Introduction
William Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwrights in history. His plays are sitll read and performed to this day all around the world and studied by high school students everywhere in the country.
However, the world of his plays can be hard to comprehend because the world he lived in was so different from the world we see today. Understanding more of that world will help us to gain a better understanding of the play that we will read as well as the characters in it.
Task
To begin our study of Shakespeare’s "Richard III", you will be researching the life and times of the author online.
You will be provided with the websites and questions that you need to answer form each site.
Feel free to research extra information or better websites.
You will be working with a partner to complete this assignment and you will have today's course lesson and the rest is your homework for the week.
Process
Shakespeare's Life
Click https://www.bardweb.net/bio.html
1. How much do we know about Shakespeare's life? Why?
2. Where was Shakespeare born?
3. What date was he born on?
4. Did Shakespeare ever get married? If so, to whom?
5. Shakespeare established himself as an ____________ and _________________
6. What day did he die? What is unusual about this date?
7. What did he leave his wife in his will?
Religion
Click here http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/religion-elizabethan-england.htm to answer these questions
8. What were the two major religions in Elizabethan England?
9. Who dictated the favored religion?
10. Which Monarchs reigned during this time? When?
11. Which religion did each Monarch believe in?
12. How did each Monarch treat those who did not follow their favored religion?
http://www.musesrealm.net/writings/shakespeareengland.html
13. Why did Queen Elizabeth I ban all performances of religious plays and stories?
Elizabethan Period
Click here http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-period.htm to answer these questions
14. What was the Elizabethan Period?
15. When was this period?
16. What was the most significant invention of this time and why?
17. What did this lead to a renewed interest in?
18. During this period, what were unexplained events blamed on?
19. Why were people of this period superstitious?
http://mason.gmu.edu/~rnanian/humours.html
20. What were the four humors and what were they associated with?
https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/Tillyard01.html
22. What was the Chain of Being and what did it uphold?
Elizabethan Theatre
Click http://www.britainexpress.com/History/elizabethan-theatre.htm to answer these questions.
23. What was the general feeling towards plays during this period in time?
24. What was the name of the first theatre?
25. What was the name of them most famous theatre?
26. What happened to this theatre?
27. Where did people sit or not sit?
28. When did they have performances? Why?
29. How many women performed in these plays?
30. What did the audience do if they didn't like the performance?
Shakespeare's Influence
Click here http://www.musesrealm.net/writings/shakespeareengland.html to answer these questions
31. What does Shakespeare's work provide reference for?
32. What were Shakespeare's histories a tribute to?
33. What was Shakespeare attempting to do with these tributes?
Click http://www.shakespeare-online.com/faq/influencefaq.html to answer these questions.
34. How many words did Shakespeare invent?
35. Give an example of a word or phrase we have gotten from Shakespeare.
36. Name one poet who was influenced by Shakespeare.
BONUS
Shakespearean Insults
Click on the link and create 4 of your own Shakespearean insults and write them below using the following formula:
“Thou” + Column 1 +Column 2+ Column 3 “!”
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html
1.
2.
3.
4.
Now, find out write what each insult means.
Evaluation
Finish these sentences for yourself:
Today I learned _____
I have got questions about _____
I would like to learn more about _____
Conclusion
Hopefully, this webquest will help you to understand "Richard III" a bit better :)