Activity #16

ENJOY

Activity #15

Coming Soon.... Activity #12 & 13

"Coming Soon: Hamlet"

Plot: King Hamlet meets Hamlet on a rampart of Elsinore Castle. Tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his King Claudius.

Claudius tries to discover Hamlets strange behavior by sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Hamlet sets up a play to prove Claudius guilt. Tries to kill Claudius afterwards, but accidentally kills Polonius.

Hamlet was sentence to England, but returned after a pirate attack.

Claudius sets up a fencing duel between Laertes and Hamlet, but poisons Laertes sword. Poisoned a drink to kill him after the first fight.

Hamlets win first fight, but didn’t take the drink. Gertrude take the drink, and dies. Laertes reveals the death of Gertrude and kills himself with his sword.

Hamlet kills Claudius with the poison sword and force him to drink the rest of the poison, then dies after accomplishing his revenge

Key Words:

• Ear Poison
• Shakespeare
• Ghost
• Skull
• Drowning
• Rosencrantz
• Guildenstern
• Sword Battle
• Revenge
• Play in play
• To be or not to be
  

Theme:
- Revenge
- Jealousy
- Greed
- Truth and Lies
- Love
- Death
- Inevitability
- Class Issue


Character:

Hamlet - Son of king Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, nephew of present king, Claudius.

Claudius – Uncle of Hamlet, King of Denmark, married Gertrude (Brother’s wife)

Gertrude – Hamlet’s mother, Claudius wife, and Queen of Denmark.

The Ghost – “Old Hamlet”, comes in the form of Hamlet’s father.

Polonius – The father of Laertes and Ophelia. Chief counselor of Claudius.

Laertes – Polonius son.

Ophelia – Polonius daughter.

Horatio – Friend of Hamlet’s from the university of Wittenberg.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – Childhood friends and school mates of Hamlet.

Fortinbras – Son of Fortinbras senior, nephew of old King Norway.

Quotes

1. " To be or not to be"
2. " The plays the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King"
3. " There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
4. " Doubt thou the stars are fire;Doubt that the sun doth move;Doubt truth to be a liar;But never doubt I love."
5. " No matter with less art"
6. " Let me be cruel not unnatural; I will speak daggers of her, but use none."

References:

Simpsons Hamlet, "Lion King", "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"

Activity #11 Othello act5 sc.2

OTHELLO.
It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,--
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!--
It is the cause.--Yet I'll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.

[Takes off his sword.]

Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me:--but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd thy rose,
I cannot give it vital growth again,
It must needs wither:--I'll smell it on the tree.--

(Translation) Othello.
She is the cause of my pain. Then I can't hurt her. I don't want to ruin her beautiful skin, as smooth as snow.
(takes off his sword)
Then I must kill her, before she goes off to other guys. I must dispose of her. Take her life away. But I will probably regret it but once I take her life away, peace and nature will be restored,I do not know where the evil lies. Their will once again be happiness, once I killed . I can't share my good moments with her no more. She must to die, I smell it on her.

Activity #9 Iago say what?

Fastforward to 3:00 here
read the following soliloquy and translate it into our English.
to listen, click here

IAGO: Thus do I ever make my fool my purse;For I mine own gained knowledge should profane,If I would time expend with such a snipeBut for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor,And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheetsH'as done my office. I know not if't be true,But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,Will do, as if for surety. He holds me well;The better shall my purpose work on him.Cassio's a proper man. Let me see now:To get his place, and to plume up my willIn double knavery. How? How? Let's see.After some time, to abuse Othello's earsThat he is too familiar with his wife.He hath a person and a smooth disposeTo be suspected--framed to make women false.The Moor is of a free and open natureThat thinks men honest that but seem to be so;And will as tenderly be led by th' noseAs asses are.I have't! It is engendered! Hell and nightMust bring this monstrous birth to the world's light. [Exit.](Iago's soliloquy, "Othello," Act 1, Scene 3, lines 374-395)

(translation)Therefore I will forever make money from Rodrigo; I will continue to gain from my knowledge and I shouldn’t speak against it, if I would spend time with such moron, I only do it for money and for fun.
I hate Othello, and it is thought in other countries that between my sheets, Othello is with my wife. I don’t know if it’s true but I will take it for certain. Othello trusts me; great now my plan to ruin his life will be easier. Cassio is a good guy. Let me see now: to get his place and not make much of a big problem out of it. How is it possible? Let’s see. After some time messing with Othello till he is too bored with his wife.He is too innocent but it is the other way around. Othello is an open minded person that thinks men are trustworthy as he is, he will easily be lied to just like an ass. That is it, I will do this and make it happen.

Activity #8: Othello, What's the senario?

2.) There is a party. The main character, Riccardo (a generally good guy!), knows that he shouldn’t drink because he has to go to work in an hour. The Group he’s with tries to convince him that “a drink or two won’t hurt.” Riccardo goes to work and because he’s been drinking he starts a fight with a fellow employee. The boss enters. Describe the scene and write the dialogue that could occur between Riccardo, his boss, and his co-workers.

Characters:

• Riccardo
• Riccardo's Friend
• Boss
  
• Employee #1
• Employee #2

Setting:

• Where: Office work
• Time: Lunch break time

"12:30pm bell rings"
Boss enters
Riccardo: Good afternoon, Sir.
Boss: (picks up beer can) Who is responsible for this mess?
Employee #1: I am, Sir.
Boss: After 2 years working here and yet your behavior is as if you have never read our terms of agreement.
Employee #2: Please Boss, give him a break, this is his first time doing something this bad. You know what people says, we learn from mistakes.
Riccardo's friend: Well I think you should fire him. What if he continues to do this and everyone starts to get involved?
Boss: Ah, but he's one of the finest workers we got and we can't let him go.
Riccardo's friend: But Boss....!
Boss: It is settled, if he continues to do this, I will have no choice but then fire him.
Riccardo: Thank you Boss, I should go clean up now.
Employee #1: (Whispers to Riccardo) I'll remember this day.
Boss: Now everyone, get back to work! We are behind in schedule and you don't want the others to be ahead.
Riccardo's Friend:(thoughts) Ugh, that dam fool got lucky... but he won't be the next time.

Activity #7: Letter to the Parents of Montague and Capulets

Palazzo Capulet
45 Via Figliapersa
West Verona, IT 10001

Casa Montague
2333 Via Rubicuore
East Verona, IT 20002

July 09, 2008

Dear Sir,

I have witnessed a fencing battle between Romeo and one of the Capulet's. The outcome was very appalling. Romeo's great friend, Mercutio, and Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, both died during the fight. I believe the behavior of these people is outrageous and it is in your responsibility that this happened for teaching them such behavior.

I believe better parenting would help improve their behavior. Your sons should be as good "as the mafter of the shippe( masters of the ship)". It is important to that you train your son to be good Christians so they won't be as bad as they grow up. They can also grow up and teach his wife and children to be good Christians. What set them off was the lust for Juliet. As you may have known, women cast "dark magical spells" onto guys that would make them go crazy for them. Also bad behavior may occur such as the incident with the Capulet's and Mercutio's.

The behavior of each of your sons is not acceptable. Mercutio should not joke around when he is outside with the presents of other people. Yet he should not make fun of others. Tybalt's behavior is being too serious and started a fight with Mercutio. It is reasonable that Romeo wanted to avenge Mercutio's death but there are more better ways to deal with this.

In conclusion, it is important that you raise your children to be well behaved. With good manners, such conflicts wouldn't happen. I believe that you wouldn't want to see such problems happens on the streets. We want to keep it nice and safe for others.
Sincerly, Phong Tran
1234 Fake Street
San Diego, CA 98765

Activity #6

The writing style is very similar to how words are spelled today. Many of the words may be spelled different but still will have the same meaning if it was to be read in simple, plain English. These words were written in a classical way so some words sound fancy. His way of writing has to do with religion and other beliefs. But to me, this part made no sense to me, yet it has to do something with Romeo and Juliet. The spelling kind of made sense after you read a few lines. I would later understand like the "V"s were "U"s and the backward "S" were regular "S".

Who wrote Shakespeare's plays? Activity #5

In my opinion, I believe Shakespeare DID write his own plays, poems and sonnets. This debate has been going on for years and I do not believe there is no actual evidence to prove the fact that these plays, poems and sonnets came from another person. Some of the simple things that would claim that he didn’t write them were that he didn’t include his signature on the plays. Not sure if that is really essential.

In other cases, I believe he wrote them but with the help of other people. After researching some of his plays, I don’t believe he could make such amazing plays on his own. It is a possibility that his ideas and plots were ideas from fellow classmates or friends. I also believe education was hard to achieve back in the past so he would probably get help from other people. But the fact he added so many words to the dictionary, I would call him a genius. I believe he was educated during the times he wrote these plays. Without good education, his plays wouldn’t be as great.

One question I had in mind with this debate is that why would one man be greedy to claim someone’s work for themselves? If Shakespeare actually did that, terrible things should of have happened to him by now. I would find it bad taking someone’s credit for such work that made millions remember that work. Shakespeare is an educated person and with his brilliant mind, I think he wrote these.

Assignment #3

Finding the Fun in the Pun
Below are some lines from some of William Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. You will find a pun in each set of lines in bold print. On the lines below each quote, briefly explain the pun as you think Shakespeare might have intended for his audience. Remember, a pun can be a humorous play on words that look or sound alike, but have different meanings. Look at the hints provided and just take a minute to "think about it!"


1. "No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve: ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." Romeo and Juliet (Act iii, S.1) Hint:
Grave=serious, dead, sad.

- The injury is not too bad but enough for me too be dead.


2. I'll make a ghost of him that lets me!" Hamlet (Act i, S.4) Hint: In Shakespeare's day, "let"
meant "hinder," and today means the opposite, "allow."

-I'll kill him if you let me.

3. "If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion, I." Henry IV, Part On (Act ii, S.4) Hint: "Reason" was pronounced "raisin" in Shakespeare's day.

- If raisins were as good as blackberries, then there wouldn't be much of a problem.

4. "Give me a torch: I am not for this ambling; Being but heavy, I will bear the light." Romeo and Juliet (Act i, S.4) Hint: Heavy = in a bad mood; Light = not weighing much; a torch.

- Let me lead the way, I won't drag you behind.

Assignment #2

Everything Old is New Again!
Translating Early Modern English into Modern English
Below are some lines from some of William Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, written in Early
Modern English. On the lines below each quote, translate each sentence into Modern English, as we might speak it today.


"To thine own self be true; and it must follow, as the night the day, thou can'st not then be false to any man." Hamlet, Act i, Sc.3

-Don't lie, be true to yourself.

"What is best, that best I wish in thee." Troilus & C, Act ii, Sc.2

-What's best is what I wish.

"Safe may'st thou wander, safe return again!" Cymbeline, Act iii, Sc.5

I hope you have a safe trip.

"Give me thy hand, 'tis late; farewell, good night." Rom & Jul, Act iii, Sc.3

-It is getting late, good night.

"Have more than though showest; speak less than thou knowest; lend less than thou owest." K Lear, Act i, Sc.4

-If you don't say what you don't know.

"Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear, thy dial how thy precious minutes waste."
Sonnet 77

Use your time wisely.

"This above all: to thine own self be true." Hamlet, Act i, Sc.3

-Be true to yourself.

Bio of Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. He was raised by his father John and his mother Mary. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway who later had a family of three children. He attended school at his home place learning about Latin Rhetoric, logic and literature. Later in his life, he became a poet, playwright, and an actor. Most of his work caused problems that many would complain about. He died on April 23, 1616.

Throughout his life, he wrote many plays, novels, and poems. Overall, he wrote about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two poems. Some titles Shakespeare wrote are "Hamlet","Romeo and Juliet", and "Macbeth". He wrote love, comedy, history, tragedy, and a few other types of stories. One of this quotes are "Farewell: my blessing season this in thee"!(Lord Polonious, Hamlet Act I, Scene 3).

Overall, Shakespeare is one of the authors that would be remembered around the world. He as also one of the authors that created a lot of words that can be found in the dictionary. Most people doesn't know the life of Shakespeare.

enotes.com/william-shakespeare/shakespeare-biography

online-literature.com/shakespeare/

shakespeare-literature.com/

Assignment #1

Word order in Shakespearean Writing
When Shakespeare wrote his prose, he often used a slightly different word order than we are used
to. The subject, verb, and object did not always follow in a 1, 2, 3 order. Look at the following
sentence. Rewrite the sentence four times, changing the word order each time. Put one word on
each blank provided below the original sentence.
Original Sentence: I lost my homework.
Rewrite #1: My homework I lost.
Rewrite #2: Lost my homework I.
Rewrite #3: Homework I lost my.
Rewrite #4: My homework lost I.
Look at each of your rewritten sentences above. Has the meaning of the original sentence changed?

No matter how you word it...you're toast if your homework is lost!
Now, think about how Yoda speaks in the Star Wars Movies. We understood exactly what he was saying, even though the word order was slightly different than what we are used to hearing. It's your turn to makeup a short sentence like the one above and rewrite it several different ways. Does the meaning change with the rewrites? Share your sentences.
Original Sentence: I ate my cookie.
Rewrite #1: I consumed my cookie.
Rewrite #2: Consumed my cookie I.
Rewrite #3: I consume thou cookie.
Rewrite #4: My cookie, I ate.