1. LO: to consider a Shakespearian audiences’ point if view
OCR GCSE Literature Unit A1661: literary Heritage Linked Texts
Romeo & Juliet
LO: to consider a Shakespearian audiences’ point if view
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Week 1
overview
Shakespeare’s time- putting the play in context

2. Elizabethan England and Shakespeare’s London
Elizabethan England and Shakespeare’s London. STARTER TASK: watch the short clip and then fill in the blanks using the words from the table.
Click on the image to play

3. Shakespeare’sLondon
I prithee gentle kinsfolk, ye must make note of the rotten audience of my time. Look well to the pages that follow...

4. Shakespeare arrived in London in 1588
Shakespeare arrived in London in At that time, places like Euston and Paddington were tiny villages on the outskirts of England’s capital city. London itself covered just one square mile of land!
Now...
Then...

5. Life in London was just like it is in any capital city today – hectic
Life in London was just like it is in any capital city today – hectic! People got around on foot or horseback – they crossed the river by boat as there was only one bridge.

6. London Bridge was more than a convenient crossing in Shakespeare's time. It was a residential street and shopping centre too.

7. The bridge's stone structure supported houses and shops built of timber and brick.
A gate at the south end reminded Shakespeare and his fellow Londoners that Elizabethan justice could be harsh. The heads of executed criminals were displayed here.

8. People in London were used to such violent sights
People in London were used to such violent sights. On a Law Day they might watch as many as 30 public executions.

10. A good executioner could hang, draw and quarter a victim, pulling out the condemned person’s intestines and holding them up to their dying face
Make the note that this people are not only desensitised to death and violence but actively seek and enjoy watching cruel acts taking place. AUDIENCE.

11. Sometimes, the people would choose to visit St
Sometimes, the people would choose to visit St. Mary’s of Bethlehem, or ‘Bedlam’ – the local lunatic asylum.

12. They would then pay a penny for a sharp stick which could be used to poke the ‘lunatics’, provoking these poor people to ‘dance’!

13. Southwark was just beyond the range of London's local law-makers
Southwark was just beyond the range of London's local law-makers. It was the haunt of the Elizabethan pleasure-seekers. Among their destinations were the Hope, Rose, Swan and Globe theatres.
Public alehouses, bawdy houses, and bear-baiting pits also featured here. Establishments like these irritated the authorities in Shakespeare's time, and were the focus for many an unruly crowd.

14. Arranging contests between animals was a common form of recreation
Arranging contests between animals was a common form of recreation. It was thought particularly suitable entertainment for royalty!
A bear or bull was tied to a stake and attacked by one or more dogs.
It was sometimes made more
ferocious by having pepper
blown up its nostrils.
The bear took vicious revenge
on the on-lookers if it
managed to pull free
- as sometimes happened!

15. This picture shows what the Elizabethan theatres were like inside
This picture shows what the Elizabethan theatres were like inside. Only a few members of the audience sat under cover. Most stood up in the open air.

16. So... What types of people was I writing for?
Shakespeare’sLondon
So... What types of people was I writing for?
Verbally question: how did he engage them, what moral messages did he try and communicate, was the audience as vesatile as it is today (gender, age, class, religion)?

17. Shakespeare’sLondon Who do I write for today?
Verbally question: how are we encouraged to engage, do the moral messages change, is Shakespeare still relevant?

18. Why has Shakespeare been changed so dramatically in these films?
Taming of
the Shrew
Henry IV, Part V
Romeo & Juliet
Twelfth Night
Othello
Hamlet
The Tempest
Discuss audience appeal.

19. Complete the table in pairs.
Shakespeare’s audience
Modern audience
How do they view a play
Shakespeare is more versatile for a modern audience as it reaches such a variety of people. Film, written text and the theatre are now available and are catered to appeal to audiences of different religions, ages, races, languages and social groups. We can watch at home alone, in groups and sometimes even have interaction with the characters.
How is the audiences’ interest held?
The actors had to work hard as their performances were crucial. They had to act and project their voices at at all times to ensure the audience (many of them standing) would remain interested for two hours or more!
Complete the table in pairs.
Discuss as a group with weaker sets or ask students to discuss and work in pairs.

20. LO: to consider a Shakespearian audiences’ point if view
OCR GCSE Literature Unit A1661: literary Heritage Linked Texts
Romeo & Juliet
LO: to consider a Shakespearian audiences’ point if view
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Week 1
overview
Shakespeare’s time- putting the play in context