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A-Level – Shakespeare

Directors in Conversation Directors and actors in conversation on video

  • Videos of directors and actors in conversation about Shakespeare in the theatre.
  • Very useful for A-level students.
  • for AS and A2 studentsgreat for whiteboardsincludes sound
    Shakespeare's Comedy Dr Priyamvada Gopal takes a post-colonial perspective on Shakespeare’s plays.

  • Particularly useful for students studying one of the following plays: Othello, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and Antony and Cleopatra.
  • This article may also be useful for classes studying the “Poems from other Cultures and Traditions” syllabus.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion – argument and scepticism should be encouraged!
  • Printed copies of the article can be cut up and re-ordered to work on essay planning skills.
  • The article could also be given to students without an opening and a closing paragraph, and students asked to write their own.
  • for AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing out
    Shakespeare's Comedy Dr Raphael Lyne questions the nature of Shakespeare’s comedy.

  • Useful for students studying any of Shakespeare’s comedies, but particularly ‘As You Like It’.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion – argument and scepticism should be encouraged!
  • The article can be used as a model of how a writer justifies their position
  • Student can also seek to use the opinions in the essay to justify their own ideas in discussion.
  • Printed copies of the article can be cut up and re-ordered to work on essay planning skills.
  • The article could also be given to students without an opening and a closing paragraph, and students asked to write their own.
  • For more suggestions on using this resource in the classroom, please see our teacher’s handbook.
  • for AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing out
    Taming the Tamer Marco Ghelardi talks about directing ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.

  • A theatre director discussed his production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion.
  • Student can also seek to use the opinions in the essay to justify their own ideas in discussion.
  • For more suggestions on using this resource in the classroom, please see our teacher’s handbook.
  • for AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing out
    Shakespeare's Education How did Shakespeare’s education shape his plays? Dr Colin Burrow reveals all…

  • An article suitable for a range of ages discussing Shakespeare’s education, and how it may have influenced his plays.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion.
  • Student can also seek to use the opinions in the essay to justify their own ideas in discussion.
  • Printed copies of the article can be cut up and re-ordered to work on essay planning skills.
  • The article could also be given to students without an opening and a closing paragraph, and students asked to write their own.
  • For more suggestions on using this resource in the classroom, please see our teacher’s handbook.
  • for KS3 studentsfor KS4 studentsfor AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing out
    Shakespeare in Production Dr Jean Chothia considers how productions of Shakespeare have changed over 400 years.

  • An article looking at how productions of Shakespeare have changed from the Globe theatre to today.
  • This would be particularly useful for encouraging students to think about their set plays in performance.
  • There are some links to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s archive of production photos.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion.
  • For more suggestions on using this resource in the classroom, please see our teacher’s handbook.
  • for AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing out
    Shakespeare and Love / Shakespeare in Love Dr Caroline Gonda looks at fictional interpretations of love and Shakespeare’s theatre.

  • An short article looking at the ways in which Shakespeare has been portrayed in the film ‘Shakespeare in Love’, and in
    Oscar Wilde’s story, ‘The Portrait of Mr W.H.’.
  • This would be particularly useful for encouraging students to think about issues of gender and sexuality across a range of
    Shakespeare’s plays.
  • Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion.
  • Student can also seek to use the opinions in the essay to justify their own ideas in discussion.
  • Printed copies of the article can be cut up and re-ordered to work on essay planning skills.
  • The article could also be given to students without an opening and a closing paragraph, and students asked to write their own.
  • For more suggestions on using this resource in the classroom, please see our teacher’s handbook.
  • for AS and A2 studentssuitable for printing outgreat for whiteboards