William shakespeare & macbeth webquestTASK: In order to complement our study of “Macbeth”, we will be exploring the life and times
of William Shakespeare, as well as looking into the historical background of the play. DIRECTIONS: Go through the various topics, reading carefully the information contained in the web links. Answer the questions as you go along. Access links through: 1. MissKMullerWeebly.com 2. ENG 11/12 RESOURCES tab 3. Macbeth |
Bio of William Shakespeare:
Click through the links on the left hand side of the page (“Why is Shakespeare famous?” & “Plays in Shakespeare’s time) and fill in the following blanks to complete the facts. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/william_shakespeare/)
1. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in ____________________________.
2. He was born in the year __________________________.
3. The _____________ ___________________ was open to the sky. A flag was raised to show a play was about to begin. Plays began at 2 in the afternoon.
4. Shakespeare’s plays: ______________________ are stories with happy endings. ______________________ are stories with sad endings. ____________________ are stories about real people.
5. Click through the “Fun Facts” section of the website (right hand side) and write down which one you think is the most interesting.
This link provides a timeline of important events, facts, a gallery of pictures, a video, and a list of games. Scroll through the sections on the website and answer the following questions. (http://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/william-shakespeare)
6. What is a sonnet? How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?
7. How many plays did Shakespeare write?
8. What year did Shakespeare die?
9. What was the purpose of the Globe Theatre hanging flags? What did the different colors represent?
10. True or false: Actors in the plays were both men and women.
1. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in ____________________________.
2. He was born in the year __________________________.
3. The _____________ ___________________ was open to the sky. A flag was raised to show a play was about to begin. Plays began at 2 in the afternoon.
4. Shakespeare’s plays: ______________________ are stories with happy endings. ______________________ are stories with sad endings. ____________________ are stories about real people.
5. Click through the “Fun Facts” section of the website (right hand side) and write down which one you think is the most interesting.
This link provides a timeline of important events, facts, a gallery of pictures, a video, and a list of games. Scroll through the sections on the website and answer the following questions. (http://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/william-shakespeare)
6. What is a sonnet? How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?
7. How many plays did Shakespeare write?
8. What year did Shakespeare die?
9. What was the purpose of the Globe Theatre hanging flags? What did the different colors represent?
10. True or false: Actors in the plays were both men and women.
The popularity of macbeth
Read the passage below and answer the following questions.
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's best known plays. There are all sorts of reasons for this but perhaps the main one is that the basic story still strikes a chord with modern audiences. It is a bloodthirsty tale of ambition, and the evils we will go to in order to get what we want. We follow the central character, Macbeth, as he plots and kills in order to become king. And as soon as he is crowned, we watch as his world falls apart around him.
The play is considered very unlucky - actors shouldn't even say the word 'Macbeth' if they aren't on the stage performing it. So that's why people talk about 'The Scottish play', or 'The Comedy of Glamis', or even just 'The Play'. In fact, anything but Macbeth (luckily it's okay to write it). One reason for keeping quiet is that some people thought Shakespeare didn't just include witches as characters in his play, he actually wrote real magic spells in some of the lines. Because of this, the play was cursed - legend has it that an actor died on the opening night, and lots of others have died since.
Macbeth has been filmed a number of times and adapted for stage in all sorts of ways. For instance, there have been versions with over a hundred witches on the stage, versions set in Nazi Germany, versions with Zulu warriors and even a rock opera.
11. Refer back to the first paragraph to provide a 1-2 sentence summary of Macbeth.
12. Why is the play considered to be unlucky?
13. What is an alternative title used to avoid saying “Macbeth”?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's best known plays. There are all sorts of reasons for this but perhaps the main one is that the basic story still strikes a chord with modern audiences. It is a bloodthirsty tale of ambition, and the evils we will go to in order to get what we want. We follow the central character, Macbeth, as he plots and kills in order to become king. And as soon as he is crowned, we watch as his world falls apart around him.
The play is considered very unlucky - actors shouldn't even say the word 'Macbeth' if they aren't on the stage performing it. So that's why people talk about 'The Scottish play', or 'The Comedy of Glamis', or even just 'The Play'. In fact, anything but Macbeth (luckily it's okay to write it). One reason for keeping quiet is that some people thought Shakespeare didn't just include witches as characters in his play, he actually wrote real magic spells in some of the lines. Because of this, the play was cursed - legend has it that an actor died on the opening night, and lots of others have died since.
Macbeth has been filmed a number of times and adapted for stage in all sorts of ways. For instance, there have been versions with over a hundred witches on the stage, versions set in Nazi Germany, versions with Zulu warriors and even a rock opera.
11. Refer back to the first paragraph to provide a 1-2 sentence summary of Macbeth.
12. Why is the play considered to be unlucky?
13. What is an alternative title used to avoid saying “Macbeth”?
Macbeth trailer |
Shakespeare Overview |
Shakespeare Rap |
|
|
|