YMI, Inc. RE F ERENCES AND RESOURCES AN IN T RODUC T ION T O th E SH AKES P EARE DEBA T E The Shakespeare Authorship Coalition, “Declaration of Reasonable Doubt”—www.DoubtAboutWill.org Shakespeare’s Unorthodox Biography: New Evidence of an Authorship Problem, by Diana Price (Greenwood Press, 2000) Who Wrote Shakespeare?, by John Michell (Thames & Hudson, 1999) BOOKS Is Shakespeare Dead? From My Autobiography, by Mark Twain (1909), by Mark Twain (Kessinger Publishing Company, 2008) Shakespeare, in Fact, by Irvin Leigh Matus (Continuum, 1999) Shakespeare’s Lives, by Samuel Schoenbaum (Clarendon Press, 1991) Shakespeare: The Evidence, Unlocking the Mystery of the Man and His Work, by Ian Wilson (St. Martin’s Press, 1994) The Shakespeare Claimants: A Critical Survey of the Four Principal Theories Concerning the Authorship of the Shakespearean Plays, by H.N. Gibson (Methuen, 1971) Monstrous Adversary—The Life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems, by E.K. Chambers by Alan H. Nelson (Liverpool University Press, 2003) (Clarendon Press, 1989) The Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, 1550-1604, by Bernard M. Ward (John Murray, 1928) Shakespeare by Another Name: The Life of Edward De Vere, Earl of WEBSI T ES Oxford, The Man Who Was Shakespeare, by Mark Anderson Charles Beauclerk’s “Thy Countenance Shakes Spears”— (Gotham Books, 2005) www.whowroteShakespeare.com Shakespeare Identified, by J. Thomas Looney (London: C. Palmer; De Vere Society—www.deveresociety.co.uk New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1920) Shakespeare Authorship Sourcebook— Shakespeare Revealed in Oxford’s Letters, by William P. Fowler www.sourcetext.com/sourcebook (Peter E. Randall, 1986) Shakespeare Oxford Society—www.shakespeare-oxford.com Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom: The True History of Shakespeare and The Oxford Authorship Site—www.oxford-shakespeare.com Elizabeth, by Charles Beauclerk (Grove Press, 2010) The Shakespearean Authorship Trust— Shakespeare, Who Was He?, by Richard Whalen (Praeger, 1994) www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk The Marginalia of Edward de Vere’s Geneva Bible, The Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable— by Roger A. Stritmatter (Oxenford Press, 2001) www.shakespeareauthorship.org The Mysterious William Shakespeare, by Charlton Ogburn The Shakespeare Fellowship—www.shakespearefellowship.org (Howell Press, 1984) William Shakespeare Identity/Authorship
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