THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

1. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2. INTRODUCTION You will research William Shakespeare's life and the society in which he lived. From your research you will gain an appreciation of the environment in which Shakespeare's plays were written and therefore have a better understanding of the plays themselves.

3. TASK Who is William Shakespeare and how did his environment affect the writings and productions of his plays? You will follow the instructions on the process pages and answer the questions on the handout by following the links provided to the appropriate websites and pages. You will have the entire class period for this task.

4. PROCESS ALL ABOUT SHAKESPEARE Click here for answers 1. When was William Shakespeare born? 2. When did Shakespeare get married? 3. Who did he marry? 4. How many children did they have? 5. What family tragedy occurred in 1596?

5. PROCESS cont. SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS Click here for answers 6. How many plays and sonnets did Shakespeare write? Click here for answers 7. Define Comedy 8. Define Tragedy

6. PROCESS cont. ELIZABETHAN THEATRE Click here for answers 9. What was the name of one of the four major theatre’s in London’s Bankside District? 10. List it’s Characteristics. 11. What was the seating capacity? 12. Based on the pictures, why do they call this the globe theatre?

7. PROCESS cont. ELIZABETHAN PERIOD Click here for answers 13. During the age of Shakespeare, who was the ruler of England? 14. What did England Emerge as under this ruler? 15. What did this ruler establish and who began it? 16 Who were the leading literary artists of this particular time?

8. EVALUATION For this task you will be assessed on the completion of the webquest.

9. CONCLUSION Now that you are familiar with the context of Shakespeare's works - the environment in which they were written - you will have a better understanding of the meaning behind his words as we work through his play “Hamlet” Hope you enjoyed the webquest!