3.3: Shakespeare Plays
Choose ONE of the following Shakespeare plays to study today. You will watch an animated version (approx. 25 minutes). While these are shorter and summarized, they do use parts of the original Shakespeare script and may be hard to understand if you don't read the synopsis first!
You are welcome to watch both, but you'll only need to WRITE about one of them. Here are some things to think about while you watch:
- What parts of the plot/story tell you this is a comedy or tragedy?
- Which famous Shakespeare quotes or phrases do you recognize?
- Who was your favorite character? Why?
- What lessons might Shakespeare have been trying to teach his audience?
- Was there something confusing to you about this play? What made it hard to understand?
Choice #1: Twelfth Night (Shakespearean Comedy)
Viola thinks her brother is dead. He thinks that she is dead. Everyone thinks that she is her brother. Everyone thinks that her brother is her. Shenanigans ensue.
Viola, separated from her twin brother Sebastian, dresses as a boy named "Cesario" and gets a job working for the Duke Orsino, whom she starts to fall in love with.
Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia, and sends "Cesario" to convince her to marry him, but Olivia falls for Cesario instead. Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and fall in love with Olivia! Viola then reveals she is a girl and Orsino realizes they were meant to be all along!
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Choice #2: Romeo & Juliet (Shakespearean Tragedy)
The classic story of boy meets girl; girl's family hates boy's family; boy's family hates girl's family; boy kills girl's cousin; boy and girl kill themselves.
An age-old feud between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A group of Montagues crash the Capulet family party. A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s choice - Paris. With the help of Juliet’s nursemaid, the women arrange for the couple to marry in secret the next day, but Romeo’s attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of Juliet’s own cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo is banished. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with Romeo, Juliet fakes her own death. The message about the fake fails to reach Romeo, and believing she is actually dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes to find Romeo beside her and kills herself. The grieving family agree to end their feud.
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