All original material copyright © Seattle Shakespeare Company 20112012 Seattle shakespeare company

Dear Educator,

The audiences of Queen Elizabeth’s day would be very familiar with troupes of traveling players making their way from town to town to perform. Growing out of the tradition of medieval minstrels and religious dramas that were often performed in makeshift stages on carts or the steps of the local church, secular dramas became increasing popular in the mid-1500s. Actors would set up playing spaces in the courtyards of the local inns. These yards would be located within the center of the inn, open to the air and surrounded in some cases by second story balconies. Patrons would pay for admittance to the court yard and stand to watch the play, or pay extra for balcony access.

However, the increasingly bawdy nature of the plays and transient lifestyle of the players, lead some in the country to look upon actors with suspicion and denigration. These attitudes lead to a 1572 law that imposed harsh penalties to any traveling players without official patronage or license. The restrictions lead to certain troupes gaining patronage from the royalty and other nobles, and the building of the first permanent theaters. Built outside the city limits (theater and actors still being held in low esteem), these playhouses — The Theatre, The Rose, The Curtain and The Globe, among them — would house the great dramas of the English Renaissance.

But the touring life was not finished. It is argued that one of the earliest published versions of is a reconstruction from the memory of an actor in a touring production of the show, since it has some hallmarks of being abridged for time and a smaller cast well suited for a traveling show.

Seattle Shakespeare Company is honored to be a part of this continuum. It is a testament to the populist spirit of theatre. Our art form is one that strives to reach out to as much of the greater community as possible. We are dedicated to bringing the theatre to the people if the people cannot come to the theatre. For ultimately, our art form is about bringing people together.

­­­­ George Mount Artistic Director, Seattle Shakespeare Company

www.seattleshakespeare.org/education 206-733-8228 ext. 212 or [email protected]

Sponsored by: study guide contents

Hamlet synopsis and dramatis personae ...... 1 A summary of the plot and list of characters. (Hamlet)

Romeo and Juliet synopsis and dramatis personae ...... 2 A summary of the plot and list of characters. (Romeo and Juliet)

Who is Anyway? ...... 3–4 A brief biography of Shakespeare’s life.

Elizabeth’s England ...... 5 An overview of aspects of the Elizabethan world that influenced Shakespeare’s plays.

Words, Words, Words ...... 6 This article gives context to the state of the English language during Shakespeare’s life and the significant contributions he made to it.

Hamlet Quotations ...... 7 A look at famous quotes from Hamlet. (Hamlet)

Which Shakespeare Play are We Seeing? ...... 8 An introduction to why students read Romeo and Juliet. (Romeo and Juliet)

Hamlet: Themes and Background ...... 9–10 A collection of brief articles examining themes in Hamlet and background of the play. (Hamlet)

Activity: Objectives, Tactics, and Actions ...... 11–12 Students use character objectives to see how a selection of text can be acted in different ways.

Romeo and Juliet Introduction Activities ...... 13 This activity prompts students to think about the motives and internal experiences of characters in the play. (Romeo and Juliet)

Activity: Cross the Line ...... 14 This fun activity is recommended as a springboard to your lesson plan.

Activity: Living Scene ...... 15–16 This activity is recommended to be done when these scenes are reached by the class while reading the play.

Activities in this study guide satisfy Washington State Arts Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, and 3.3 Hamlet synopsis

Prince Hamlet has rushed home from schooling in Wittenberg to When Hamlet returns in secret, he and visit the graveyard attend the funeral of his father, the King, and the re-marriage of his where is to be buried. They meet a gravedigger, who shows mother, Queen , to his uncle, Claudius, the new King of Hamlet the skull of , a jester from Hamlet’s childhood. The Denmark. Hamlet criticizes the hastiness of his mother’s marriage. funeral procession arrives, and Hamlet and Horatio watch, unseen. Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, informs Hamlet that he has seen the Stricken with grief over his sister’s death, jumps into Opelia’s of the former king. That night, the Ghost appears to Hamlet grave. Hamlet reveals himself to profess his own love and grief for and reveals that he was murdered by Claudius who poured poison Ophelia, and the two grapple in her grave. The brawl is broken up, in his ear. The Ghost demands that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet and Claudius assures Laertes of his chance for revenge. agrees, and resolves to confirm the truth of his father’s death. Later, a courtier brings Laertes’ challenge to Hamlet, inviting him to Hamlet begins to act strangely and feigns madness. Claudius and a fencing match. Hamlet accepts, and meets Laertes for the duel. Gertrude call on two of Hamlet’s student friends, Rosencrantz and Claudius has poisoned the tip of Laertes’ sword and also brought a Guildenstern, to try and discover the cause of Hamlet’s apparent poisoned drink to offer to Hamlet as a back-up plan. After a successful madness. Hamlet quickly discerns that they have been sent by hit, Gertrude toasts to Hamlet and drinks the poisoned cup. During Claudius to spy on him and reveals nothing. the duel, Laertes wounds Hamlet with his poisoned blade. Hamlet and Laertes scuffle, exchange swords, and Hamlet fatally wounds is Claudius’ trusted advisor, and father to Laertes and Laertes. Gertrude faints and says that she has been poisoned by the Ophelia. Ophelia has been courted by Hamlet, and looks to her drink. As he dies, Laertes reveals that Claudius plotted to poison both father and brother for advice. Before Laertes leaves Denmark for the sword and the drink, and makes peace with Hamlet. Incensed, France, he advises Ophelia to reject Hamlet’s affections. Polonius Hamlet kills Claudius with the poisoned sword. Hamlet feels his own asks her to report on Hamlet’s actions, and suggests to Claudius death approaching, and asks Horatio to tell his story. and Gertrude that the loss of Ophelia’s love drove Hamlet mad. The arrival of a troupe of actors to the castle gives Hamlet an opportunity to find out the truth about his father’s death. He requests Dramatis personae that the players perform a scene re-enacting the Ghost’s version of his father’s death. Hamlet will watch Claudius’ reaction to the play. When the murder is presented, Claudius stops the play and storms out, which Prince of Denmark, son of King Hamlet and Gertrude Hamlet sees as proof of his guilt. Hamlet resolves to murder Claudius. HORATIO Gertrude summons Hamlet to her room to demand an explanation A student friend of Hamlet of his madness. On his way there, Hamlet passes Claudius in prayer. Hamlet wants to kill him but worries that if Claudius is killed while GHOST praying, his soul will go to heaven. Polonius is with Gertrude in her The ghost of Prince Hamlet’s dead father room and hides behind a wall hanging before Hamlet arrives in order to spy on the conversation. Hamlet and Gertrude argue about her King of Denmark, King Hamlet’s brother marriage to Claudius. Fearing that Hamlet will kill her, she calls for help. Polonius responds from his hiding place,and Hamlet stabs the GERTRUDE wall hanging, hoping that the unseen person is Claudius. The Ghost King Hamlet’s widow and Claudius’ wife appears and reminds Hamlet of his promise to kill Claudius. Gertrude POLONIUS witnesses this conversation but unable to see or hear the Ghost, is A Lord, father of Laertes and Ophelia further convinced of Hamlet’s madness. Hamlet leaves his mother, taking Polonius’ body and hiding it. LAERTES Polonius’ son, Ophelia’s brother Fearing that Hamlet is a threat, Claudius sends him to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and a secret letter that instructs the OPHELIA English king to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Hamlet replaces this letter Polonius’ daughter, Laertes’ sister with one that instructs the king to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern upon their arrival, then escapes back to Denmark. REYNALDO Polonius’ servant While Hamlet is away, Ophelia goes insane. Laertes arrives back from France, furious to find out that his father has been killed and ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN Old friends of Prince Hamlet his sister has gone mad. When Claudius finds out that Hamlet is on his way back from England, he decides to use Laertes’ anger against CLOWN the prince. He encourages Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a duel, A gravedigger and they plot to give Laertes a poisoned foil to be sure that Hamlet is killed in the fight. Gertrude interrupts their conversation to tell PLAYERS An acting troupe performing for the court of Denmark them that Ophelia has drowned while picking flowers near a river. Laertes is devastated, and agrees to challenge Hamlet.

1 romeo and juliet synopsis dramatis personae

The play opens with a brawl between servants of the feuding The Montagues Capulet and Montague families. The Prince of Verona breaks Romeo up the fight and threatens death for anyone “who disturbs our Son of Lord and Lady Montague streets” again. Mercutio Related to Prince Escalus and a close friend to Romeo A great celebration is being planned by the Capulets to which everyone in the town is invited except the Montagues. During the Benvolio Romeo’s cousin and friend party they introduce their young daughter Juliet to Count Paris in the hopes that they will marry. Romeo, Benvolio (both Montagues), Abraham A servant of the Montagues and Mercutio decide to attend this party in disguise so that Romeo will get his mind off of Rosaline, an unattainable girl who he loves. The Capulets Romeo is enchanted the moment he sees Juliet from across the room, Juliet and forgets all about Rosaline. He talks with her and she becomes as Daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet entranced as he is. Juliet’s cousin Tybalt notices that Romeo and his Lady Capulet kinsmen are trespassing at the party, but at Lady Capulet’s command The head of the house of Capulet, she is Juliet’s mother and enemy he does not start a fight. Romeo sneaks back into the garden, where he of Montague hears Juliet talking to herself about the danger of loving an enemy. He Nurse appears and speaks to Juliet. They exchange vows of love, and plan to Juliet’s nurse marry in secret the next day. Peter Servant to the nurse and Juliet Romeo begs Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence Tybalt agrees, hoping that the marriage might end the feud between the Juliet’s cousin families and bring peace to the town. The two lovers are married Sampson and part, planning to meet secretly that night. That afternoon Servant of the Capulets Tybalt attempts to pick a fight with Romeo. Romeo refuses, but Gregory Mercutio takes up his sword to return Tybalt’s insult. As Romeo Servant of the Capulets tries to break up the fight, he restrains Mercutio, who is fatally stabbed. Romeo, enraged at the death of his friend, kills Tybalt Others and is banished by the prince. Friar Lawrence A Franciscan friar and close friend to Romeo The Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo has been sentenced to banish- Paris ment for killing Tybalt. Romeo and Juliet have only one night A relative of Prince Escalus and Lady Capulet’s choice of husband together after they are married before Romeo must leave the city for Juliet or be killed. Prince Escalus The prince of Verona, he is related to Mercutio and Paris Unaware that Juliet has already married Romeo, the Capulets plan for her to marry Paris. Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence for help. He gives her a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead for two days, and tells her to take it the night before her wedding to Paris. The Friar says he will send a message to Romeo letting him know of the plan so that Romeo can find her in the tomb, and they will be reunited when she awakes.

Romeo hears about Juliet’s death not through the Friar’s messenger, but from his servant. In grief, Romeo returns to the city determined to be with Juliet in her death. He goes to the apothecary and buys poison, then goes to Juliet’s tomb. There, he find Paris and they fight. Romeo kills Paris, then takes the poison and kills himself. Juliet awakes too late to stop him, and sees her love dead beside her. Friar Lawrence arrives but is unable to divert further . Using Romeo’s dagger, Juliet takes her own life.

The two families find Romeo and Juliet dead together in the tomb, and realize that they need to put their feud behind them.

2 who is shakespeare anyway?

and is surrounded by beautiful forests.

One of the Arden tenant farmers is named Richard Shakespeare. In 1557, a year after her father’s death, 17-year-old Mary weds beneath her class by marrying Richard’s son, John. John Shakespeare is 26 and a yeoman — which means he is a small prosperous farmer of no nobility. Mary brings a large dowry with her, including an estate named Asbies. A dowry is the combination of money, goods, and property a woman brings into her marriage.

Can you guess how John and Mary may have met? Class and status were very important in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Are such social distinctions still important today? If so, where do you notice them? In America? In other parts of the world?

The couple settles into John Shakespeare’s house on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon. You can visit this house today as well as Mary Arden’s childhood home.

Portrait of William Shakespeare, 1610. William is born, the third child to John and Mary, on April 23 in 1564. He will be the first child to survive infancy. There will be five siblings “By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am” Romeo, Ace2, sc. ii born after him.

His dad is very ambitious. His fortunes rise and fall during William’s Who is this man, who will write at least 38 timeless plays, two epic childhood. John trades in wool, farm products, lends money, and he poems, and 154 sonnets? makes gloves, saddles, and harnesses. He is quite successful, earning enough to buy a second home. He even has a seat on the Board of We don’t have many facts. Alderman (a civic governing council). He isn’t born into high status, so no one will bother to write about him, other than recording his baptism and marriage, until he becomes a successful playwright. Even then, there are no interviews, articles, personal diaries, or contemporary biographies for us to draw from.

We have his words. Most of what we know about him comes from his work, and even then he can be a mystery! He gives us clues into his own beliefs and feelings, but more often, he holds “as ‘twere the mirror up to nature” (Hamlet, Act 2, sc. i) so well and so fairly, that we see many aspects of fully developed human behavior. This leaves us ever searching for him.

But what about the living breathing person, William Shakespeare? Shakespeare’s birthplace. Photo by Stuart Yeates.

We know what is happening around him in his world from the John submits an application for a Coat of Arms. This would put the factual history of the political, social, and literary events occurring in family in the heraldic registry and elevate their status permanently, both London and Stratford, England — and through documented giving John and his sons the title of “Gentleman.” But John is occurrences and educated guesses about his life. controversial and the application is denied. He runs into money problems, falls behind in his taxes, and eventually is forced to His mother, Mary Arden, comes from a wealthy, noble family. But mortgage Mary’s estate, Asbies. He is finally asked to leave the board since she is a girl, she is not schooled and is illiterate. Her family of Aldermen in 1586. By 1590, the family’s only possession will be the has extensive property and many tenant farmers (peasants who house on Henley Street. “rented” her family’s land) working the estate in the province of Warwickshire, three miles outside the town of Stratford-upon- William goes to school, sees visiting players perform in his town, Avon, in England. and experiences the ups and downs of his family’s stature in Stratford society. When he is 13, he witnesses the death of his Stratford is a pretty hamlet with a population of about 1,500 at the 7-year-old sister, Anne, and his parents’ grief. time. It is 102 miles northwest of London. It sits on the River Avon

3 When William is 18, he marries Anne Hathaway, who is 26. Anne is people have their individual beliefs? Who stands to gain or benefit from a neighboring village a mile from Stratford named Shottery. from religious reform? Just think, our own United States of America She is the daughter of a farmer. Again, because she is a girl, she has will be founded in response to this same religious persecution! We, not gone to school and cannot read or write. as Americans, start here.

William and Anne’s fathers are old friends and even act as signato- William will experience the terror of a vulnerable political structure ries on loans for one another. The wedding is a rushed affair, and with the waning of the heirless Queen Elizabeth. He will witness six months later they become parents to Susanna Shakespeare. The threatened invasions from other powerful countries and constant fact that Anne is pregnant when she is married is an embarrass- uprisings from the oppressed within English rule. ment to both families, especially to ambitious John Shakespeare. The young family lives with Mary and John, where they will stay for This glove-maker’s son from Stratford will play several times before the next 15 years. Two years later in 1585, Anne gives birth to twins, Queen Elizabeth. His acting troupe, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Hamnet and Judith, named after William and Anne’s closest friends will become The King’s Men when James of Scotland ascends the Hamnet and Judith Sadler. There will be no more children. English throne upon the death of Elizabeth in 1603. William Shake- speare will be wildly successful and famous in his lifetime. Sometime between 1585 and 1590, William moves to London to pursue a life in the theatre. He keeps an interest in the family business and returns for visits. He begins as an actor, which he will continue to be throughout his career. Soon after, he starts writing. He will write from his imagination, his personal experiences, and the world around him. He will first write to entertain and then he will write to question, to elevate, and to heal. He will develop the art form of playwriting.

He will become a shareholder in an acting troupe and part owner of a theatre. He is an artist-manager. He will become very wealthy. In 1597, he will buy a beautiful home for Anne and his children in Stratford named New Place. He will put in another application for a Coat of Arms for his family — this time it will be granted.

His heart will be broken by the death of his only son in 1596. He will see plague ravage his country and thousands upon thousands of Today’s Globe Theatre in London. fellow countrymen die. He will witness his nation’s struggle with reli- gious identity, as newly formed Protestantism wars with Catholicism. He will become a grandfather. He will bury his father and his There will be no religious freedom in his lifetime. Instead, people will mother. He will buy a fine home to retire in and provide for his be forced to attend Anglican Church services whether they believe or family. He will own large tracts of land in his ancestral Warwickshire. not, and death will often be the answer for those who keep the old He will die of unknown causes on his 52nd birthday in 1616. He will religion — as it had been for non-Catholics in previous generations. leave humankind a treasure of unsurpassable wealth — a loving guide to being human. Do religious wars still exist today? Can beliefs truly be enforced on other people? Why might this happen? What is risky about letting Can you think of other legacies like Shakespeare’s? Is it hard to believe someone from a background like Shakespeare’s could have achieved what he did? Can the gift of genius defy class and status?

Used with permission from Tennessee Shakespeare Company. Elizabethan engraving representing the population ‘taken’ by the plague.

4 Elizabeth’s england

in print in his works are such everyday terms as “critic,” “assassinate,” “bump,” “gloomy,” “suspicious,” “and hurry;” and he invented literally dozens of phrases which we use today: such un-Shakespearean expressions as “catching a cold,” “the mind’s eye,” “elbow room,” and even “pomp and circumstance.”

Elizabethan England was a time for heroes. The ideal man was a courtier, an adventurer, a fencer with the skill of Tybalt, a poet no doubt better than Orlando, a conversationalist with the wit of Rosalind and the eloquence of Richard II, and a gentleman. In addition to all this, he was expected to take the time, like Brutus, to examine his own nature and the cause of his actions and (perhaps unlike Brutus) to make the right choices. The real heroes of the age did all these things and more. Detail from a portrait of Elizabeth I, ca. 1588, by George Gower.

William Shakespeare’s characters lived in England (Richard II), Despite the greatness of some Elizabethan ideals, others seem small and France (As You Like It), Vienna (Measure for Measure), fifteenth- undignified, to us; marriage, for example, was often arranged to bring century Italy (Romeo and Juliet), the England ruled by Elizabeth’s wealth or prestige to the family, with little regard for the feelings of the father (Henry VIII) and elsewhere — anywhere and everywhere. bride. In fact, women were still relatively powerless under the law. All Shakespeare’s plays — even when they were set in ancient The idea that women were “lower” than men was one small part Rome — reflected the life of Elizabeth’s England (and, after her of a vast concern with order which was extremely important to death in 1603, that of her successor, James I). Thus, certain things many Elizabethans. Most people believed that everything, from the about these extraordinary plays will be easier to understand if we lowest grain of sand to the highest angel, had its proper position know a little more about Elizabethan England. in the scheme of things. This concept was called “the great chain of Elizabeth’s reign was an age of exploration — exploration of being.” When things were in their proper place, harmony was the the world, exploration of man’s nature, and exploration of the result; when order was violated, the entire structure was shaken. far reaches of the English language. This renaissance of the arts This idea turns up again and again in Shakespeare. The rebellion and sudden flowering of the spoken and written word gave us against Richard II brings bloodshed to England for generations; Romeo two great monuments — the King James Bible and the plays of and Juliet’s rebellion against their parents contributes to their tragedy; Shakespeare — and many other treasures as well. and the assassination in Julius Caesar throws Rome into civil war. Shakespeare made full use of the adventurous Elizabethan Many Elizabethans also perceived duplications in the chain of order. attitude toward language. He employed more words than any They believed, for example, that what the sun is to the heavens, the king is to the state. When something went wrong in the heavens, rulers worried: before Julius Caesar and Richard II were overthrown, comets and meteors appeared, the moon turned the color of blood, and other bizarre astronomical phenomena were reported. Richard himself compares his fall to a premature setting of the sun; when he descends from the top of Flint Castle to meet the conquering Bolingbroke, he likens himself to the driver of the sun’s chariot in Greek mythology: “Down, down I come, like glist’ring Phaeton” (3.3.178).

All these ideas find expression in Shakespeare’s plays, along with hundreds of others—most of them not as strange to our way of thinking. As dramatized by the greatest playwright in the history of the world, the plays offer us a fascinating glimpse of the thoughts and passions of a brilliant age. Elizabethan England was a brief skyrocket of art, adventure, and ideas which quickly burned out; but Shakespeare’s plays keep the best parts of that time alight forever. Engraving of an Elizabethan ship, by C.J. Visscher Adapted from “The Shakespeare Plays,” educational materials made possible by Exxon, Metropolitan Life, Morgan Guaranty, and CPB. Reprinted with other writer in history — more than 21,000 different words appear permission from Insights, the Study Guide of the Utah Shakespearean in the plays — and he never hesitated to try a new word, revive an Festival, Cedar City, Utah and www.bard.org old one, or make one up. Among the words which first appeared

5 words, words, words

“No household in the English-speaking world is properly furnished In both instances, the repeated simple ordinary word carries unless it contains copies of the Holy Bible and of The Works of extraordinary shades of meaning. “Usually such a tendency in a William Shakespeare. It is not always thought that these books Shakespeare play indicates a more or less conscious thematic should be read in maturer years, but they must be present as intent.” (Paul A. Jorgensen, Redeeming Shakespeare’s Words symbols of Religion and Culture” (G.B. Harrison, Introducing [Berkeley and Los Angeles; University of California Press, 1962], 100). Shakespeare. Rev. & Exp. [New York: Penguin Books, 1991], 11). Living in an age of the “grandiose humanistic confidence in the We, the Shakespearean-theater goers and lovers, devotedly and power of the word” (Levin 9), Shakespeare evidently felt exuberant ritualistically watch and read the Bard’s plays not for exciting stories that he had the license to experiment with the language, further and complex plots. Rather, Shakespeare’s language is a vital source blessed by the fact that “there were no English grammars to lay of our supreme pleasure in his plays. Contrary to ill-conceived down rules or dictionaries to restrict word-formation. This was an notions, Shakespeare’s language is not an obstacle to appreciation, immeasurable boon for writers” (Levin 10). Surely Shakespeare took though it may prove to be difficult to understand. Instead, it is the full advantage of the unparalleled linguistic freedom to invent, to communicative and evocative power of Shakespeare’s language experiment with, and to indulge in lavishly. that is astonishingly rich in vocabulary — about 29,000 words — strikingly presented through unforgettable characters such as However intriguing, captivating, mind-teasing, beguiling, and Hamlet, , Lear, Othello, Rosalind, Viola, Iago, Shylock, etc. euphonious, Shakespeare’s vocabulary can be a stumbling block, especially for readers. “In the theater the speaking actor frequently In the high school classroom, students perceive Shakespeare’s relies on tone, semantic drive, narrative context, and body language to language as “Old English.” Actually Shakespeare’s linguistic communicate the sense of utterly unfamiliar terms and phrases, but on environment, experience, and exposure was, believe it or not, closer the page such words become more noticeable and confusing” (Russ to our own times than to Chaucer’s, two hundred years earlier. McDonald, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction Indeed, the history and development of the English language with Documents [Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1996], 184). unfolds as follows: Old English, 449–1100; Middle English 1100- 1500; and Modern English 1500–present. Shakespeare was firmly in Unlocking the meaning of Shakespeare’s vocabulary can prove to the Modern English period. be an interesting challenge. Such words include those which “have dropped from common use like ‘bisson’ (blind) or those that the At the time Shakespeare wrote, most of the grammatical changes playwright seems to have created from Latin roots . . . but that did not from Old and Middle English had taken place; yet rigid notions about catch on, such as conspectuities’ (eyesight or vision) or ‘unplausive’ “correctness” had not yet been standardized in grammars. The past (doubtful or disapproving). Especially confusing are those words four centuries have advanced the cause of standardized positions that have shifted meaning over the intervening centuries, such as for words; yet the flexible idiom of Elizabethan English offered ‘proper’ (handsome), ‘nice’ (squeamish or delicate), ‘silly’ (innocent), or abundant opportunities for Shakespeare’s linguistic inventiveness. ‘cousin’ (kinsman, that is, not necessarily the child of an aunt or uncle” Ideally it is rewarding to study several facets of Shakespeare’s English: (McDonald 184). Because of semantic change, when Shakespeare pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, wordplay, and imagery. The uses ‘conceit,’ he does not mean ‘vanity,’ as we might understand it to present overview will, however, be restricted to “vocabulary.” be. Strictly following etymology, Shakespeare means a ‘conception’ or ‘notion,’ or possibly the ‘imagination’ itself. To Polonius’s inquisitive question “What do you read, my lord?” (Hamlet, 2.2.191) Hamlet nonchalantly and intriguingly aptly replies: Perhaps several Shakespearean words “would have been strange “Words, words, words” (2.2.192). This many-splendored creation of to Shakespeare’s audience because they were the products of his Shakespeare’s epitomizes the playwright’s own fascination with the invention or unique usage. Some words that probably originated with dynamic aspect of English language, however troubling it may be to him include: ‘auspicious,’ ‘assassination,’ ‘disgraceful,’ ‘dwindle,’ ‘savagery.’” modern audiences and readers. Shakespeare added several thousand Certainly a brave soul, he was “ a most audacious inventor of words.” To words to the language, apart from imparting new meanings to appreciate and understand Shakespeare’s English in contrast to ours, known words. At times Shakespeare could teasingly employ the we ought to suspend our judgment and disbelief and allow respect for same word for different shades of thought. Barowne’s single line, the “process of semantic change, which has been continually eroding “Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile” (Love’s Labour’s Lost, or encrusting his original meaning” (Levin 8). 1.1.77), as Harry Levin in his General Introduction to The Riverside Shakespeare (9) explains, “uses ‘light’ in four significations: intellect, Shakespeare’s vocabulary has received greater attention that any seeking wisdom, cheats eyesight out of daylight.” other aspect of his language. Perhaps this is because it is the most accessible with no burdensome complications. Whatever the cause, Another instance: Othello as he enters his bedroom with a light before Shakespeare’s language will forever be challenging and captivating. he smothers his dear, innocent Desdemona soliloquizes: “Put out the light, and then put out the light” (Othello, 5.2.7) Here ‘light’ compares Written by S. S. Moorty. Adapted from “The Shakespeare Plays,” educational materials made possible by Exxon, Metropolitan Life, Morgan Guaranty, and the light of Othello’s lamp or torch to Desdemona’s ‘light’ of life. CPB. Reprinted with permission from Insights, the Study Guide of the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City, Utah and www.bard.org

6 Famous hamlet quotes

A little more than kin and less than kind! Get thee to a nunnery. Hamlet, Act I, scene 1 Hamlet, Act III, scene 1

Frailty, woman! , I pray you . . . Hamlet, Act I, scene 2 Hamlet, Act III, scene 2

Neither a borrower nor a lender be. The lady doth protest too much methinks. Polonius, Act I, scene 3 Gertrude, Act III, scene 2

This above all else: to thine own self be true. I will speak daggers to her, but use none. Polonius, Act I, scene 3 Hamlet, Act III, scene 2

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. O, my offense is rank, it smells to high heaven . . . Marcellus, Act I, scene 4 Claudius, Act III, scene 3

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words than are dreamt of in your philosophy. without thoughts never to heaven go. Hamlet, Act I, scene 5 Claudius, Act III, scene 3

The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, That ever I How all occasions do inform against me, And spur was born to set it right! my dull revenge! Hamlet, Act I, scene 5 Hamlet, Act IV, scene 4

. . . brevity is the soul of wit There’s such divinity doth hedge a king . . . Polonius, Act II, scene 2 Claudius, Act IV, scene 5

Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t. Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio. Polonius, Act II, scene 2 Hamlet, Act V, scene 1

. . . there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking The cat will mew, and the dog will have his day. makes it so. Hamlet, Act V, scene 1 Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 We defy augury: there’s a special providence in the I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will dreams. come: the readiness is all. Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 Hamlet, Act V, scene 2

I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw. them how we will. Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 Hamlet, Act V, scene 2

What a piece of work is a man! Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince: Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Horatio, Act V, scene 2 O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Hamlet, Act II, scene 2

The play’s the thing Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King. Hamlet, Act II, scene 2

7 which shakespeare play are we seeing?

“For never was a story of more woe The remaining sonnet is for you to discover. It will be comprised by Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” two characters in conversation together. They might be the only two characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays who are able to do this. — Prince, Act V, sc. iii Sonnets are held to be a perfect form for expressing love. Do you Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet first appeared onstage in 1595. think Shakespeare may be reveling even more to us about the play Shakespeare had borrowed the story from a poem published in by the use of Sonnets? 1562, the year he was born, called The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, written first in Italian by Bandell, and now in English by Arthur The opening Sonnet/Prologue tells what we need to know about the Brooke. Shakespeare followed the poem’s plot and often used some play at the beginning. It then goes much further: it tells us the ending. of its very words in his dialogue. We learn that the greatest love story ever known is born in a world of Shakespeare took the story and infused it with a deep humanity rage. The ancient feud between the Capulet and Montague households and truth, introduced new unforgettable characters, compacted (whose genesis we will never know which prevents us from taking sides) the action into a few short days, and evolved the two lovers into infuses fair Verona, with prejudice and hatred. Civilians are killing one fully realized young people who build between themselves a love another. We know that two children, Romeo and Juliet, are “star-crossed” that is inclusive of their minds, spirits, and bodies. The exhilaration, meaning that fate will be working against them. We know that they maturity, purity, and completeness of their shared love is not will take their own lives. These children are the terrible sacrifice needed expressed as understandably anywhere else in literature. The to end the rage. We, as an audience, will spend this “two hours traffic” teenage lovers, Romeo and Juliet, become the world wide icons of wishing fervently that we could save them. That is all part of the painful true love for generations after. beauty of experiencing Romeo and Juliet.

Can you remember a time in your life when you were not aware of As you listen, pay special attention to all the love in the play, gently Romeo and Juliet? Do you know lines from the play? How did you remembering that rage has poisoned everyone who lives in Verona. learn them? Can you remember when? Is it possible that these two characters and the lines you know from the play are programmed Can you feel compassion for: into our social consciousness? Parents who try very hard to do well for their children? A fourteen line prologue starts the play. This prologue also has an Friends who hold honor to a breaking point? A–B, A–B rhyme structure (which means that the last words of the A Mentors who, though well-meaning, misguide? lines will rhyme, and the last words of the B lines will rhyme), as well as a rhyming couplet at the end. It is a specific form of poetry called a sonnet. ACTIVITY:

Shakespeare wrote and published 154 sonnets during his life. They This is fun to do by yourself or in a challenge with a friend. were very popular and include some opening lines that you may You will need paper, pen, and the ability to time yourself (and recognize, the most famous perhaps being from Sonnet 18: “Shall I friend) to the second. compare thee to a summer’s day?” The names of Romeo and Juliet have been used in many Shakespeare also included two more sonnets in Romeo and Juliet. modern song lyrics. One is another prologue happening right after Juliet and Romeo meet. It reminds us of the children’s predicament and contains Give your self two minutes, and see how many songs you (and a very illuminating line about how they overcome the obstacles your friend) can write down that include either one or both immediately before them: names of our young lovers.

Text: Who was able to write down the most? Did you have any over- laps? How many different genres of music are included? Being held a foe, he may not have access A To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear; B Now look at each song and think of the context in which And she as much in love, her means much less A Romeo and/or Juliet are being referenced. Knowing the whole story, as you do now, how many of the songwriters To meet her new beloved anywhere. B are referring to Romeo and/or Juliet with real knowledge of But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, the play? Do you notice other meanings or associations with Tempering extremities with extreme sweet. the names of Romeo and Juliet that have nothing to do with Shakespeare’s real characters? Rhyming Couplet — Prologue, Act II By Stephanie Shine . Used with permission from Tennessee Shakespeare Company.

8 themes in Hamlet

revenge and hesitation appearace and reality

In Hamlet, our prince of Denmark is informed of his father’s murder Things are not always as they appear in the Danish court. In fact, in Act I, but does not act on killing Claudius and avenging his the play contains many situations in which appearances are deceiv- father’s death until the last scene of the play. This hesitation has ing. From Claudius’ two-faced deeds to the Player King’s moving been debated for years, and is a major theme in the play. Why is it (though fictional) drama, is it any wonder that Hamlet is confused? that Hamlet takes so long to take revenge if the ghost demanded it Hamlet spends a large portion of the play trying to sort through from him very early on? false appearances to find out who his true friends are. He swears In the time that Hamlet is set, there would have been a strong conflict Horatio to secrecy about the Ghost, and Horatio supports Hamlet between the Medieval Code of Honor and emerging Christian ethics. as a true friend throughout the play. In contrast, Rosencrantz and In the code of honor, Hamlet would be bound to avenge his father’s Guildenstern try to appear as old friends of Hamlet, when in reality death by killing King Claudius, because the honor of his family is they are working for Claudius to gather information about Hamlet at stake. However, Christianity rejects the “eye for an eye” rule, and and discern the cause of his madness. Hamlet eventually learns the requires forgiveness instead. Prince Hamlet, being a Christian in the truth about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and he betrays them late medieval period, is caught between these two conflicting sets of and sends them to their death in England. rules, and this is part of the conflict that prevents him from acting on Hamlet’s madness is another case of deceptive appearances. After the Ghost’s demands for revenge. Hamlet learns of his father’s death, he assumes an “antic disposi- Beyond just the code of ethics under which Hamlet is operating, tion” in order to give himself some leeway in finding out for himself there is also a question of what is the exact nature of the Ghost, and about the king’s guilt. When he confronts Ophelia, he gives her the whether or not it is trustworthy. In Shakespeare’s time, Protestants impression that he does not love her. This too is part of his mad- believed that there was no such thing as Purgatory, and that once ness, but the audience is left wondering if Hamlet’s appearance of humans passed from life to death, they went immediately to Heaven disregard is the truth or just another act. or Hell. Therefore, any ghost could not be a human, but could only be When the Players arrive at Elsinore castle, one of them does an an angel or a demon come to Earth to tempt the living. Catholics most- impromptu performance for Hamlet. He recites the monologue of ly agreed with this, but they did believe a miracle could occur if God Priam and his story of Hecuba, and while doing so falls to weeping willed it to be so. In that case, the consequences of not listening to the over her sorrow. Upon the completion of this performance, Hamlet spiritual messenger would be great. The Ghost could also have been wonders to himself how it was that the Player could be driven to a mere hallucination. Caught between these options, it is no wonder passion over a fiction that he has no experience of, while Hamlet, that Hamlet was filled with uncertainty at the Ghost’s message. who has plenty of cause for sorrow, cannot bring himself to any Prince Hamlet, in his hesitation, is set in contrast to two other sons action at all. whose fathers have been killed. We are introduced to Laertes, who Even the king and queen give off false appearances. Claudius care- rushes home from France when he hears that his father Polonius fully cultivates the appearance of a moral king — one who gave all has been killed. Laertes arrives in Denmark ready for action, and appropriate mourning to his brother’s death and assumed the throne hot to take revenge. He does not stop to think, and so can be easily as part of his duty. Gertrude too appears to be a virtuous queen, mar- manipulated by Claudius in his plan to eliminate Hamlet. Young rying Claudius for the stability of Denmark. In fact, as Hamlet uncov- of Norway is another son whose father was killed in a ers, it is Claudius whose hands are stained with his brother’s blood, battle with Denmark. He takes revenge by leading his army through and Gertrude’s re-marriage was more a matter of lust than duty. Denmark to invade Poland.

death and decay

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” says Marcellus, early poison and its effects, sickness and disease in nature and in the on in the play. Indeed it is. This is indicated by the language used body, maggots and worms feeding on flesh, and a meditation over throughout Hamlet. Ideas about physical decay and corruption Yorick’s skull and death in general. of the body constantly recur in the play, including references to

9 sanity versus insanity

Hamlet’s madness is central to this play, with many of the characters soliloquy. discussing it and attempting to discover the cause of it. Claudius and Hamlet’s madness also does not resemble Ophelia’s madness later Gertrude spend considerable energy and resources trying to find out in the play. In a fit of appearing insane, Hamlet declares that he no the exact nature of this madness, and what it is that is causing it. Early longer loves Ophelia, and she should get herself to a nunnery. A few in the play, Gertrude posits that it may simply be “his father’s death scenes later, Ophelia has been driven mad by the loss of Hamlet’s and our o’er hasty marriage.” Throughout the play, Claudius employs love and the death of her own father. She, unlike Hamlet, loses her Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern to all talk with ability to reason and be understood by those closest to her. She Hamlet and try to find out what is wrong with him. seems to lose touch with reality entirely, and ends up drowning Hamlet’s seemingly mad behavior stands in contrast to his sudden herself in a stream. clarity of thought at several points in the play. He torments Polonius with strange behavior, then turns around and gives a moving about the play

Hamlet was written sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is often by Lawrence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, and a 2010 considered the greatest play written by the world’s greatest play- release by the Royal Shakespeare Company. wright. It is also Shakespeare’s longest play. Uncut, it would take Shakespeare diverged from his previous plays when writing Hamlet. between four and a half and five hours to perform. The characters He broke a rule established by Aristotle, and focused more on the char- in Hamlet are Shakespeare’s most psychologically complex, and acters than on the action in his play. Also unlike most of Shakespeare’s Hamlet himself has 1,530 lines — more than any other Shakespear- plays, Hamlet has no strong subplot; all of the action ties into Hamlet’s ean character! struggle for revenge. Hamlet has been performed and translated more than any other Hamlet takes place in Denmark, a few hundred years before play in the world. It has more written about it, and it has inspired Shakespeare’s time. There have been several versions of Hamlet more parodies and spin-offs, than any other work of literature. performed in Danish castles. Hamlet has inspired 26 ballets, six operas, and many musical works. There have been more than 45 movie versions, including versions

danish monarchy revenge play — Seneca

When King Hamlet was killed, Claudius — and not Prince Ham- Hamlet is one of the most famous examples of a “revenge play,” a form let — became the king of Denmark, even though Hamlet was the of tragedy that was extremely popular in Shakespeare’s time. The king’s only son. This is because during Hamlet’s time, Denmark was Elizabethans modeled their revenge plays after those written by Ro- ruled by an elected monarch and not by a hereditary monarch. In man playwright Seneca the Younger. The Senecan model of this type an elected monarchy, nobles of high standing would select the of work is characterized by: new king by a vote. The son of the previous king was certainly the • A secret murder of a ruler by a bad person prime candidate, but in some situations the nobles could reject him in favor of someone else. This is precisely what happened to Hamlet • A ghost of the murder victim visiting a younger relative, usually a son in Shakespeare’s play. There are several reasons why Claudius might have been elected over Hamlet: he could have actively campaigned • A period of intrigue, where the murderer and the avenger for himself, promising political favors; Gertrude could have cam- plot against each other, and there are many casualties paigned for him out of a desire to remain queen; or Hamlet could • A descent into madness, either by the avenger or an have been considered too young and inexperienced to become auxiliary character king at that time. • An eruption of violence at the end • A catastrophe that kills nearly all of the characters, in- cluding the avenger

102 Activity: Objectives, Tactics, actions

When an actor encounters his or her lines in a script, often the Students introduced to Shakespeare’s text have the opportunity first thing he or she will do is to decide what their intention is to go through the same process that an actor would! What is with that line. For example, the actor playing the ghost may each character’s objective? What tactics might the character decide his objective or intention is to spur Hamlet to revenge. use? This activity will encourage students to use Shakespeare’s Then he can choose what tactic he will use to accomplish that words to inform their performance of the scene. — will he empower him? Or enslave him? From these objectives and tactics, the actor builds the action of the scene.

Instructions act 1, Scene 2 Divide students into small groups and assign each group a section of text from Act 1, scene 2. Ghost As they read through the text, have them underline the hard I am thy father’s spirit, consonants that they encounter in their section of text. (Example: Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night, With Witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts.) These consonants are emphasized and repeated to create negative “hits” and percus- And for the day confined to fast in fires, sive sounds that mimic nature such as the “sss” sound mimics the Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature poisonous snake. Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid Now ask students to circle large vowel sounds. (Example: Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood.) These sounds of the To tell the secrets of my prison-house, 1 human heart come from a deeper place in the body than the per- I could a tale unfold whose lightest word cussives and are sounds of deep emotion. Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, Students then pick a verb from the following list that they think Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, best matches what the Ghost is intending to happen (in just their section of text): Thy knotted and combined locks to part corrupt And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fretful porpentine:

help seduce enslave invade But this eternal blazon must not be save empower inspire use To ears of flesh and blood. List, list, O, list! destroy infect transform guide If thou didst ever thy dear father love-- induct tempt ensnare HAMLET O God! Now students get out of their chairs and speak the text to one GHOST another, using the consonants and vowels they have underlined and circled as acting clues within the text. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Ask them to use the verb they have chosen to guide them in the HAMLET way they act towards each other. Each student should have at Murder! 2 least a solo line, all should join in at various points. Let them be creative in how they choose to read. GHOST Once they have had a chance to rehearse, ask the students to try Murder most foul, as in the best it is; the same text with a different motivating verb. Ultimately they But this most foul, strange and unnatural. will pick the one that best serves the text they have been given. One way to present: Have one person play Hamlet in the cen- HAMLET ter of the room. Each group clusters together, then forms a ring Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift around Hamlet. As each group performs their text to Hamlet, they step into the circle. As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.

11 act 1, Scene 2 (con’t) act 1, Scene 2 (con’t)

Ghost whose effect Now, Hamlet, hear: Holds such an enmity with blood of man ‘Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, That swift as quicksilver it courses through A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark The natural gates and alleys of the body, Is by a forged process of my death And with a sudden vigour doth posset 3 Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth, And curd, like eager droppings into milk, 8 The serpent that did sting thy father’s life The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine; Now wears his crown. And a most instant tetter bark’d about, HAMLET Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust, O my prophetic soul! My uncle! All my smooth body.

Ghost Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch’d: Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,-- 9 4 O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power Unhousel’d, disappointed, unanel’d, So to seduce!--won to his shameful lust No reckoning made, but sent to my account The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen: With all my imperfections on my head:

O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there! O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible! If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not; From me, whose love was of that dignity 10 That it went hand in hand even with the vow Let not the royal bed of Denmark be 5 I made to her in marriage, and to decline A couch for luxury and damned incest. Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor But, howsoever thou pursuest this act, To those of mine! Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive But virtue, as it never will be moved, Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven, And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge, 6 So lust, though to a radiant angel link’d, To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once! 11 Will sate itself in a celestial bed, The glow-worm shows the matin to be near, And prey on garbage. And ‘gins to pale his uneffectual fire: (Whole Class) But, soft! methinks I scent the morning air; Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me. Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard, My custom always of the afternoon, 7 Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, With juice of cursed in a vial, And in the porches of my ears did pour The leperous distilment;

12 romeo and juliet introduction activities

Perhaps more than any other play in Shakespeare’s canon, Romeo struggles are as much an every day concern for Romeo and and Juliet speaks directly to young people about the timeless Juliet as they are for today’s teens. Romeo and Juliet makes clear universality of classical works. The struggles that young people to today’s young people that the human experience is a shared face to find their own path in the face of parental opposition, experience. peer pressure, street violence, well-meaning-but-misguided adults and the deep need to love and be loved —these — From George Mount, director of Romeo and Juliet

law and order juliet’s diary / romeo’s blog

Re-read Romeo and Juliet Act III, Scene 1. In it, Mercutio and Tybalt Have each student choose an important moment in the play — get into a fight. Romeo pulls them apart, and Tybalt stabs Mercutio. Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, their marriage, Tybalt’s death, Enraged, Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo’s banishment, Juliet planning her “death”, Romeo hearing about Juliet’s death, etc. Then have each student write a diary or Whose fault is Mercutio’s death? blog entry for either Romeo or Juliet. What happened that day? • Mercutio’s, for starting the fight? How do they feel about it? What do they need to hide from their friends and parents? • Romeo’s, for getting involved? • Or Tybalt’s, for stabbing him? Use the space provided (or separate sheet if you need more room) to write the diary/blog entry: What is your initial opinion? Explain in 3–4 lines: ______Create a role-playing scenerio in which witnesses take opposing ______views of whose fault it is that Mercutio got stabbed. Some ideas for ______roles could be: ______• A Montague who puts all of the blame on Tybalt ______• A Capulet, who blames Mercutio for starting the fight ______• A friend of Mercutio, who claims that he would not have died if Romeo had let him fight ______• Juliet, who wants to defend Romeo ______• A Friar, who takes no sides but tells what he saw ______Other students can role-play as law enforcement officers trying to figure out what happened. Have them interview all of the ______“witnesses” about the brawl, and then decide who is to blame for ______Mercutio’s death. ______What is your opinion after the trial? Explain in 3–4 lines: ______Lesson expansion: Have students “comment” on each others’ blog entries. They can pretend to be Romeo and Juliet’s parents, their friends, their scorned loves (Rosaline or Paris), or they can be anonymous.

13 “Cross the line” quote activity

This activity brings home to students how much they know of crossing the line. Spoiler: Don’t let the students know that the Shakespeare’s language already. It’s everywhere. This is great as quotes are all from Shakespeare until after the exercise ­— they a first activity to warm students up to the language, especially will be amazed at how much common vernacular first appeared since they will happily recognize much of it and will enjoy in a Shakespeare play.

Time: 10 minutes 16. Brave new world! — The Tempest

Skills Used: Listening, direction-following, observation 17. I will wear my heart upon my sleeve — Othello

Instructions: Have students create two rows facing one another, 18. Parting is such sweet sorrow — Romeo and Juliet with 7–10 feet between them. Point out that there is an imaginary line in the middle, between the two rows. Inform students that you 19. What a piece of work is man — Hamlet will being saying “Cross the line if you have ever heard . . .” followed 20. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers — by a quote from the list below. Read the quote aloud but not the title associated with the play. Feel free to selectively read from the 21. The course of true love never did run smooth list to suit the class. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream If students have heard the quote before, they silently (there is 22. Double, double, toil and trouble — Macbeth no talking) cross the line to the other side. If the students are responding well, you can alter the exercise by changing the verb on 23. It was Greek to me — Julius Caesar how they cross the line (slink, hop, run, glide, etc. instead of cross). 24. Screw your courage to the sticking place — Macbeth Ask students for feedback: “How did it make you feel?” or “What surprised you?” Tie in what they have experienced crossing the line 25. All the world’s a stage — As You Like It to their perceptions of what they thought about Shakespeare. 26. The play’s the thing — Hamlet Fun variation: Play the game again, using the most familiar phrases. Now the opening line is, “Cross the line if you have ever spoken 27. My horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse — Richard III (insert the quote).” 28. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? — Sonnet 18 Cross the line if you have ever heard . . . 29. There’s a double meaning in that — Much Ado About Nothing 1. To be or not to be — Hamlet 30. Off with his head — Richard III 2. Out! Out! Damn Spot! — Macbeth 31. For ever and a day — As You Like It 4. A dish fit for the gods — Julius Caesar 32. His beard was white as snow — Hamlet 5. The better part of valour is discretion — Henry IV, pt. 1 33. Eaten out of house and home — Henry IV, pt 2 6. As dead as a doornail — Henry VI, pt.2 34. Et tu, Brute — Julius Caesar 7. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark — Hamlet 35. Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo? — Romeo and Juliet 8. Beware the ides of March — Julius Caesar 36. Pound of flesh — The Merchant of Venice 9. A plague on both your houses — Romeo and Juliet 37. Now is the winter of our discontent — Richard III 10. Love is blind — The Merchant of Venice 38. To thine own self be true — Hamlet 11. Fair is foul and foul is fair — Macbeth 39. In a pickle — The Tempest 12. All that glisters is not gold — The Merchant of Venice 40. Neither a borrower or a lender be — Hamlet 13. And thereby hangs a tale — As You Like It 41. I dreamt a dream tonight — Romeo and Juliet 14. Foul play — Pericles 42. As good luck would have it — The Merry Wives of Windsor 15. I have not slept one wink — Cymbeline 43. Knock, knock, who’s there? — Macbeth

(This exercise was developed by Michelle Traverso for Seattle Shakespeare Company. ) 14 “Living scene” activity

This activity allows the entire class to have an experience with text imaginations (even if they don’t know what it means). It can help that is usually spoken by only one character. The students will play the students discover new layers and meanings both with words with Shakespeare’s image-rich text physically. They may explore the they already know and words that are new to them. sounds of the words and what those sounds do to their bodies and

Time: 20 minutes If the students are not jumping in right away, keep asking questions. When you hear a possibility in the speech for a student Student Skills: to play something, ask for it: • Listening “Who can be a Hyperion? A satyr? A garden?” • Choice-making “Who will play the sun beams? Shadows? Cupid?” • Working Together Then once they’re in the scene, ask questions to invite them to • Supporting one another explore the character they’ve chosen: • Speaking text “What does an unweeded garden look like? How would a • Giving positive feedback to peers mad beast mourn?”

Instructions: Ask for a volunteer to speak the monologue “What does a day-long journey feel like? How does youth from the accompanying text. Explain that the “Speaker” won’t be move? How does old age move?” reading the text from the page, but another volunteer will be feeding them the words while standing behind them. Ask for a Encourage them to do anything with the words! There is no right or volunteer to “feed” words to the Speaker. wrong. No judgment. Only exploration. Ask your students: “How do these words make you feel?” Instruct the “Feeder” to stand behind the Speaker and read them one line at a time from the page. The Feeder only needs to speak “What kind of action do they inspire?” loud enough for the Speaker to hear them. Once the Feeder has “Move in the space as the image moves you.” spoken the line to the Speaker of the monologue, the Speaker will speak their line for the rest of the class to hear. Once you have gone through the whole speech, begin again with everyone repeating what they just did when they hear their “part” Ask for a volunteer to be the “Scholar.” Explain that the Scholar will spoken in the speech. have a dictionary and anytime anyone doesn’t know a word, they can call on the Scholar. First, let the class suggest definitions. Afterwards, ask them what they discovered: Then have the scholar look up the word and read the definition out loud for the entire class to hear. See how close or how far the “How did it feel to physicalize the words?” students’ ideas of the meaning were to the definition. “Is it more alive?”

Let the rest of the class know that they will bring the language to “How many more images do you see in the speech now life! Ask them to focus on the images within the monologue. How versus when they first read it from the page?” can they make them physically come to life? For example, the “How has the speech changed for you?” other classmates can play the character(s) the Speaker is talking to, “What do you hear now that you didn’t at first read?” the character(s) the Speaker describes in the speech; the objects and events mentioned in the speech, the environment . . . the “Did you get other images in your head by acting this one out?” possibilities are endless! “What could come next?”

Before the Speaker begins, set the scene or the playing space. This will get the students in the game before it’s even begun. Invite them into the scene by asking questions! “Who wants to be Hamlet?” or “Who would like to be Hamlet’s father when he was alive?” You can ask to have a his “winds of heaven,” too. “Who wants to be the Nurse on the errand?” “Can we show the Nurse and Romeo meeting?” We leave it up to the imaginations of you and your class.

15 “Living scene” texts

hamlet Romeo and Juliet

Hamlet Juliet O, that this too too solid flesh would melt The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse; Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! In half an hour she promised to return. Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d Perchance she cannot meet him – that’s not so. His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! O, she is lame! Love’s heralds should be thoughts, How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Which ten times faster glide than the sun’s beams, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Driving back shadows over louring hills. Fie on’t! ah fie! ‘tis an unweeded garden, Therefore do nimble-pinion’d doves draw Love, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings. Possess it merely. That it should come to this! Now is the sun upon highmost hill But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: Of this day’s journey, and from nine till twelve So excellent a king; that was, to this, Is three long hours, yet she is not come. Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother Had she affections and warm youthful blood, That he might not beteem the winds of heaven She would be as swift in motion as a ball; Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! My words would bandy her to my sweet love, Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, And his to me. As if increase of appetite had grown But old folks, many feign as they were dead.— By what it fed on: and yet, within a month-- Unweildy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead. Let me not think on’t--Frailty, thy name is woman!-- A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she follow’d my poor father’s body, Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she-- O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn’d longer--married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month: Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.

Adapted with permission from Tennessee Shakespeare Company.

16 Get Shakespeare off the page with an in-school residency!

Our in-school residencies inject vibrant, active exercises into lessons that unlock the text, themes, and actions of a Shakespeare play. You can utilize our classroom-tested models, or work with us to create something new to fit your schedule and your students!

Verse and iambic pentameter • Telling stories through tableaux Scene work and performance • Stage combat • Rehearsal techniques Renaissance world and history • Elizabethan dance and costume Shakespeare’s stories and plot • Teacher professional development Acting essentials: characters, relationships, objectives

Washington State Essential Academic Learning requirements (EALRs) in the Arts can be satisfied in a Seattle Shakespeare Company residency.

Call us at 206-733-8228 ext. 212 to start planning your in-school residency! www.seattleshakespeare.org