The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Introduction We are about to begin reading The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. Written in 1611, it is an exciting play in which love, magic, the supernatural, comedy, treachery, betrayal and forgiveness are all woven together. Today, you and your group members will be researching some of the background information about the play. There is much to learn about the author, the type of theatres it would have been performed in, and the context, setting and history behind the play.

The Quest The class will be divided into groups. Each group will be responsible for researching one topic. Each of the topics has subtopics that break up the research you will need to do. The topics include: – Shakespeare’s life and times – Shakespeare’s theatre – The play itself, including what inspired it, what it is about, and its performance history After the group has completed its research, the members will create a presentation to inform their peers about their findings.

The Process Each group member should assign themselves a subtopic to research. When all of the group members are finished their research, the group will discuss what they have found. You will then need to put together your key findings in your presentation.

Guidelines for your presentation Use Google Slides Limit the amount of text on each slide Use the “click to add notes” to note down the points you will make with each slide (these notes will form part of the final assessment)

Topic 1: Shakespeare’s life and times Subtopics What was Shakespeare’s early life like until he left home? What do we know about his life in London? What do we know about his marriage and family life in Stratford? What do we know about life in London during Shakespeare’s time?

Topic 1: Shakespeare’s life and times sheets sheets &list=PLErbWrdLn0UsWMroOS6QqNJpVVO3ocQqd &list=PLErbWrdLn0UsWMroOS6QqNJpVVO3ocQqd Mr Ivett’s Pick Up Box

Topic 2: Shakespeare’s theatre Subtopics What do we know about The Globe itself and Shakespeare’s role in operating it? What do we know about Shakespeare’s acting company? What do we know about the actors, audiences and how plays were performed during this time?

Topic 2: Shakespeare’s theatre sheets sheets ares-theatres/shakespeare-globe-facts/ ares-theatres/shakespeare-globe-facts/ be.swf be.swf Mr Ivett’s Pick-Up Box

Topic 3: The Tempest – the play and its origins Subtopics: Who are the key characters and where is it set? What happens in the play and what are some of the major themes and ideas? When was the play first performed and what may have inspired Shakespeare to write it? What issues relevant to Shakespeare’s time does the play refer to?

Topic 3: The Tempest – the play and its origins tempest-background/ tempest-background/ tempest tempest performed performed tempest.htm tempest.htm wreck.cfm wreck.cfm island-in-the-tempest/ island-in-the-tempest/ Mr Ivett’s Pick-Up Box

Sharing your presentation Once you have completed your presentation, you will then be mixed up into different groups, so that you can share the material from your presentation, and teach the new group what you have learned.