Shakespeare Timeline
As you take on the task of exploring Shakespeare’s plays, there are some decisions that your
group must make including how you will read, summarize, and analyze the Acts, how you will
check for understanding, and how members of your group will be graded. A schedule has been
provided for you below with assignment due dates. It will be up to your groups to regulate your
time. You may turn in any portion of the work early; however, late work will not be accepted.
Suggested Tasks:




Elect a leader. This person will be in charge of delegating tasks, ensuring that everyone is
participating, and regulating time and due dates.
Delegate roles. Find out what each person in your group is best at and determine which
role each member should play.
Decide how you best learn. Do you want to read and discuss the play in class and work
outside or vice versa.
Utilize the group grading sheet and grade each other accurately. Each week, members of
the groups will be graded by each other ranked out of 10.
Groups:
OthelloMacbethTaming of the ShrewDue Dates:
Act 1: Summary and Analysis March 7
Act 1 should be divided by scene and summarized and analyzed. Each character should be fully
described and analyzed. Answer: why did Shakespeare create these characters? What purpose
does he have for their existence in the play? What predictions can you make from the play’s
exposition? Describe the setting. Include any background information that a reader would need
to know before reading your play (THIS MEANS YOU HAVE TO DO SOME RESEARCH).
Summarize and ANALYZE each scene. If you are struggling, think about the questions we asked
during The Canterbury Tales (how and why?)
Act 2: Connection and Conflict March 14
Create a summary scene by scene for Act 2. In each scene label and explain the type of conflict:
Internal (man v self) or External (man v man, man v society, man v nature…). In addition,
connect each scene to the life of Shakespeare. What aspects of his own life did he include in
these scenes? (YOU WILL HAVE TO RESEARCH SHAKESPEARE TO DO SO). Lastly,
1
utilize your vocabulary definitions and examples to find examples within Shakespeare’s text.
You should find one example of each vocabulary term. Label, quote, and cite the example from
the text and fully translate the example as well.
Act 3: Translation March 20
Summarize the climax of the play.
Consider changing times from Elizabethan England to 2013. Choose at least five times periods
throughout history. Discuss how the changing times would change the text. How would setting,
characters, events, and style change based on the time period. How would events in history
change or add to the events that occur in Act III. How would the climax differ?
After this, fully analyze the decisions of each character. How are their actions a form of
reciprocal cause and effect? What tragic flaws does each character have? What positives do the
characters have that they may see in each other but not in themselves?
Meet with other Groups: March 21
Act 4: Foils and Shakespeare’s Questions March 27
Summarize each scene in this Act. Then create a list of character foils. Why does Shakespeare
create these opposites? Does his purpose differ per foil?
Answer Shakespeare’s questions based on these scenes. What is the difference between good and
evil? Analyze each character. Who is evil; who is good? Why do people do the things they do?
Act 5: Drama April 10, 11, 12
Your group will combine with the other group of five reading your play and will put on rendition
of Act 5 of the play. First, you should prepare a summary of the events that have transpired thus
far in Acts 1-4 to deliver to the class. You should then choose a theme from pop culture to turn
Shakespeare’s play into. You should translate the entire scene into language based on the genre
you choose. Remember the more creative you are the better. Your group should be fully dressed
in costumes that represent the characters they are playing. Create a script, assign parts, and
PRACTICE. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! Though your lines do not have to be fully
memorized, you will not be allowed to use a script on stage. You can utilize notes on the back of
prompts or note cards to assist you. Any long pause or missed line will greatly hurt your group’s
grade. Your drama should include sound effects and all prompts needed to showcase the scene
effectively. This Act will be performed for the class and is worth 30% of your Shakespeare
grade.
Meet with other groups: April 15
2
Things to consider:
They deserve a 1:





Group member was present at least one day.
They did not complete their assigned task.
They did not add to discussion, and they talked about other things when the group was
attempting to work.
They were off task during class and then did not have assigned work completed.
They did not add to my learning in any way because they did not complete assigned work.
They deserve a 3 or 4:





Group member was present at least three days.
Group member completed their summaries and analysis.
Group member seemed on task, although they did not add to the discussion.
Group member struggled to get things done on time and needed assistance from other
members.
Group member did not keep up with reading but was able to complete it by the due date of the
Act.
They deserve a 7 or 8:





Group member was present every day.
Group member contributed to my learning.
Group member wrote original summaries.
Group member was on time with scheduled reading and assignments.
Group member often participated in learning.
They deserve a 10:





Group member went above and beyond to help me grasp the play.
Group member wrote original analysis pieces.
Group member had assignments done ahead of scheduled due dates.
Group member was encouraging towards other members.
Group member actively participated every day in the study of the play.
3
How to read Shakespeare
I ate the sandwich.
I the sandwich ate.
Ate the sandwich I.
Ate I the sandwich.
The sandwich I ate.
The sandwich ate I.
When you are reading Shakespeare's plays, look for this type of unusual word
arrangement. Locate the subject, verb, and the object of the sentence. Notice that the
object of the sentence is often placed at the beginning (the sandwich) in front of the
verb (ate) and subject (I). Rearrange the words in the order that makes the most sense
to you (I ate the sandwich). This will be one of your first steps in making sense of
Shakespeare's language.
Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole
words. These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak
today. We say:
"Been to class yet?"
"No. Heard Ulen's givin' a test."
"Wha'sup wi'that?"
We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech. If we were speaking in
complete sentences, we would say:
"Have you been to class yet?"
"No, I have not been to class. I heard that Mrs. Ulen is giving a test today."
"What is up with that?"
A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions follow:
'tis ~ it is
ope ~ open
o'er ~ over
gi' ~ give
ne'er ~ never
i' ~ in
e'er ~ ever
oft ~ often
a' ~ he
e'en ~ even
Post-It the page. When you start reading Shakespeare’s plays, consider what the essay
question could be. Think about the how and why questions in the scene. In this way,
you will be able to anticipate important quotations throughout the text.
Read through enjambments. Shakespeare writes his sentences in a series of lines.
Read to the next punctuation. Reading simply to the end of a line will not allow you to
consider the full meaning of the text.
Read out loud. Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be watched or spoken. It is easier to
understand his plays in context rather than pulling out one quote at a time.
4
Translate the following quotes:
Macbeth:
"Fair is foul and foul is fair."
Macbeth--Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10
"There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face."
--Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 10-11: King Duncan to Malcolm
"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly. If th'assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch,
With his surcease, success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and end-all-here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come."
--Act 1, Scene 7, Lines 1-7: Macbeth to himself
Othello
“We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow’d.” Act 1 Scene 1
“You are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you.” Act 1 Scene 1
“When my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In complement extern, tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.” —Iago, 1.1.60-4
“Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her!
For I’ll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid, so tender, fair, and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunned
The wealthy curled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, t’incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight.”
—Brabantio, 1.2.62-71
5
The Taming of the Shrew:
“There’s small choice in rotten apples.” Act 1 Scene 1
“Thus it stands:
Her elder sister is so curst and shrewd
That till the father rid his hands of her,
Master, your love must live a maid at home,
And therefore has he closely mewed her up,
Because she will not be annoyed with suitors.” Act 1 Scene 1
“Why came I hither but to that intent?
Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?
Have I not in my time heard lions road?
Have I not heard the sea, puffed up with winds,
Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat?
Have I not heard great ordnance in the field
And heaven’s artillery thunder in the skies?
Have I not in a pitched batter heard
Loud larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets’ clang?
And do you tell me of a woman’s tongue,
That gives not half so great a blow to hear
As will a chestnut in a farmer’s fire?
Tush, tush! Fear boys with bugs. “ Act 1 Scene 2
6
Name: __________________________________________________________
William Shakespeare Web Quest:
You are about to embark upon a web quest to discover new and
exciting information about William Shakespeare and his plays
Utilizing the sheet provided, record your findings.
Shakespeare in Pop Culture…
1. After viewing the clips, explain how Shakespeare still exists in modern
society? Why do you think this is so? (Please don’t answer because he is
the best writer ever… THINK).
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
William Shakespeare’s Bibliography:
1. When and where was Shakespeare born?
2. Who were his parents and what did they do for a living?
3. Document Shakespeare’s family.
4. What are the “lost years?”
5. When did Shakespeare die?
Schooling:
1. What kind of schooling did Shakespeare receive?
2. How old was he when he started school?
3. How long were the school days?
4. How many days a week did he attend school?
5. What subjects did he study?
7
Shakespeare asks two questions in every play:
Answer these two questions from your point of view:
1. What is the difference between good and evil?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why do people do the things they do?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The Globe:
1. What is the name of Shakespeare’s acting troupe?
2. Describe the stage.
3. What are groundlings?
4. How were plays announced?
5. Why were theaters closed in 1603?
The Globe Trivia:
1. Which three trivia facts do you find most interesting about the Globe
Theater?
a.
b.
c.
2. What were the different color flags that Shakespeare used to represent
history, comedy, and tragedy?
a. History:
b. Comedy:
c. Tragedy:
8
Terms to Know:
Create an example for each term/definition. Be sure you fully understand each
definition:
1. Juxtaposition: putting two unlike things together for comparison
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. Aside: a soliloquy in which there are people on stage that can't hear what
the character is saying (one or more can)
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3. Soliloquy: character thinks or is alone and is talking about his feelings
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
4. Simile: the comparison of two things using like or as
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
5. Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event, place, or to a work of art
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
6. Double Entendre: a pun or piece of wordplay in which one of the meanings
is word play
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
9
7. Pun: the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or
more meanings
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
8. Motif: recurrent thematic element in a literary work.
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
9. Paradox: a phrase that seems contradictory but when observed reveals
some truth
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
10.
Tragic Flaw : a character flaw that causes the downfall of the
protagonist in a tragedy
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
11.
Monologue: a long speech spoken by a character in the presence of
others
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
12.
Dramatic Irony : the audience knows something that the character
does not
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
10
13.
Verbal Irony : what is said is the opposite of what is expected
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
14.
Imagery : appeals to the senses
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
15.
Symbolism : a person, place, or thing that represents something else
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
16.
Foreshadowing : to suggest that something, often something
unpleasant, is going to happen
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
17.
Hyperbole : obvious and intentional exaggeration
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
18.
Personification : assigning human characteristics to things, animals,
or ideas
Example:
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
11
Approaching a literary analysis:






Hook the reader in the first sentence, just as you would in any other essay. What is
something interesting about the work that you can tell the reader in the first line? The
piece of interesting information must also be relevant to the topic and to the literary
element being discussed.
Assume that the reader has read and is familiar with the work of literature that you are
writing about. Keeping this in mind will stop you from including too much plot
summary in the introduction and the rest of the essay.
Make clear what it is you are analyzing in the essay. Explain a bit about this aspect in the
introduction so that the reader is clear about what is being analyzed.
Do not start analyzing the work. Acquaint the reader to what will be analyzed, but save
the actual analyzing for the body.
State the thesis in the last sentence of the introduction.
Use transitions throughout the introduction. Because there are so many things that have
to be included, the introduction can end up a clump of sentences stuck together. Make
sure that it makes sense on its own as a paragraph.
Example Othello:
William Shakespeare wrote many plays during the Elizabethan Age, creating multidimensional characters who teach valuable lessons to the readers of his works. His tension
filled literature often revolves around the decisions made by his male characters. However,
while most of Shakespeare’s protagonists are men, he distinguishes his male characters
through their female counterparts. Each female is described by her virtue or lack of virtue. The
idea of virtue is emphasized in Shakespeare’s play Othello through Desdemona and her purity
and Emilia and her maturity. The women in Othello, specifically Desdemona and Emilia, while
converse characters, function as the demise of the men in their lives.
Example Macbeth:
William Shakespeare said, “The fault is often made worse by the excuse.” It
is because people attempt to make flaws positives that they are unable to
correct them. However, Shakespeare’s use of tragic flaw to not only destroy
his protagonists but also to elevate them in the eyes of the reader is how he
creates his multi-dimensional characters. Macbeth, one such character,
resembles a devil and a weak lamb simultaneously. Through his contrasting
characteristics, the audience is unable to decisively declare him a villain or
victim. Shakespeare’s use of a protagonist as his own antagonist in Macbeth
12
allows the audience to question their own flaws and rather than excuse the
fault, remove that which antagonizes once and for all.
Example Taming of the Shrew:
The persona that one chooses to reveal to society creates one’s reputation but does not
embody an individual overall. In the comedic play The Taming of the Shrew, William
Shakespeare effectively tames Katherina through his transformation of her from shrew to
woman. However, his “taming” is only public in that she creates the persona of a
submissive wife and lady-like individual. Katherina’s flamboyant and ostentatious
behavior in early scenes is quickly forgotten as she transforms. Thus, Shakespeare’s
question is revealed: which is more important, reputation or self? If one’s reputation is
honorable, does it matter that she has other intentions beneath the revealed outer layer?
Shakespeare creates a controversial dynamic in his female protagonist as her public
persona and private desires clash and yet do not inhibit each other.
13
Which Play Should I Read???
Words that describe Macbeth:
Witches, Ambition, Greed, King, War, Trickery, Death, Crazy, Blood, Murder
*Write down any additional notes that you think of as we watch the clip.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Words that describe Othello:
Race, Love/Lust, Lies, Women, Death, Deceit, Power, Religion, Family, Rank
*Write down any additional notes that you think of as we watch the clip.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Worlds that describe The Taming of the Shrew:
Love/Lust, Fathers, Property, Sisters, Relationships, Reputation, Pride, Marriage, Humor, Sex
*Write down any additional notes that you think of as we watch the clip.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
14
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Othello:
Act 1
1.
How does Shakespeare present the world of Venice in the first act, and how does he
construct the interactions of his central characters (Iago, Othello, and Desdemona) with
that Venetian world and with each other. How are these interactions complicated by the
fact that Othello is a Moor (and we'll have to puzzle out what exactly that means) and that
Desdemona is a young women (and so we'll want to remember what we learned about the
relation of young women to their fathers in The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer
Night's Dream)?
2.
What sort of person is Iago, as he appears in act 1? Are you satisfied by the reasons he
gives for hating Othello? What is Iago's relationship with Roderigo?
3.
What sort of language does Iago use? What sort of language does Othello use? What
might be the significance of this difference?
Act 2
1.
What sort of person is Cassio? What happens to him, and how does Iago plan to use the
situation in his plan against Othello?
2.
What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in act 2? What is the effect of having him
share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language
used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it
contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?
Act 3
1.
At the beginning of 3.3 Othello is completely in love with Desdemona. By the end of that
scene, 480 lines later, Othello is ready to murder her for having an affair with Cassio. How
have we gone from the first position to the second position so quickly? How does Iago
plant the idea of Desdemona's infidelity in Othello's mind, and how does he make it grow?
15
2.
What sort of person is Emilia, and what seems to be the nature of her relationship with her
husband Iago? How does Desdemona's handkerchief come into play within that
relationship between Emilia and Iago?
The Taming of the Shrew:
Act 1
1.
How does such role-playing address issues of gender and class? What effects might these
representations have on the play?
2.
From the outset, we learn from Bianca's suitors that Katherine is the less desirable of the
two sisters. Examine and question this claim. How are Bianca and Katherine different?
What makes Katherine rather than Bianca the shrew?
Acts 2 and 3
1.
How does Petruchio "tame" Kate? Consider how he seems to define their roles. How does
his behavior relate to our other shrew texts?
2.
How does Katherine act in the scenes where she says little or nothing? For example, in
Act 2, scene 1, how does Katherine behave when Petruchio reports on his success in
wooing Kate and in their plans for marriage? Because the text provides little explanation,
you must decide how she would act based on your interpretation of her character from
previous scenes.
Macbeth:
Act 1
1. What is the effect of beginning the play with the witches?
2. What is the effect of what the witches tell each other in 1.3.1-27? Are these details important
to the plot of the play? Keep the line in mind; "do" is an important word in this play. How do the
witches prepare for Macbeth's arrival, and what do they say?
16
3. Has Macbeth reported accurately to his wife? How does she respond? How does she describe
Macbeth? Does this match what we have seen of him?
Act 2
1. What is Lady Macbeth's state of mind in her soliloquy (2.2.1-13)? What has she done? What
does she assume Macbeth is now doing?
2. What does the porter pretend to be doing? Notice the emphasis on equivocation in this speech
and in the following dialogue with Macduff. Equivocation was a doctrine espoused by Jesuits
living secretly in England (and in danger of arrest, torture, and death) that allowed them to swear
oaths with double meanings in order to preserve their lives while also maintaining their faith but
that looked to their opponents very much like lying under oath. Equivocation had recently been
much discussed because of the trials surrounding the Gunpowder Plot of November 1605, a
Catholic attempt to blow up Parliament while the members and the King were present. Watch
how the idea of equivocation functions in the play.
Act 3
1. How does Banquo react to Macbeth's being King (3.1.1-10)? What does he suspect has
happened to Duncan?
2. How does Macbeth get the two murderers to agree to kill Banquo? Has he told them the truth
about Banquo and himself? What has brought the murderers to be willing to do a deed like this?
3. During the banquet, what does Macbeth learn from the First Murderer (3.4.11-31)? How does
that affect Macbeth's participation in the banquet?
Compare and Contrast:
1. How are the plays alike thematically?
2. What motifs do the plays share?
3. How are good and evil dramatized by Shakespeare in the three plays?
17
Macbeth:
Act 4
1. What messages does Macbeth get from the witches and their apparitions? Does he feel
safe after the first three apparitions? Should he? How does he feel after the fourth, the
line of kings?
2. What happens to Lady Macduff and her son?
3. What message does Ross bring? How long does it take for him to tell it? How does
Macduff respond? Note lines 214-217: Who "has no children"? We assume he means
Macbeth, but could he mean Malcolm, who is perhaps too hasty in telling him to "Be
comforted"? Notice the mentions of "man;” What does it mean to be a "man" in this
play?
Act 5
1. What has the gentlewoman seen Lady Macbeth do (5.1.1-15)? Why won't she tell the
Doctor what Lady Macbeth said?
2. What does Lady Macbeth reveal in her sleepwalking speeches and actions (5.1.23-58)?
To what does the Doctor relate this in 5.1.61-69? What is he suggesting in lines 66-67?
3. What is Macbeth's attitude at the beginning of the scene (lines 1-4)? What happens in his
encounter with Young Siward?
4. What unwished-for information does Macduff have for Macbeth (lines 1-16)? How does
Macbeth respond? What will happen if he doesn't fight? Why does he fight?
The Taming of the Shrew:
Act 4
1. How is Petruchio’s masculinity represented? Examine his treatment of servants and Kate.
18
2. Many critics mark scene 5 as the turning pointi n the play which indicates Kate’s taming.
What is different about this scene? If she is tamed, what is she submitted to? Is it really
“submission,” or can it be interpreted in other ways?
Act 5
1. Is Kate’s final speech sincere or ironic? Does the context of her words change their
meaning? What are different possible translations?
2. What happens to the power dynamics in this scene- between men and men, women and
women, and men and women?
Othello:
Act 4
1. How does the handkerchief function in act 4? Why is it so important to Othello?
2. How is Othello changing? What is the effect of Othello’s slap/public humiliation of
Desdemona?
3. What is the nature of the relationship between Emilia and Desdemona? How effectively
is Shakespeare portraying this private worth of women?
Act 5
1. How does Othello approach the killing of Desdemona? What does he think he is doing
and why?
2. What is the effect of having Emilia play such an important role after the murder? Why is
she now standing up to Othello and her husband? What is her “reward?”
3. Does Othello justify his killing of Desdemona? What is he doing in his last long speech?
19
Macbeth Foils:
Foil: A character who brings out the opposite in another character
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Macbeth v Banquo
Macbeth v Lady Macbeth
Macbeth v Macduff
Lady Macbeth v Witches
Duncan v Macduff
Othello Foils
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Othello v Iago
Othello v Cassio
Othello v Desdemona
Desdemona v Emilia
Iago v Emilia
Taming of the Shrew Foils
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Katherine v Bianca
Katherine v Petruchio
Lucentio v Petruchio
Hortensio v Lucentio
Baptista v Petruchio
20