How Good are You?: The Tempest

Part 1: Just getting started 

1) Where is the setting of "The Tempest"? (1 mark)
2) Why was Italy a hot spot during Shakespeare's time? (2 marks)
3) Name three places in Italy where Shakespeare set his plays. (1.5 marks)
4) Why is the story called "The Tempest"? (2 marks)
5) Name two main characters in "The Tempest". (1 mark)
6) Who is the protagonist? (1 mark)
7) Who is the antagonist? (1 mark)
8) What were Prospero and Alonso's titles? (1 mark)
9) Who were Miranda, Antonio, Sebastian, and Ferdinand? (2 marks)
10) Who were Gonzalo, Ariel, and Caliban? (1.5 marks)

                                                      Part 2: Getting Harder
1) Why did Prospero shirk his responsibilities of Duke of Milan? (2 marks)
2) How did Antonio betray his brother? (3 marks)
3) What evidence is there to show that Antonio wanted to kill his brother? (2 marks)
4) What did the "kind old man among Alonso's noblemen" do? (2 mark)
5) The narrator said that Prospero "studied strange sciences and books of magic". What is another name for such a person? (1 mark)
6) What calmed the sea with Prospero and Miranda? (2 marks)
7)  How did Prospero find Ariel, the fairy? (2 marks)
8) Why was Ariel imprisoned? (2 marks)
9) Who was Syncorax ? (1 mark)
10) Describe Caliban (3 marks)

                                                     Part 3: Let's see how good you are

1) Identify the exposition and rising action. (4 marks)

2) How long did Miranda and Prospero live on the island? (1 mark)

3) Why had not Miranda seen another person before the "terrible storm"? (2 marks)

4) What happened during the terrible storm? (2 marks)

5) Why wasn't Prospero "greatly anxious" about the terrible storm? (2 marks)

6) Who were on the hired ship? (2 marks)

7) Who was the first person (besides her father) Miranda saw on the island? (1 mark)

8) What plan did Prospero have for Miranda and this man? (3 marks)

9) What did Prospero do to those who betrayed him? (2 marks)

10) Identify the climax and the resolution. (4 marks)
11) What is the theme of “The Tempest”? Why? (3 marks)

Character Sketch: The Tempest

A character sketch is a brief written description of a person's qualities.

Character sketch sample by Corzette J. Simon (Antigua Girls High School)

 Prospero 

Major flaw--Too trusting

Prospero, the Duke of Milan, is the main character in William Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest". Prospero is a good man but he has one major flaw; he is too trusting. Prospero has left his brother, Antonio, in charge of his "political affairs" while he studied "strange sciences and books of magic." He trusted his brother, but did not realise that Antonio was jealous of him. Antonio wanted to be Duke or "wanted the title for himself" so he and Alonso, the King of Naples, "made a wicked plan" to get rid of Prospero. Prospero had no clue what was taking place until he was taken prisoner and taken to the seashore.

This is not the entire sketch but I am looking forward to your critique. Also add your sample so I can critique. Remember to click on comments.

The Tempest: Intro

Now can you summarize the story or tale in your own words? (5 marks)

Why is the tale entitled The Tempest? (2 marks)

Where are The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, and The Taming of the Shrew set? (3 marks)

Why do you believe Shakespeare set several of his plays or stories in Italy? (2 marks)

Symbolism

• In Shakespeare’s As you Like It, ‘stage’ symbolizes the world and ‘players’ symbolize men and women:

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

they have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

What could 'exits' and 'entrances' symbolise? (2 marks)
How 'many parts' can a man play? (2 marks)

Literary Terms/Devices

1. Symbolism/Symbol: the use of one object or action to represent or suggest something else e.g a dove represents peace 

2. Simile: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as e.g. She is pretty like an angel.

3. Metaphor: a word or phrase that is used to compare two unlike objects, ideas, thoughts, or feelings, not using like or as e.g. Her eyes were fireflies.

4. Personification: when you give human qualities to an object or animal e.g. The wind howled in the night.

5. Onomatopoeia: a word that suggests the sound of the thing it describes

6. Alliteration: occurs when words close together have the same first consonant sound. For example, “She sells sea-shells down by the sea-shore.”

The Merchant of Venice & The Taming of the Shrew

Using the Venn diagram, find the similarities and differences between The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew.

Objectives Accomplished

Themes: The Taming of the Shrew

What is a theme? A theme is the underlying message or what the play is all about.

How to write or develop a paragraph about the theme
1. State the topic sentence. Eg. A major theme in the play is marriage.
2. Define the theme. What is marriage?
3. State how many marriages occur in the play.
4. Which marriage does the play focus on? Why?
5. What is the problem with that marriage?
6. How is the problem resolved?
7. How are husbands and wives and marriage presented?

Marriage  

Power/Control

                                         a) What are the characteristics of a bull?

                                         b) Are any characters symbolic of a bull?

     c) Provide evidence from the text to prove your point.

                                         d) Who therefore has the real power in this play?

How is marriage presented like a relationship between a slave and his master?

Who is the slave?

Who is the master?

What is slavery?

Who has the real power?

Provide evidence.

Explain how Baptista has the real power.

Explain how his daughters are presented as powerless.

Always provide evidence from the text.

Develop a paragraph about Power and Control in The Taming of the Shrew.

Can you think of any more themes?

Summary: The Taming the Shrew

Baptista  has two daughters that he wants to find husbands for. His younger daughter, Bianca, is sweet and quiet. There are many men who want to marry her. His older daughter, Katharine, is known for being wild and angry, and Baptista is worried no one will marry her. However, Baptista announces that Bianca cannot get married until Katharina gets married.

Lucentio, a young man from out of town, sees Bianca and falls in love at first sight. Lucentio disguises himself as a Latin teacher so that he can spend time with Bianca. 

Petruchio hears about Katharine and decides that he wants to marry her. He also thinks he will be able to “tame” her wild behavior. When Katharine and Petruchio meet, Katharine does not like Petruchio at all. He acts even meaner and crazier than she does. Katharine is not allowed to eat or sleep and Petruchio confuses her by doing things like pretending that the sun is the moon. Even though Katharine and Petruchio fight a lot at first, they eventually learn to get along.

At a wedding celebration for all the marriages, Katharine surprises everyone by acting differently than she had at the beginning.

                                                                                               By Alison Ruth

Women's Role: The Taming of the Shrew

a) What do you believe is a woman's role in today's society? (2 marks)

b) What was a woman's role during Shakespeare's time? (3 marks)

What scene is this ?

c) What key words in Katharine's speech (above) describe a woman's role? (3 marks)
d) Is Taming of the Shrew a reflection of Shakespeare's era? Why? (2 marks)

                                       

e) What type of scale is shown above? (1 mark)
f) Explain how the picture portray the differences between the sexes. (3 marks)
g) Did equality exist between the sexes? Why? (2 marks)


                 

h) List two ways men and women are unequal in The Taming of the Shrew. (3 marks)
i) If you were married, how would you like your husband or wife to treat you? (2 marks)
j) Use two adjectives to describe Petruchio's treatment of his wife, Katharine. (2 marks)
k) Define:     a) patriarch      b) patriarchal      c) male-dominated      d) sexist  (4 marks)

Plot: The Taming of the Shrew

As mentioned earlier, a plot comprises five (5) segments. Fill in the details for each element of the plot. For example, the exposition includes Baptista's plan.....

                        Remember you have the option  of clicking comment to respond.  

Intro: The Taming of the Shrew

1. Why is the play entitled The Taming of the Shrew? (2 marks)

2. Define taming and shrew. (2 marks)

3. Does the woman below look like a shrew? Why? (2 marks)

Background Check
1. Who wrote The Taming of the Shrew? (1 mark)
2.  How is this play similar to Shakespeare's other comedies? (2 marks)
3. Describe the setting of the play. (2 marks)
4. On which scale (below) would the woman and man be placed? (1 mark)

5. Do you like the way women are presented in the play? Why? (3 marks)

The Merchant of Venice Summary Video

Now that you have read The Merchant of Venice and understand the concept called "plot", identify all the elements of the plot in these videos and then write a summary of the play.

The beginning of the blog starts from the bottom, so read from the bottom first.             

Remember you can comment and ask questions by clicking on comments below.  

Plot

Now, I want you to tell me what part of the plot would describe these videos? Give your reason(s).

Literature Terms: Setting and Plot

Since you will be studying various books and poems as an English B/Literature student, it is important that you understand the following terms:

a) Setting: time, place, prevailing attitudes of the period in which the play occurs

b) Plot: the main events of a play, novel or film; consists of five (5) elements:
             1.Exposition (beginning)               2. Rising Action (events leading to the climax)
             3.Climax (most exciting part)       4. Falling Action (events after the climax)
             5. Resolution (ending)

Since you did some research on the setting, let us delve into the plot.
What part of the plot do these 3 videos represent? Give your reason(s) why.

Merchant of Venice: Background Check

Welcome everyone to Lovers of Literature, including first formers who are just entering secondary schools in the Caribbean! I want all of you to embrace literature. It is one of those subjects that will allow you to think critically and write even better than how you were writing in primary school. We will be looking at the Merchant of Venice, a classic comedy by one of the greatest playwrights that ever lived, William Shakespeare. In order to understand any literary piece, it is important that you always do the following background check, in order to understand the text. So start your research by answering three (3) questions.

Background Check

1. Do a quick research on the author's biography: Who is he? Where is he from? What type of life did he have?
2. Examine the period (setting) in which the author lived. Is the play set, for example, in the 18th century? Did women have the same rights as men? How important was one's status or social position during this time? How did Venetians view or treat Jews? How were Christians perceived? 
3. Identify the  genre or type of literature. Is the Merchant of Venice a play a comedy? Is the Shakespearean comedy different from other comedies?    

                                                                                                                                                          

The beginning of the blog starts from the bottom, so read from the bottom first.             

Remember you can comment and ask questions by clicking on comments below.