Lesson Plan
The Story of Layla and Majnun.
A Pashto Story
Objectives:
Speak & Listen:
2.1d. Engage an audience using a range of techniques to explore, enrich and explain
their ideas.
2.1j. Use different dramatic approaches to explore ideas, texts and issues.
2.1k. Different dramatic techniques to convey action, character, atmosphere or
tension.
Reading:
2.2b. Infer and deduce meanings recognising the writer’s intentions.
Starter: Before reading
Annotate the isolated words / feelings from the start of the short story considering
what are your expectations of the story? Using the skill of inference, what
associations do you have with these phrases/ words?
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Majnun was just a boy when he fell deeply in love
Passionate displays of love
Many referred to the boy as Madman
Layla was promised to another
Majnun lived a life of solitude
Driven to madness by a broken heart
Whole class: Feedback ideas considering:
 What the tone of the story will be?
 What major themes do you anticipate?
 Which other books or films have you seen that have similar associations?
 Can you predict any outcomes based on these?
Whole class: Read to the line, “Overcome with regret and loss, Majnun retreated
inside himself entirely and vowed to live in the desert until his own death”
In Pairs: Consider the roles of Layla and Majnun. Imagine you are going to direct two
actors and explain to them how to convey these roles. At this point in the story what
emotions have Layla and Majnun experienced? Below are the incidents written on a
card for each character. You should use your reading skills of inference and
prediction as well as a varied vocabulary to record the emotions of the character and
how they should speak/ behave.
Layla:
 Majnun writes beautiful poetry about me and publicly recites it.
Direction: e.g. You should act flattered and enticed possibly concerned for the
public nature of his declaration. This affirms his love for you so you show how
secure you feel in that - there is no doubt.
 My father refuses the Majnun’s request for my hand in marriage.
Direction:
 I am promised to an older man from a neighbouring village
Direction:
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Even though I do not love my husband I am a loyal daughter and therefore a
faithful wife.
Direction:
 For years I do not see Majnun.
Direction:
 When Majnun’s parents die, I beg another to pass on the word to him.
Direction:
Majnun:
 The first time that I laid eyes upon Layla
Direction:
 Reading beautiful love poems out loud on street corners
Direction:
 The rejection of my request to marry Layla
Direction:
 Disappearing to the wilderness
Direction:
 The news of Layla’s marriage
Direction:
 Driven to madness by a broken heart
Direction:
 The news of the death of my parents
Direction:
Whole class: Choose two confident pupils who would be willing to take the ideas
from their cards and talk, in the first person as if they are the character, about their
emotions, at these points.
Ensure the following points are considered:
 Separation
 Alienation
 Grief
 Oppression
Whole class: Read to the end of the story. Then consider the following quotations
before forming a discussion line down the room (instructions below):
“Tradition demanded that Layla remain in her home alone to grieve for her dead
husband for two years”
“Such a marriage, Layla’s father reasoned, would only cause a scandal. It would
not be proper for his daughter to marry someone that everyone called a
madman”
“Instead Layla was promised to another- an older man from a neighbouring
village”
Can any good come from these traditions? Are they rooted in a desire to protect?
Does the story suggest that Layla is protected? What might the benefits be of an
arranged marriage?
“Tradition is responsible for the tragedy in the story”
How far do you agree with this statement? You must be able to justify your view.
Form a line down the room.
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Front of the line= strongly agree
Back of the line= strongly disagree
Middle= undecided (but you must be able to reason and justify why).
Forum theatre – theatre of the oppressed
Definition: Oppressed
“To be kept down by a severe or unjust authority”
You will need to use your ideas from the role of tradition in the tragedy discussion
and your direction notes for the following exercise.
Objective of task: Now we are going to do a theatre exercise which allows us to
empower the oppressed characters and give them a voice to show their emotions
and reveal the objectives of their actions.
How does forum theatre work?
 Class sit in a circle on the floor.
 The, “stage” takes place within the circle.
You are given a situation to act out as it exists- so the reality of the oppression is
acted out by a few members of the class.
Then the second time that the piece is acted out two aspects change:
1. The oppressed person voices their views and
2. If the pupils are running out of arguments/ the action is becoming repetitive/ you
have something valuable to add, someone else from the circle can shout, “freeze”
enter and tap the, “actor” on the shoulder and take on that role from that point of
the action. The pupil who has been tapped then joins the audience in the circle.
The Scenario/Forum cards are below.
Practice warm up card: Here is a situation that has nothing to do with the story so
that you get used to how the structure of the task works before having to draw on
evidence from the story.
Characters: Accused pupil
Pupil in need of pen
teacher.
Situation: during a year 7 test. Another pupil asks you for a pen. As you reply, the
teacher sees you communicating and thinks you’re cheating.
Round One: Act out this situation, allowing the teacher to oppress you.
Forum: Replay the action but this time try to explain to the teacher what actually
happened. Remember anyone can shout freeze and tap in.
The following cards relate to the story:
Characters: Majnun
Layla’s father.
Situation: Majnun asks Layla’s father if he can marry her.
Round one: act out as it occurs in the story using the evidence you have been given.
Majnun is refused.
Forum: replay the action. This time Majnun must question the father’s reasoning and
show the strength of his emotion.
Characters: Majnun
People of the town.
Situation: Majnun is reciting his poetry in the town square.
Round One: The locals show their feelings that he is a madman and move him along.
They should aim to alienate him.
Forum: Replay the action. This time Majnun should explain his feelings and how they
are rooted in love not madness. He should not be moved on at the end but continue
to recite his poetry.
Characters: Majnun
Majnun’s mother
Majnun’s father
Situation: Majnun has left to be alone in the wilderness and his parents miss him.
They are oppressed by the loss of their son.
Round one: Majnun departs for the wilderness and his parents let him go. We should
mostly hear his reasoning.
Forum: Majnun’s parents talk to Majnun explaining how his actions cause them pain.
Characters: Layla
Layla’s father.
Situation: Layla’s husband has died and, because of tradition, she is expected to
grieve his loss for two years in solitude.
Round One: Layla asks her father if she can leave to find Majnun. Layla’s father uses
tradition to oppress her. She does not argue but you should still show her sadness
and bitter disappointment.
Forum: Layla refuses to die from a broken heart and voices her feelings to her father
before setting out to find Majnun.