Introduction
William Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwrites in British Literature. His tragedies and comedies have transcended time and are read by people all over the world. This includes high school students who analyze and disect the plays in classrooms across America.
However, Shakespeare lived in a time that is quite different from ours. It is important to understand the Renaissance and the role it played in the development of Shakespeare's plays.
Task
Today you will spend time researching the life and times of William Shakespeare. You will be provided with the appropriate sources and questions that must be answered using these sources. You will have two to three class periods to complete this lesson. Please be aware of time, as anything that is not completed in school must be completed at home.
Keep in mind as you read how different Shakespeare's time was from our own.
Process
The Discovery Element
Shakespeare's Life Click http://www.bardweb.net/man.html to answer these questions.
1. How much do we know about Shakespeare's life? Why?
2. Where was Shakespeare born?
3. What date was he born on?
4. Who were Shakespeare's parents? What was his father's occupation?
5. Did Shakespeare ever get married? If so, to whom and when?
6. How many children did William and Anne have?
7. Shakespeare established himself as an ____________ and _________________ .
8. When and where did Shakespeare retire?
9. What day did he die? What is unusual about this date?
10. What did he leave his wife in his will?
11. What was Shakespeare's legacy?
Religion : http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/religion-elizabethan-england.htm to answer these questions
12. What were the two major religions in Elizabethan England?
13. Who dictated the favoured religion?
14. Which Monarchs reigned during this time? When?
15. Which religion did each Monarch believe in?
16. How did each Monarch treat those who did not follow their favoured religion?
17. What is the difference in the Catholics and the Protestants?
18. Why did Queen Elizabeth I ban all performances of religious plays and stories? http://www.musesrealm.net/writings/shakespeareengland.html