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Shakespeare's life and time

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  • SAY IT: de-DUM. Which kind of rhythm is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one?
    An iamb.
  • BREAK THE RHYTHM: What might an irregular line reveal? Name one possibility.
    Strong emotion, social status, an important word, a pause or something significant in the scene.
  • SHAKESPEARE IN 5 SECONDS: Where and when was he born?
    Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.
  • NUMBER CHALLENGE: How many Shakespearean sonnets were published together in 1609?
    154 sonnets.
  • NEW IDEAS! Name the invention that gave many more people access to information.
    The printing press.
  • HOW DID HE GET AWAY WITH IT? How could Shakespeare explore dangerous political ideas?
    He used stories from history or distant places and approached politics indirectly.
  • TRUE OR FALSE? Elizabethan England was peaceful and tolerant at all times.
    False. It had stability and cultural growth, but also religious conflict, plots, persecution and plague.
  • FINAL DUEL: Should Shakespeare still be taught at school? Give one clear argument in 20 seconds.
    Open answer. Points are awarded for a clear reason plus a brief explanation or example.
  • SONNET PUZZLE: Complete the structure: 3 quatrains + ...?
    A final rhyming couplet: 14 lines in total; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
  • MORE THAN WITCHES: Name two political or human issues explored in Macbeth.
    Any two: ambition, tyranny, corruption, complicity, betrayal, guilt or moral collapse.
  • THE CROWD! Name two things Elizabethan audiences did during performances.
    For example: cheered, booed, shouted, reacted emotionally or spoke to the actors.
  • CHAIN REACTION: What could happen if the Chain of Being was disturbed?
    Chaos and disorder in nature and society.
  • FACT OR MYSTERY? Do we know Shakespeare's life story in reliable detail?
    No. There are major gaps, uncertain stories and later legends about his life.
  • WHO AM I? I paid little, stood in the open yard and watched the stage up close.
    A groundling.
  • NO ACTRESSES! Who usually played female roles on the Elizabethan stage?
    Boys or young male actors.
  • POLITICS IN DISGUISE: Why could Shakespeare not openly attack a living monarch?
    Strict censorship: criticising or representing a current ruler could lead to punishment, prison, death.
  • SPEAK IT, DON'T JUST READ IT! Why can performing Shakespeare help students understand him?
    Speaking and acting make the language, emotions, motives and characters come alive.
  • WHY OUTSIDE? Why were many public theatres built outside London's city walls?
    To escape city control and opposition, especially from the authorities and the Church.
  • PASS THE LINE! What can a line shared by two speakers show or create?
    Agreement, disagreement or interruption; it also speeds up the pace.
  • de-DUMS: How many iambs are normally found in one line of iambic pentameter?
    Five iambs (normally ten syllables).
  • PRO OR CON? Sort them: (A) universal themes; (B) difficult, archaic language.
    A = an argument FOR teaching Shakespeare; B = an argument AGAINST or a challenge.
  • BOTH AT ONCE: Which two ways of understanding the world existed side by side?
    New empirical/scientific thinking and belief in the supernatural, such as ghosts and witchcraft.
  • STAGE MAGIC: With almost no scenery, how did audiences know where a scene took place?
    The actors' words and the audience's imagination created the setting.
  • WHO CAME NEXT? Who succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603?
    James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England.
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