ABSTRACT:
Plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are world-famous, and most people know some lines from Shakespeare like Hamlet's "To be or not to be".
Now you can find out more about the life and times of the most popular playwright ever, and why people still feel the power of his writing today.
ABSTRACT:
Adapted by Janet Cameron
Human interest
Hermia and Lysander are in love, but Hermia's father wants Demetrius to marry his daughter, so Hermia and Lysander decide to run away to get married. But in the wood some fairies perform some magic and some strange things start to happen...
Dossiers:
Fairies, Acting and Theatres in Shakespeare's Time
ABSTRACT:
Retold by Victoria Heward
Human interest
Prospero, Duke of Milan, lives on a lonely island with his daughter Miranda, Caliban (a monster) and Ariel (a magic spirit). He learns to do magic and he wants to punish his bad brother, Antonio. He creates a magic storm – a tempest. All the people with Antonio on the ship land on Prospero’s island. Many strange things happen to them, but in the end they all come together again. Caliban and Ariel are free. Prospero and his brother are friends again.
Dossiers:
Famous shipwrecks
Magic and magicians
ABSTRACT:
Retold by Victoria Heward
Adventure
"Hail, Macbeth, who will be king one day."
On a cold Scottish heath, three witches make a prophecy. Inspired by their words and encouraged by his evil wife, Macbeth begins his trail of destruction to gain and keep the Scottish throne.
Dossiers:
Scotland
Some Scottish History
Shakespeare
ABSTRACT:
Retold by Victoria Heward
Activities by Victoria Heward and Robert Hill
Love
Nobody can remember why the Capulet family and the Montague family hate each other but the feud is longstanding and brutal. When Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague meet and fall in love the result is tragic, and peace between the two families is only possible after much bloodshed and death.
Classic themes such as violence, prejudice, teenage love and parental problems are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago, and help make Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet a favourite with young students. In this script adaptation they will have the opportunity not only to read the story but also to act and to live the emotions for themselves.
This edition of Shakespeare’s classic considers all the stages of a theatrical production from the auditions to the opening night, allowing students the chance to explore the play as it was originally intended: not as a story but as a performance.
Dossiers:
The Renaissance Man
Romeo and Juliet on Film
Saint Francis and the Franciscan Friars
Shakespeare's Theatre
ABSTRACT:
Retold by Derek Sellen
Love
The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other and so when Romeo and Juliet fall in love they are forced into secrecy and subterfuge. Will true love survive? Will the two families make peace?
Dossiers:
In Fair Verona
Setting and Sources
Romeo and Juliet on Film
Great Love Stories
Exit test