William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama

William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama chronicles the life of the Elizabethan playwright, detailing the major themes in Shakespeare’s plays and mapping the development of his career in the London theater. This BIOGRAPHY stresses the relationship between the writers’ personal life and his work. It features dramatic readings of several sonnets and monologues from some of his most famous plays, including Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and The Tempest. This program is appropriate for high school students. It will be useful for classes on English literature, theater arts, or European history.

• Elizabethan
• Globe Theater
• Stratford
• derive
• epitaph
• monologue
• plague
• smallpox
• sonnet

1. Compare Shakespeare’s education to elementary school education today. Which books was he required to read? How did Shakespeare’s education influence his work?

2. Why are Shakespeare’s plays still popular today? Why do actors consider a role in a play by William Shakespeare to be the highlight of their career?

3. What was it like to go to the theater in Shakespeare’s London? Describe the sets, costumes, actors and audience. Why was the language so important to his plays?

4. Which political or social events occurring in late sixteenth century England might have influenced Shakespeare’s choice of subjects for his plays? How was his work received? In what ways did the social and cultural environment of the day shape the public response to his work?

5. How did Shakespeare’s work change over the course of his career? To what events do you attribute these changes?

6. Describe a typical day in the life of William Shakespeare during the years he spent in London writing and acting on the stage. How was Shakespeare’s daily routine different from that of a late twentieth century playwright?

7. The documentary suggests that little is known of Shakespeare’s life, particularly his childhood and early adulthood. What kinds of evidence do scholars use to learn about the life of a sixteenth century writer? Why is so little known about William Shakespeare’s personal life? Do his plays and poems offer significant insights into his personal life?

8. What is a sonnet? How does it differ from other forms of poetry? Why did Shakespeare choose to write in the sonnet form?

1. Choose one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and then write an essay in which you analyze the poem. What is he saying in this sonnet? What are the most compelling metaphors and images? What can you infer about the speaker, or writer, of the poem? To whom is the writer speaking?

2. Read one of Shakespeare’s plays, then choose a scene that is particularly dramatic or interesting. With a group of friends, choose roles and read the scene out loud. Then discuss the scene. What is happening in the scene? What motivates each character? How does this scene relate to the rest of the play? Would the outcome of the play be different if this scene was eliminated?

3. Consider Shakespeare’s life story and the ways he conveyed his feelings about his life through his work. Write a poem or short play in which you attempt to convey a significant experience in your life.

4. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, plays were advertised through handbills, sheets of paper handed out to passers-by that promoted the play. Design a handbill for one of Shakespeare’s plays. Remember to include the basic information any theater goer needs to attend the play, as well as information that would make the individual want to see the play.

Related Videos

Air Dates

• November 03, 2004