Each year the Shakespeare course chooses a different play. We read this scene by scene together, each time playing a different character. We talk about the language of the play as well as the meaning, themes and characters. Everyone is asked to sum up each scene in one word, and to choose some lines they like. Afterwards the notes are emailed to everyone. Below is an example from when we read Romeo and Juliet.
Act 2 scene v
- Word soup
- Impatience
- Messages
- Dilly-dallying
- Romantic longing
- Anticipation
Lines we liked:
Lines 31-32: Juliet
How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breath - To say to me that thou art out of breath?
These lines also made me smile: what Juliet says is quite witty.
Lines 23-24: Here Juliet is very impatient to hear the news from Nurse, and teasingly chastises her for being grumpy (even if it is pretense):
If good, thou sham´st the music of sweet news
By playing it to me with so sour a face.
Lines 4-9 (a beautiful expression of the impatience Juliet has to receive some news)
Love’s heralds should be thoughts
Which ten times faster glides than the sun’s beams
Driving back shadows over louring hills.
Next time ACT 3 i, ii and iii
- Read Act 3 scenes i, ii and iii
- Sum up each scene in ONE word.
- Choose a line/lines from each scene that are either important or beautiful. Please type your lines in Word (with the line number) and add a comment.
- Prepare to read the following characters out loud. Look at the Think about questions on the left page as you read.