A-Level – Shakespeare

	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.