STAGE
2
William Shakespeare
Jennifer Bassett
Introduction
This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only
and should not be given to students.
The story
An old man called Toby is telling the story. He lives
very quietly in Stratford-upon-Avon now, remembering
the past and his friendship with ‘the greatest man in
England’ – William Shakespeare. He first met William,
or Will, as he calls him, when they were both boys,
and Will persuaded Toby to help him steal a farmer’s
Background to the story
apples. That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
For most of Shakespeare’s life, Queen Elizabeth I
Will lived in Stratford with his father, sister, and
ruled England (1558–1603). This was a wonderful
brothers, and Toby was surprised to discover that
time for writers and poets, as the Queen was an
he went to school every day. Will loved reading, and
intelligent woman who loved the theatre and who
wanted to be a writer. The boys made lots of plans to
was happy to encourage great writers. King James I
get away from Stratford, because they wanted more
(1603–1625), who became king when she died, also
excitement and freedom, but nothing came of their
enjoyed watching plays, and employed Shakespeare
ideas. Then in 1582 Will had to marry Anne Hathaway,
and his friends to write and act plays for him. But
a young woman eight years older than him, because
things changed under King Charles I (1625–1649),
she was expecting his baby. For a short time Will was
because the Puritans began to grow more powerful.
happy in Stratford with his young family (twins were
They were people who believed strongly in God and in
born in 1585), but soon he decided that he wanted
simple rules, and they were against drinking, dancing
to be an actor and to write plays. The only place
or going to the theatre. The king and parliament could
where he could do that was London, so Toby and Will
not agree, and in 1649, the year when this story is
moved there, and joined a company of actors. Will
being told, King Charles was beheaded by the English
worked very hard, acting, writing, and learning all the
Parliament.
time. His plays were performed in many theatres,
Stratford-upon-Avon is a small market town in
and soon the whole of London knew the name of
central England, where William Shakespeare was born
William Shakespeare. He had many friends all over
and buried. Young artists and writers usually prefer to
the country, both men and women. He wrote beautiful
live in a big city like London, where there are more
poems, but he was most famous for his plays, which
people to meet, ideas to discuss, and opportunities
were extremely popular. The Queen herself loved
for work.
them, and always asked to see his latest one. Will had
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is the most
some sadness in his personal life, however. He was
famous English dramatist and poet. He wrote a large
not very happy with his wife, and his only son died at
number of poems, but he is best known for his plays,
the age of eleven. But he became very rich, and was
including Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice,
always busy with his writing. He and some others
Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth,
had a new theatre built, called the Globe, and many
Antony and Cleopatra, and The Tempest. He used
of his best plays were performed there. He died of
such rich and poetic language that critics are still
a fever in 1616, and was buried in Stratford, but Toby
finding hidden meanings in his work, and his plays
thinks that people will never forget his old friend Will
are frequently performed and discussed in schools,
Shakespeare.
universities and theatres around the world.
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STAGE
2
William Shakespeare
Pre-reading activity
Match the words with the pictures
1
7
4
2
8
a The river Thames froze right up to
Westminster.
b When Will left school, he worked for
his father in Henley Street.
c ‘The theatre’s on fire!’
d All kinds of people . . . Will
Shakespeare could please them all.
e It was a good party at the Mermaid,
I heard.
f In September we opened the Globe
theatre.
g We were riding back to Stratford
and stopped for the night in Oxford.
h We used this door when a ghost
came on in a cloud of smoke.
5
3
6
To the teacher
2
Aim: To familiarize students with the setting
Have you discovered any more about him and his
Time: 15 minutes
life from the information above? Tell your partner
Organization: Give one copy of the worksheet to
or the class when he lived, where he lived, and
each student or to each pair of students. When they
how he lived.
have matched the pictures and the captions, ask the
Key: 1d, 2b, 3f, 4h, 5a, 6g, 7c, 8e
following questions:
1
What do you already know about William
Shakespeare?
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STAGE
2
William Shakespeare
While reading activity
Spot the mistakes
Correct the mistakes.
Toby first met Will Shakespeare in November 1579, just outside Cambridge. Will was a boy of 16,
with brown hair. He lived with his mother and the rest of the family in Henley Street, and went
to work in a shop every weekday. Toby lived with his parents and worked for his father, making
gloves. Will and Toby became friends for a short time, and Toby taught Will a lot about music. The
girls wanted to run away to sea and drive round England, like Donald Duck, but their plans did
not come to anything. Will was already writing short stories, and Toby thought that they were very
bad. Will had a lot to learn about dancing, and a lot to learn about horses too. One night in 1583
he told Toby that Mary Hathaway was going to have his baby. She was 26, and he was only 28. He
had to marry her, and now it seemed that he had a good chance of getting away from the busy town
of Stratford. Soon Will and his wife had four children, and at first he was happy. But when Will
was 25, Toby noticed a change in his brother. Will was very unhappy, and decided that he must stay
in Stratford. In the winter, companies of actors often came to act out their plays, and Will hated
talking to the actors and listening to all their boring photos of London. In the beginning, he decided
to move to Paris, and told his wife that he wanted to be a doctor, and write detective stories. She
was very pleased, but Will did not speak to her. He and Toby both found work with a theatre
company, and Toby became a good actor.
To the teacher
Where: At the end of Chapter 4, page 15
uncle; father: uncle; gloves: shoes; short time: life;
Aim: To help with summarizing and revision of
Toby taught Will: Will taught Toby; music: books; girls:
reading
boys; drive: sail; Donald Duck: Francis Drake; short
Time: 15 minutes
stories: poems; bad: good; about dancing: about
Organization: Give each student or pair of students a
writing; horses: women; night: day; 1583: 1582; Mary
copy of the summary, and ask them to write in their
Hathaway: Anne Hathaway; 28:18; a good chance:
corrections. This activity includes a summary of the
no chance; busy: quiet; four children: three children;
first four chapters of the book. There are a number
25: 23; his brother: his friend; stay: leave; winter:
of factual mistakes in the summary. Correct the
summer; hated: loved; boring: exciting; photos:
answers together or ask students to check in their
stories; in the beginning: in the end; Paris: London;
books.
doctor: actor; detective stories: plays; pleased: angry;
Key: November 1579: October 1579; Cambridge:
speak: listen; Toby became a good actor: Will became
Stratford; 16:15; brown: red hair; mother: father;
a good actor
work in a shop: went to school; parents: sister and
PHOTOCOPIABLE
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166
STAGE
2
William Shakespeare
After reading activity
Who’s who?
1 Elizabeth
#
8 A man with red
hair
15 Will’s daughter
22 Didn’t like singing
or dancing
9 A young woman
who married a
doctor
16 The best actor of
his time
23 Always drinking
and arguing
10 An old man now,
with no teeth or
hair
17 A clever writer
24 Liked having
good-looking men
around her
11 A man who
was eight years
younger than Will
18 Queen of England
25 Acted the part of
King Lear
12 A man with a
wonderful voice
19 Will’s wife
26 Sometimes still
visits Toby
13 A very serious
woman who often
went to church
20 The most famous
English writer
27 Sits in his chair,
remembering
14 A very, very clever
old woman
21 Will’s lifelong
friend
28 Worked hard all
his life for his
family
........................................
2 Will Shakespeare
........................................
3 Toby
........................................
4 Anne Hathaway
........................................
5 Ben Jonson
........................................
6 Susanna
........................................
7 Richard Burbage
........................................
To the teacher
Aim: To focus attention back on the characters
match up the names and the information. See how
Time: 20 minutes
much they can do without referring back to the book.
Organization: Give each student or group of
Key: 1: 14, 18, 24; 2: 8, 20, 28; 3: 10, 21, 27;
students a copy of the chart below. Ask them to
4: 13, 19, 22; 5: 11, 17, 23; 6: 9, 15, 26;
7: 12, 16, 25
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