Year 8, Shakespeare Study, week 5, J-K 3 & 4.
Task A
Choose one of the themes from the play you are studying and explain what you think
William Shakespeare wants his audience to think about this theme. Support your
comments with references to the text (examples from the play).
Task: Choose one of the themes below from your play. Use the sentence starters
below to help you structure your answer.
Twelfth Night themes:





Love
Marriage
Family
Disaster
Comedy
Much Ado About Nothing themes:





Love
Marriage
Family
Lies
Jealousy
Sample answer:
William Shakespeare, in his play, Twelfth Night, wants the audience to think that
marriage should be something that we all want. The characters Orsino and Viola show
their love for one and other throughout the play. However, Viola is disguised as a man
to protect herself at the beginning. The audience knows that she is pretending to be a
man and during these funny moments we still know that they are ultimately going to
get married at the end of the play.
William Shakespeare, in his play, Much Ado About Nothing, wants the audience to
think that lying can have serious consequences. The lies that Don Jon spreads about
Hero result in her being banished to a nunnery until her innocence can be proved.
Once Claudio realises his mistake he is desperate to make it up to Hero’s family.
Shakespeare rewards Claudio for doing the right thing and punishes Don Jon for
lying.
William Shakespeare, in his play, _________________________________________
wants the audience to think ____________________________________ about the
theme of ______________. The characters _______________and ________________
show this when ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________. This proves that Shakespeare
wants the audience to believe that you should/shouldn’t ________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
What else can you add to this? Can you think of other characters that prove how
important this theme is to Shakespeare? Are there any characters that prove the
opposite?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
Task B
Find and write down three quotations from anywhere in the play which refer to the
theme you have chosen.
Look for quotes from the characters you have written about in your answer for Task
A. Try to include the act and scene number from where you found the quote.
Sample quote: Lies
1.) Much Ado About Nothing, Borachio: “I should first tell thee how the Prince,
Claudio, and my master, planted and placed and possessed by my master Don
John, saw afar off in the orchard this amiable encounter.” Act 3, scene 3
Sample quote: Disaster
2.) Twelfth Night, Olivia: “I love thee so, that, maugre (despite) all thy pride,
Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide.” Act 3, scene 1
Play: ________________________________________
Theme: _________________
Quote 1.) __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Quote 2.) __________________________________________________________
Quote 3.) __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________