Name:_____________________
Shakespeare Booklet
‘To learn or not t learn, that is the question’
Year 9 English
Miss Adams
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/
http://www.kellimarshall.net/shakespeare/locating/
Looking at this miniature example of ‘The Globe theatre’, label the likely
seating for each type of audience member listed below.
- Groundlings or Stinkards
-Courtiers
-Cutpurses (thieves who literally cut the purse from a play-goers waist)
-Murderers
-Prostitutes
-Apprentice tailors
-Gallants (very fashionable courtiers who sat on the two sides of the outer stage)
-Wealthy Merchants
http://salempress.com/store/samples/great_events_from_history_seventeenth/great_events_from_history_seventeenth_globe_theater.htm
Label the following statements about The Globe true () or false ()
a) The poorer patrons would get wet if it rained, while the wealthy
stayed dry. ______
b) The balconies are closer to God; therefore the courtiers were
wealthier and more powerful that the groundlings. _______
c) Patrons were more likely to be robbed if they were watching the
play in the pit. _______
d) Fights and Brawls broke out amongst the Courtiers. ______s
e) Groundlings took fruit and vegetables to throw at the actors if
they were not satisfied with the play or the actor’s performance.
________
Shakespeare and his fellow Elizabethans knew exactly what their
priorities were. Everyone had their place in life and his or her duty
to fulfil. One did not question those in power, such as parents,
church or royalty. One did exactly what he or she was supposed to
do within their duty or they were severely punished. This was how
order was kept and how the Shakespeare’s world was run.
Have a look at this table of what would most likely have been
Shakespeare’s priorities and then on the following table can you
list what your priorities are from the most important to the least.
Shakespeare
You
God
Kings &
queens
Nobility/clergy
Gentry
Commoners (adults)
Children/teenagers
Law breakers (thieves, murderers & blasphemy)
Now compare the two. How different are they? Do they have any similarities? Where do you
think you would be on the Shakespeare table?
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In Shakespearean time you could apply to obtain a family coat of arms. It
was an expensive process but it was an honour because it meant that a
person had gained membership in gentry’s class. In 1596 Shakespeare
applied for a coat of arms for his father who had previously been denied
one because of financial trouble and was eventually accepted. Quite
often a coat of arms was a reflection of the family themselves and
Shakespeare’s coat was no exception.
Here is a picture of what Shakespeare’s coat of arms looked like can you see any relevance to the
Shakespeare name? If so draw a line to it explaining the relevance.
You now have the opportunity to create your own coat of arms. You need to think about the
things that represent you as a person. Do you have a favourite sport? If so you may want to
include a football, basketball, netball or roller-skates. Do you love dancing? Or you could do as
Shakespeare did and create something that plays on you name. For example my last name is
Adams so I might choose to have an Adam’s apple as part of my coat of arms.
1. You need to pick a shape for your coat of arms (experiment a little, try not to just have a
square)
2. Think about what you will put on there to represent you
3. Think about what colours you want to use
4. Grab a piece of paper and get creating!!
How to understand what on earth Shakespeare
was on about!
Shakespeare language is difficult to understand because:
-it’s 400 years old (give or take a few years)
-it is written for an audience for whom it is not unusual
-it is mostly verse (poetry)
Shakespeare uses some words repeatedly throughout his plays and sonnets.
Understanding what these words mean gives you a better chance of understanding his
work. Here is a table of some of his frequent words and their definitions in English. Some
have been done for you but it is up to you to complete the rest of the table. (Trust me, it is
for your own benefit you complete this before we start on Shakespeare’s plays)
Shakespeare’s
words
alas
Modern
English
Oh no!
Shakespeare’s
words
hark
Anon
Soon
hath
Art
Modern
English
hence
From here
attend
Go along with
wherefore
why
aught
should
E’er
ever
Ay/aye
avaunt
kinsman
Go away/leave
behold
mark
Family member
Notice
morrow
betimes
Early; in time
‘tis
borne
Carried
durst
art
did
thee
charged
Burdened with
thence
To there
countenance
face
thither
There
cousin
thou
You (are)
doth
thy
ere
Before
whence
exeunt
To exit
wilt
Fare thee well
Goodbye and good
luck
For shame
ye
you
Sirrah
Sir (forcibly)
lo
To draw attention
to...
fie
hail
From where
Using the table you have completed write modernized versions of
the following Shakespeare lines.
1. Why ever wast thou lovely in my eyes (Much Ado About nothing)
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2. This above all: to thine own self to be true (Hamlet)
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3. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? (Romeo and Juliet)
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4. He hath eaten me out of house and home (King Henry IV)
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5. Soft, what light through yonder window breaks? (Romeo and Juliet)
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6. And if thou canst awake by 4 o’ the clock, I prithee, call me. (Cymbeline
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Now can you do the same thing but the other way round (i.e.
Modern to Shakespearean?)
1. Can I come with you?
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2. What did you say?
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3. OMG! What was that?
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4. ‘Catcha’ later bro...
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5. Where on earth did you come from?
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“Quoting Shakespeare”
Highlight the phrases you have heard in one colour and highlight the
phrases you have used in another!
If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are
quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are
quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you
act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost
property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever
refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast
and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle,
if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept
not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master),
laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good
thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may,
the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have
it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if
you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the
game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie
low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on
edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the
truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting
Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was
dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a
stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut!
For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are
quoting Shakespeare
Shakespeare and his insults (just to name a few)
Shakespearean Insult Sheet
Task: You now have your one and only chance to insult me, so choose wisely. Combine one word or
phrase from each of the columns below and add “Thou” to the beginning. Make certain thou
knowest the meaning of thy strong words, and thou shalt have the perfect insult to fling at the
wretched fools of Miss Adams. Hint: Check a Shakespearian Dictionary Website for the definitions.
Mix and match to find that perfect insult! Once you have your insult you will have the chance to read
it out to me. Can’t wait. 
Column A
bawdy
brazen
churlish
distempered
fitful
gnarling
greasy
grizzled
haughty
hideous
Column B
bunch-backed
clay-brained
dog-hearted
empty-hearted
evil-eyed
eye-offending
fat-kidneyed
heavy-headed
horn-mad
ill-breeding
Column C
canker-blossom
clotpole
crutch
cutpurse
dogfish
egg-shell
gull-catcher
hedge-pig
hempseed
jack-a-nape
jaded
knavish
lewd
peevish
pernicious
prating
purpled
queasy
rank
reeky
roynish
saucy
sottish
unmuzzled
vacant
waggish
wanton
wenching
whoreson
yeasty
ill-composed
ill-nurtured
iron-witted
lean-witted
lily-livered
mad-bread
motley-minded
muddy-mettled
onion-eyed
pale-hearted
paper-faced
pinch-spotted
raw-boned
rug-headed
rump-fed
shag-eared
shrill-gorged
sour-faced
weak-hinged
white-livered
malkin
malignancy
malt-worm
manikin
minimus
miscreant
moldwarp
nut-hook
pantaloon
rabbit-sucker
rampallion
remnant
rudesby
ruffian
scantling
scullion
snipe
waterfly
whipster
younker
Insult:
Thou ____________________ ____________________
__________________
Definition:
You ____________________ ____________________
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Shakespeare’s plays
1. What type of audience did Shakespeare’s plays appeal to? Explain you answer.
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2. Shakespeare was known to write plays in three main genres’ Tragedy’s, Comedies and
histories. Can you give a brief explanation of what each entailed. And provide two
examples of a play in that genre.
Tragedy
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Example:_____________________________________________________________
Comedy
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Example_______________________________________________________________
History
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Example_______________________________________________________________
Taming of the shrew
Why has Lucentio come to Padua? What advice does his servant Tranio give him?
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Why is Baptista allowing no suitors to woo his youngest daughter Bianca?
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What is the description of Katherine when she is discussed by Hortensio and Grumio?
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Why has Petruchio come to Padau?
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What type of plan does Grumio and Hortensio plot?
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Petruchio reveals his initial plans to woo Kate before she enters—summarise how he
intends to counteract her shrewish nature?
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Does Katherine agree to marry Petruchio willingly?
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What happens between Lucentio and Tranio?
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How do the crowd react to Katherine on her wedding day? How do you think she feels
(watch her reactions)?
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How does the audience react to Petruchio’s appearance in approaching the wedding?
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When Baptista pleads for Petruchio to change his clothes, what reason does he give for
refusing?
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What does Petruchio announce after the wedding?
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When Kate and Petruchio arrive, what complaints does Petruchio make against the servants
and supper?
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How does Kate respond?
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Does Katherine appear to be acting like a shrew to the servants?
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What does the fake Lucentio (Tranio) intend to do with the unknown man?
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What happened with clothing that is presented to Katherine? What does Petruchio do?
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What does the fact that Katherine wants to wear fashionable clothing say about her true
personality?
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How does Petruchio test Kate as they prepare once again to travel to Padua? How does she
respond? Discuss with significance to the discussion about time.
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Who is Vincentio?
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What do the real Lucentio and Bianca do?
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What does this disobedience to her father say about Bianca’s personality?
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What is all the confusion about with Vincentio, Baptista and Tranio?
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What bet do the husbands make about their wives?
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Who wins the bet, and why?
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Summarise what Kate says to Bianca and the Widow?
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Modern adaptations
“kiss me kate”
Who are the actors in the film portraying from the play?
Lily: ________________
Fred: _______________
Bill: ________________
Lois: ____________
How is the story set in this version?
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How is the Lois who auditions for the role of Bianca introduced? Does she seem to
contrast the original Bianca in the play?
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How do the two women act with each other? Do they get along or do they bicker like
sisters? Discuss their dynamic as you watch them.
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What is significant about Fred’s refusal to let Lilly have any food? Refer back to the
play that we watched.
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Lilly then says to her maid ‘if he wants me to go hungry, I’ll go hungry’. Discuss
when this may have happened in the play.
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In the play, Shakespeare uses disguises in the form of Lucentio and Tranio swapping
places and the strange man pretending to be Lucentio’s father. What is significant
about Bill signing in Fred’s name in Kiss Me Kate?
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What was the confusion with the flowers that Lilly received? How does this
confusion escalate when the play is going?
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Do you find it easier to understand the story in the play now you have watched the
original film? Or do you find it easier to understand with the narration of Fred at the
beginning?
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What is the song that Petrucio sings at the beginning of the play about?
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In Shakespeare’s play, Petruchio forced Katherine to do things she didn’t want to.
Does Fred do this?
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For Fred and Lilly write on one side the similarities you noticed in the film between them
and their original Shakespeare character and then on the other side write the differences
Similarities
Differences
“Ten things I hate about you”
Who are the characters from the movie supposed to be in the play?
Petruchio: ________________
Katherine: ________________
Bianca: ___________________
Lucentio: ________________
Baptista: _________________
Where is the modern adaptation set?
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What is Mr Stratford worried about if he allows his youngest daughter to date?
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What does the scene that takes place on the school quad between when Kat leaves her car
and when she enters the building? What does this tell you about Kat and what the other
students’ think of her?
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Patrick was in the scheme for money, is this similar to Petruchio?
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Why won’t anyone date Kat? What is a non-conformist?
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What does the title of the film refer to? How is it significant to the ending of the play?
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Aspects of the film that relate to Shakespeare
KAT....
... Creates her own poem based on
one of Shakespeare’s sonnets to
let Patrick know how she feels
...Kat’s general demeanour at the
beginning of the film is what could
be deemed in modern sense as
shrewish
.. .Their last name, Stratford, is a
reference to Shakespeare's
birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon
MANDELLA...
...Says that she more than admires
Shakespeare-she is ‘involved’ with
him
CAMERON...
...First sees Bianca and says ‘I pine,
I burn, I perish’ stealing the words
of Lucentio in The Taming of the
Shrew
PATRICK...
MICHAEL...
...Takes advantage of Mandella’s passion for
Shakespeare. He woos Mandella by quoting from
Shakespeare, buying her an Elizabethan-style dress to
wear to the prom and turning up in period dress
himself.
...Tells Partick to ‘assail your senses’ when he
complains about the music as club Skunk. These words
are a variation on a line from Hamlet, another of
Shakespeare’s plays.
The High School...
... The name of the high school, Padua, is
the same as the name of the town that is
the setting for the play. The location that
was chosen for filming provided a visual
reference to the architecture of
Shakespeare's time in the castle-like
design of the high school
...Patrick agrees to woo Kat for
money; this is similar to the taming
of the shrew as it is only with the
promise of 25,000 that Petruchio
wants to marry Katherine.
... Patrick's surname, Verona, is
the name of the town from
which Petruchio was from.
Can you list from 1-10 the most vital
aspects of The Taming of the Shrew
the have been used for the modern
adaptation. 10 being the most
important 1 being the least (Just
write the heading and the number
dot point)
1.________________________
2.________________________
3. ________________________
4. ________________________
5. ________________________
6. ________________________
7. ________________________
8. ________________________
9. ________________________
10. _______________________
Kat/Katherine and their monologues
Kat’s Poem: I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair.
I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare.
I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme.
I hate it, I hate the way you’re always right.
I hate it when you lie.
I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry.
I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call.
But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you.
Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
Near the end, she begins to cry near and runs out of the classroom after she finishes. She
writes this after finding out that Patrick had only been going out on dates with her because
he was getting paid by high school rich guy Joey Donner (the modern Hortensio), because
Joey wanted to date her younger sister Bianca. In her monologue, she gives in to Patrick,
says she’s not mad at him, and accepts his dishonesty.
Task: Can you in the box below or on your computer write your own modernized version
of Katherine’s final speech. You may choose to use you language decipher that you complete
earlier or you may choose to go through line for line and work out what she is saying. (If
you choose to do this on the computer please print it out and stick it in the box below.)
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for
thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in
cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and
safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedienceToo little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is forward, peevish, sullen,
sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
Katherine does not give this speech crying, but in a defeated and sincere tone. She doesn’t
run out of the room crying at the end. This speech shows Katherine, once a shrew, fully
submitting to her husband, Petruchio. He has tamed her sharp tongue. Shakespeare’s
Katherine gives in to the demands of her time. She must marry and serve her husband to
have a role in society. If she remained a shrew, a label given to her by others, she wouldn’t
have a place in society. In the end, being servant to a man is better than nothing at all.