Every holiday season, my school likes to decorate the classroom doors in a festive way. I wanted to celebrate my Shakespeare Club and also teach the club members about Shakespearean fashion, Shakespearean characters, and maybe a little bit about engineering too. I’m very proud of the results, and I wanted to share this idea with you to maybe inspire you next holiday season!
Gingerbread Hamlet Close up of Hamlet’s sword Gingerbread Shakespeare Off with his head!Gallery of my Gingerbread Madness
The Concept
Hath I but one penny in the world, thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread. – Love’s Labors Lost
Since the theme had to be holiday-related, I looked at the above quote and decided to make Shakespearean gingerbread men! I knew I wanted to make the kids design a bunch of gingerbread men that would look like Shakespearean characters. While we were at it, I wanted gingerbread houses and maybe even a 3D element to go along with it. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I also knew my group was up to the task!
The plan
My concept drawing of how the door should look
I knew I couldn’t use real gingerbread, so I chose the next best thing- cardboard! I made a cardboard plan of the door to show to my group. I then found a wooden gingerbread man at the local dollar store and used that as a template for the cardboard characters. Finally, I explained the concept to the group, and divided my group up into teams- one group would draw and color the gingerbread houses, one group would color the gingerbread men based on pictures of Shakespearean characters:
Gingerbread HamletGingerbread Henry V Gingerbread Juliet
My final group created a 3D gingerbread house with a light in it to make the gingerbread village come to life. They even put my little puppet Shakespeare pal in there (I guess it’s his winter home).
Why no Coriolanus?? David Oyelowo is playing him at the National Theatre and it’s the one analysis of Shakespeare you don’t have! Please hurry! I’m seeing it on Friday!
User Noittickles, sent to me today
Well, with a request like that, how can I refuse!
Coriolanus is the only Shakespearean story about Republican Rome, which is to say, before Julius Caesar turned Rome into a dictatorship. The play has been called pro-democracy, pro-monarchy, fascist, Marxist, and many other things. In some ways, the play is rather simple and its verse isn’t much fun to read, but the questions it poses, and the way Coriolanus shows the clash between power and common people, makes it fascinating to think about.
The play’s title character is also the most opaque one Shakespeare ever wrote. Some say he is a war hero, undone by the mob. Some say he is a want-to-be dictator who hates the common people and wants to keep power among the military elite. Unlike Hamlet, Macbeth, or any of Shakespeare’s other tragic heroes, we never get a sense of his true intent, or his actual feelings on anything.
To illustrate this, let’s look at two very different interpretations of the same speech. In Act III, Scene iii, the tribunes (representatives of the commons in the Senate), have organized a smear campaign to prevent Coriolanus from becoming Consul, (the highest rank a Roman aristocrat could achieve before Emperor Augustus). Coriolanus is furious at the Tribunes, and vows to leave Rome to take his revenge on the city. Here’s the text of the speech:
Coriolanus. You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize As the dead carcasses of unburied men That do corrupt my air, I banish you; And here remain with your uncertainty! Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts! Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes, Fan you into despair! Have the power still To banish your defenders; till at length Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels, Making not reservation of yourselves, Still your own foes, deliver you as most Abated captives to some nation That won you without blows! Despising, For you, the city, thus I turn my back: There is a world elsewhere. [Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENENIUS, Senators,] and Patricians] Aedile. The people's enemy is gone, is gone! Citizens. Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!
In the first speech, Tom Huddleston plays Coriolanus as a heroic soldier, disgusted and hurt by the lies of the scheming Tribunes:
Hiddleston chose to play Coriolanus not as a villain but as a frustrated demagogue- someone who wants to lead his people to greatness, whether they like it or not. Whether you approve of his methods, Hiddleston’s Caius Martius does care about the good of Rome. You can almost see the tears in his eyes as he leaves the city he loves, the city he bled for, and that has now betrayed him.
By Contrast, Ralph Fiennes takes a much more authoritarian and cruel route in the film Coriolanus, which Fiennes also directed:
Youtube critic Kyle Kallgren made the excellent case that Fiennes’ Coriolanus is first and foremost, a soldier. You could argue that perhaps Coriolanus has no political ambition whatsoever; he merely wants to keep fighting because war is all he knows. Maybe he purposefully sabotaged himself during his campaign for Consul, because all he wishes to rule is the battlefield:
Kalgren also highlights the “proto fascist” parts of Fiennes’ performance, since Fiennes himself has played Nazis, serial killers, and of course, Lord Voldemort, who is essentially a fascist dictator. Like Merchant of Venice, the Nazi party used Coriolanus as a propaganda tool, claiming that Caius’ fall from grace showed the failure of a weak democracy:
The poet deals with the problem of the people and its leader, he depicts the true nature of the leader in contrast to the aimless masses; he shows a people led in a false manner, a false democracy, whose exponents yield to the wishes of the people for egotistical reasons. Above these weaklings towers the figure of the true hero and leader, Coriolanus, who would like to guide the deceived people to its health in the same way as, in our days, Adolf Hitler would do with our beloved German Fatherland.
Martin Brunkhorst, “Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Deutscher Bearbeitung. Quoted from Weida
It makes sense that fascists would gravitate towards a play about a seemingly virtuous Roman military leader. After all, the word “fascism” is an Italian word, coined by Benito Mussolini, to evoke the glory days of the Roman Empire- days when Roman society was based on military conquest under a strong leader. What these fascists fail to recognize is that Coriolanus is not a strong leader- he hates politics and is unable to gain any support from the people or from the elites in power. His inability to “play the game” of Roman politics, does make him appealing to some, but on the whole, his career is a disaster.
Some have chosen to interpret the story of Coriolanus as a sort of action-movie wish fulfillment- a man in a lawless society who uses his fists rather than words. Back in the 1990s, Steve Bannon (former advisor to President Donald Trump), wrote a hip-hop musical called: The Thing I Am, which re-interpreted the story of Coriolanus as a police captain who is trying to clean up downtown LA, which is embroiled in gang warfare. I find this interpretation paper-thin and not at all conducive to the spirit of the original play. It also has very racist and paternalistic undertones. You can read my review of it here:
Shakespeare refuses to be prescriptive on political or social issues. He tries to represent all sides of an issue and let the audience decide. With the rise of neo-fascist movements, sectarian violence, and the persistent questions surrounding police and military forces, Coriolanus is more relevant than ever. I haven’t seen this production at the National Theater, but I hope it calls attention to the various angles and points of view of the play- Coriolanus the war hero, Coriolanus the traitor, Coriolanus the soldier, Coriolanus the would-be-dictator. David Oyelowo is a fantastic Shakespearean actor, so I’m sure he can bring a great deal of complexity and nuance to this complicated man.
What I find interesting is that the trailer chooses to use this speech, when Coriolanus has defected to Rome’s enemies, the Volskies. He seems sorrowful, desperate, and afraid of what the Volskies will do to him, now that he is in their camp. One line that Oyelowo delivered exceptionally well was the line “Only the name remains.” I haven’t seen the whole play, but it seems THIS Coriolanus is concerned with the glory of his name living after him. The final question this play asks is, for such a complicated man, how will Coriolanus be remembered?
Well, there you go, Stopittickles! Hope you enjoyed this overview of the play Coriolanus. If you like this review, you might like to sign up for my online class on Julius Caesar via outschool.com:
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that one of the most iconic voices of our generation, James Earl Jones has passed away at the age of 93. I’m sure I also don’t need to mention his iconic film roles in such films as Field of Dreams, Coming To America, The LIon King, and of course, his (initially uncredited) role as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars Trilogy. As I’ve written before, Jones had a powerful, authoritative voice that played kings, generals, knights, and even gods, which came directly from his training as a Shakespearean actor. So, instead of taking a look at his illustrious film career, I’d like to celebrate Jones’ contributions to Shakespeare, and how Shakespeare changed his life, and through him, changed mine.
Jones and Poetry
“I don’t mind talking about my stuttering because it’s just another example of you finding yourself with a weak muscle and you exercise it, and sometimes that becomes your strong muscle,” Jones told KCRA in 1986. “I was mute from grade one through freshman year in high school — mute because I just gave up on talking.”
-James Earl Jones in a TODAY Show interview, 1986
James Earl Jones was born in 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. Not only did he struggle with racial discrimination at home and in his career, he also dealt with a debilitating stutter which, as you can see in the quote above, left him all but mute for years of his life. It was one of his teachers who helped Jones find his voice by giving him poetry to read, inspiring him to become an actor. As a Shakespearean actor who also struggles with a stutter, reading this about Jones helped me become an actor as well.
The New York Shakespeare Festival
Your voice has the power to inspire, motivate, and change lives. Don’t be afraid to use it.
James Earl Jones
Before he became a star in the Hollywood firmament, Jones was a classically trained actor who starred in many contemporary and classic plays like The Iceman Cometh, The Great White Hope, and a title role in a drama about the great Shakespearean actor, Paul Robeson. In addition, Jones was a regular performer at the New York Shakespeare Festival, starring as King Claudius in Hamlet, Oedipus Rex, The Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice, and like Paul Robeson, Jones was celebrated for his dignified and powerful portrayal of Othello.
James Earl Jones as Othello and Cecilia Hart as Desdemona in a scene from the Broadway revival of the play “Othello.”
James Earl Jones as Othello and Christopher Plummer as Iago in a scene from the Broadway revival of the play “Othello” (New York 1982)
“Mr. Jones commands a full, resonant voice and a supple body, and his jealous rages and frothing frenzy have not only size but also emotional credibility,” .”
The Times wrote in a review in 1964
From Shakespeare to Strangelove
James Earl Jones made the leap from stage and TV (he was one of the first celebrity guests on Sesame Street among others), after a surprising performance. In 1964, he was playing the relatively minor role of the Prince of Morocco in Merchant of Venice at the New York Shakespeare Festival, while George C. Scott played the more iconic role of Shylock. Surprisingly, Director Stanley Kubrick saw both of them and cast them both in Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb, Jones’ first film role.
This goes to show that success is often not a straight line, that sometimes it’s the people you know and the reputation you garner that gives you success in your field.
Success should not be measured by material possessions, but by the contentment and fulfillment we find within ourselves.
James Earl Jones
My Favorite Performance of Jones
Though his film roles brought him international acclaim, James Earl Jones still performed onstage well into his 80s, including many more memorable performances at the New York Shakespeare Festival, including my favorite performance of all Jones’ stage roles- his role as King Lear. I’ve written before that Jones is still my favorite Lear- he plays the characters’ rage and commanding presence extremely well, but tempers it with the frailty and foolishness of age. You get the sense that this man was a force to be reckoned with, but is now unable to command himself, much less others. Jones’ interpretation apparently changed drastically in rehearsal, as he delved into Lear’s all-too-human flaws, playing him more like a king with dementia than like Mufasa.
Final thoughts
James Earl Jones would be the first to admit that Shakespeare and poetry changed his life. I would argue that the poetic qualities of his voice was what made him such a great actor. He could rumble and smash but also soothe and charm with a single sentence, and that is why I am glad that his voice is now preserved in the halls of Hollywood. Though he was a movie star, his voice was a Shakespearean through and through.
True strength is not in showing power over others, but in conquering your own fears and insecurities.
With the new season just released on Netflix, I’m sure a lot of us literary nerds will rejoice and be happy to have an excuse to play dress up, eat some scrumptious food, and converse on the sweet little confection that is Bridgerton. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list of ideas, I just wanted to share some of my research that went into my own party in the hopes that it gives you ideas. Please feel free to respond to this post by commenting or by hitting me up on Twitter at @Shakestud and share your own Bridgerton Party Pics!
“I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits and make me see the world in ways I could not have imagined.”
Colin Bridgerton.
I need to give a special thank you to my wife in this post. She’s the one who introduced me to Bridgerton, did a lot of research into Regency etiquette and dining, and bought all the ingredients for the party. More than that, she is an extremely talented writer and educator who inspires me in ways even Penelope Featherington couldn’t enumerate. Watching Bridgerton has become a kind of nightly tradition for us and I am very grateful
Background: Bridgerton and the Gorgeous Georgian Era
Bridgerton is a period comedy on Netflix based on the popular novel series. It is set in an idealized version of the late 18th and early 19th century; a time when England was wealthy, cosmopolitan, and when one’s social standing was everything. The shows writers pay homage to great literary figures like Jane Austin, George Brimsley Sheridan’s The School For Scandal, Shakespeare (of course), and real-life scandal writers of the time; rags like Town and Country, The Spectator, and Courtesans.
My Personal Opinion on the SHow
Some people have criticized the show for not being historically accurate. Others claim that the show’s plots and characters are highly derivative from other comedies like Gossip Girl and others. I would argue that THAT’S THE POINT. Bridgerton is not trying to do anything original- it is nostalgia bait for literature nerds like me who know that shows like Gossip Girl are ripped off from classical sources. What Bridgerton does, is take these classic tropes, put them back into the period where they became popular, and then update the setting to make it more accessible to a modern audience. Much like the party ideas I’ll give you later, this show is like a sweet confection- comforting, unassuming, with an air of nostalgia and romance like a cup of tea and a crumpet.
The show focuses on the hopes, dreams, and above all, loves of the Bridgeton family; a noble family in Georgian England. Viola, the matriarch of the house, seeks to find love matches for all her children and to avoid scandalous gossip. She does so through her own intelligence and through the help of her network of female friends, all while avoiding the watchful eye of Queen Charlotte (the powerful wife of King George III), and the mysterious scandal monger Lady Whistledown
Like its dazzling costumes, the show is very much fluff and feathers. Bridgerton’s use of color blind casting is extremely refreshing to me and it signals loudly and clearly that Bridgerton doesn’t want to be painstakingly historically accurate. This is an candy-coated and show that concocts an idealized version of Georgian society- one where painful racial problems are thrown out, there are few economic or political problems to sour one’s pallate, but everybody is rich and pretty and looking to fall in love with a wealthy eligible young man or lady. So, with a concept this delicious, I knew I had to throw a party based on it!
Part One: The Invitations
There’s a ton of fancy invitations templates online. Below is an invitation I created for free with an app called Canva and a parchment background picture I found online.
You probably also know that I am a huge fan of the website Immortal Longings because of their excellent Shakespearean art and they sell cards too. You can buy the cards or download the pictures on their website.
Shakespearean Greeting Cards from Immortal Longings.com
Part Two: Decorations
The Georgian Era was firmly in the Baroque era- a time known for opulence, excess, and as many frills as possible. Deck your home with as much gold, crystal lace as possible! Use electric candles liberally. Also, use curtains and fancy throw pillows to fancy up your dining room! Here are some more ideas from Chateau Challain:
Part Three: The Feast
As you can see, since the Georgian era was known as a time of wealth and excess, you could very easily break your wallet or your back trying to replicate an authentic Georgian dinner party, (especially if you lack an entire household staff to bring it to life). What we tried to do was distill some of my favorite foods from the Georgian era down and come up with an easy plan so that a plebian cooking-impaired soul like myself could make them at a reasonable price. I did not want my wife to have to cook for this, though she did wind up trying out a very interesting Georgian recipe:
Salmagundi
Thought I honestly doubt that the upper crust Bridgertons would ever eat this, it is an authentic Georgian recipe and it was common among middle class people, American Revolutionary War soldiers, and even pirates! It’s a savory salad that uses eggs, pickles, mixed greens and anchovies. The name is French for “hodge-podge” and it honestly can be swapped out with any number of ingredients. Here’s a recipe that’s pretty close to what my wife used:
Just like decor, a party or ball amongst the nobility was a sign of wealth and status. If you wanted to impress foreign dignitaries or net a wealthy spouse, you had to show off the wealth and sophistication of your household. We served duck as the main dish since it’s the sort of game the Bridgertons would have on their land. My wife and I also served a meat pie as an homage to the one Daphne eats excitedly in Season 1. Meat pies were very popular in the British isles due to the lack of refrigeration in the Georgian era. For our party, my wife bought the Steak and Stout pie from Trader Joes, which I realize not everyone likes, but it does have a good hearty feel to it. Accompanying the pie, we served cheese, grapes, and some good red wine!
Dessert
High tea is a real ritual in England to this day, and if you don’t have a lot of time or money on your hand it can be a bit daunting. Again, we relied on Trader Joes to help fill in the gaps of my cooking skills (since again, I wanted my wife to enjoy the party, not cook). I leaned heavily on ice cream, macarons, and of course, tea since they are all foods featured on the show. In fact, there’s a whole scene at the house where the family fight over the last chocolate macaron.
In case you don’t know, macarons are delicious French sandwich cookies made by sifting dry ingredients, combining them with egg whites, piping them onto a baking sheet, and baking them into light, flaky little half circles. From there you can add any kind of filling you like. Now, these cookies are notoriously temperamental, so I just bought some, but for the brave souls with a little more time on their hands, here’s a recipe from NYT:
Other Dessert ideas: You could incorporate scones petit fours, or jam/ cucumber sandwiches. I find a dessert tower is really nice for this kind of “take what you like” dessert atmosphere. Also, don’t forget the ice cream!
Tea-
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that tea has great cultural significance to the British and I labored over what kind of tea to serve during the party. I personally love Indian Chai and that would be appropriate since it’s mentioned in Season 2. I also enjoy Earl Grey (though that one might be too bitter for most people). However, I decided on Harney and Sons Paris Tea, which is my wife’s favorite, and in my humble opinion, is one of the best teas readily available. It’s a black tea that has been withered, rolled, and baked to make it more flavorful and aromatic, though easy to mass produce. I LOVE THIS TEA. Here’s a link if you want to learn more:
Now, I should mention that there is a lot of officially branded Bridgerton tea, coffee, and tea snacks (of course), but this post isn’t an ad. If you’re interested in the branded stuff, here’s a few links below:
Bridgerton is famous for featuring classical music covers of pop songs, which I really enjoy- it is a nice way of retelling the story of the characters by connecting them with something contemporary. Most of these covers were done by a group called the Vitamin String Quartet and there are playlists on Youtube, Spotify, and others.
During the Regency, music by Mozart and Hayden were all the rage, so if you want to intercut the covers with real classical music from the time period, you can also use them. I would recommend using waltzes or minuets if you want to get people on the dance floor:
Again, for people on a budget, you might want to forgo full Georgian outfits, but this was a time of ball gowns and elaborate wigs for ladies, and men with waistcoats, knickerbockers, and breeches. For more information on the period, here’s a link to Fashion History Timeline:
And to conclude, I want to dedicate this post to my wife who introduced me to the wonderful, sweet, and heartfelt world of Bridgerton. I hope this post helps you bring a fun, fancy-but laid back evening into your home. I hope also that it helps you become closer to and appreciate your loved ones, just as I wish to keep enjoying the show with my wonderful wife.
Parent Description- A fully online, fully interactive course into Shakespeare’s histories taught by a professional text coach and actor.
Students- Uncover the scandalous and gory history behind Shakespeare’s most action-packed plays! Shakespeare’s histories have inspired such works as “Empire,” “Game of Thrones,” “Hamilton” and even the “Star Wars” trilogy. This class will unlock for you why these stories of power and betrayal have been so popular for 400 years.
Format:
0. The class will have a Nearpod with slides, activities, and links to my other resources. The class will be a combination of slides, activities, and videos. Each class will have
Weekly Discussion questions via Google Forms such as: “What do you know about Shakespeare the man?” or, “Are Shakespeare plays still relevant today?”
Video Analysis- Every week I’ll discuss a different play with a short video.
I’ll provide some context, explaining what is happening in the play durin the speech, and any relevant historical context.
We’ll watch a recording and the students can write their impressions on what they like and don’t like.
Immersive activities such as:
– Shakespeare arts and crafts and recipes such as making costumes and props.
– My online Shakespeare board game.
Virtual tours of the Tower Of London,
Weekly Web Quests like “find a Shakespeare quote that you use in normal speech,” “find a movie or character that’s based on Shakespeare,” or “Draw a picture of a Shakespearean character (stick figures are acceptable).
6 Week Course
Week 1 – Why Hamilton is Like A Shakespeare History Play Hamilton and Shakespearean History We’ll discuss what makes a history play a history play, why they were so popular in Shakespeare’s day, and draw parallels between Shakespeare and the Broadway Musical “Hamilton.”
What is a history play?
Song quest: Watch the Horrible histories king song
Worksheet- which Shakespearean character reminds you most of Hamilton?
What would you call the tone of this speech? Patriotic? Mournful? Excited? Bitter?
The deposition Scene (video- 3 minutes)
The danger of this scene:
Though Queen Elizabeth I is now almost universally beloved, she wasn’t always in Shakespeare’s time. By 1601, she was 68 years old and had no male heir. Her government had also failed to put down a rebellion in Ireland. Some people in her government were getting restless.
Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex was one of those restless nobles. He’d been one of the Queen’s favorites, but after failing to crush the rebellion in Ireland, his relationship with her sourered. He then plotted to rebel against the Queen, and take the throne for himself.
To do that though, Essex would need to get people on his side, so he recruited Shakespeare! One of Essex’s servants paid Shakespeare’s companies to perform a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard II; the scene where a handsome and charismatic nobleman convinces the king to willingly give up his power.
This scene was so dangerous that when the play was published, it was taken out by Elizabeth’s censors.
Playing Richard video: Fiona Shaw Questions What does making Richard female emphasize for an audience? What point does Shaw’s performance say about women in power?
Week 3 Henry V week
Tom Hiddleston as Henry V
Basic plot- Young king fights a war and conquers France proving himself to the world.
Olivier vs. Branaugh
-Concept- what if the play was a Hockey movie?
Henry is like the coach or team captain who gives inspirational speeches
The underdogs win
The snooty bad guys lose
How this translates to staging fights/ directing the characters (website/ youtube interviews)
Activity= write a trailer or design a poster for Henry with a cool tag line.
Week 4- The Wars of the Roses-
Summary of the three Henry VI plays
Wars of the Roses Horrible Histories
Web quest- research one major character from the 3H6 ASC website:
Richard of Gloucester
Henry VI
Margaret of Anjou
Richard of York
Medieval warfare
Watch one of the Weapons that Made Brittain videos and answer 5 questions.
The battles of the Wars of the roses
Costumes
Week 5- Richard III- The rise of the corrupt king
Close reading- “Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent”
Slides on Richard’s plot.
Richard and Machiavelli
Richard and Emperor Palpatine
Richard and Modern Leaders
Richard vs. the Amir of Gloucester
Propaganda activity- make a campaign slogan/ poster for Richard.
Title Card- “The Violent Rhetoric Of Julius Caesar”Title for my Outschool class on Codes and Ciphers, inspired by the Disney show “Gravity Falls.”Digital business card for my online classes with a QR code if you want to know moreTitle art for my Outschool course on Shakespeare’s comediesCover art for my Outschool class: “Shakespeare- the Lost Play”Title of my Outschool murder mystery gameTitle image for my online course on “Romeo and Juliet.”Title card for my Outchool Intro To Shakespeare cs.Title art for my Outschool course on Shakespeare’s comediesTitle for my Outschool class in swords and Stage Combat.
Great online classes in Shakespeare and science are available for students all this month at Outschool.com.
From now until June 1st, you can get a $20 discount with referral code PAULHT20. Share the joy with other curious minds in the family too! Spread the word and let’s ignite the passion for learning together!
Class Descriptions
Live Classes
For these classes you meet with me live over Zoom:
Introduction to Shakespeare- Tuesdays 9-9:30AM (EST)
This is my 30 minute short and sweet intro to Shakespeare’s life, his plays, and why his work still matters to us today!
Intro To STage Combat (With SwordS)- Tuesdays 9:30-10AM (EST)-
Like the Intro to Shakespeare class above, this is an intro to the basic footwork, attacks, and defensive parries of swordplays for someone just begeinning to learn about swords.
Title image for my online course on “Romeo and Juliet.”
An Immersive Guide To “Romeo and Juliet- Tuesdays from 10-11AM (EST)
This multi-week course delves into the plot, characters and themes of “Romeo and Juliet,” while also providing interactive activities, virtual tours, and webquests.
Shakespeare’s History Plays- SaturdAYs 8:30 AM IST
This is a new course I’m working on to cover all of Shakespeare’s History plays including Henry V, Richard II, and Richard III. More info as it becomes available.
Asynchronous Classes
These classes are Flex Schedule, which means the teacher prepares the activities in advance and allows you to do them at your own pace without direct consultation.
A flexible schedule class that teaches kids the plot and characters of “Romeo and Juliet,” in the context of a detective story where you solve the mystery of the young lovers’ deaths.
Did you know that Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? This class will teach you about writing and characters though games, interactive activities and dramatic readings of both Star Wars and Shakespeare!
Concept: To explore the plot, characters, and themes of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar while also gaining an insight into Ancient Roman history and culture.
Student Description: Delve into the passionate speeches of Brutus and Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which led a whole country to revolution.
Parent Description Using self-paced online activities, and a helpful handout, your child(ren) will analyze the rhetoric and persuasive power in two speeches from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” The course will also cover the culture of Ancient Rome, and the circumstances that led to Julius Caesar’s assasination, which inadvertently led to the birth of the Roman Empire.
Course Organizaiton (the class is divided into 4 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period
Each lesson will have:
“That Is the Question” (Essential Question)
Lesson Objectives
Set the Scene (Background and context)- 1-3 slides
The Players (biography) 1-3 slides
Go Deeper (Webquest)
Explore military life and the lives of women in Rome using my blog and other websites as a guide.
Post 3 things you learned to the Outschool page or send a photo of your completed handout.
Words, Words Words (Vocabulary, famous lines)
A Taste of Your Quality (Independant Project)
Show us your mettle (Test)
So each class should be 14-15 slides long.
Outline
Class I- Background on Caesar and Roman Culture
That is the Question:
Why did Brutus feel Julius Caesar had to die?
What was the aftermath?
Can one person’s speech effect an entire nation?
Lesson Objectives
To provide historical and political context to explain why Julius Caesar was assassinated, and how his death inadvertantly created the Roman Empire.
To explain the Rhetorical Triangle, the building blocks of persuasive speech.
To go through the story of Julius Caesar focusing on the effect of the speeches.
To study the famous “Friends, Romans Countrymen” speech.
To contrast this speech with some more recent political speeches and you think critically about:
Brutus- Podcast episode. I posit in this episode that Brutus is
Words, Words, Words-
Traitor
Republic
Dictator
Revolution
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Rhetoric
Colossus
Aeneus
A Taste Of Your Quality:
(Independent work): We’ll examine a painting of Brutus’ ancestor Lucius and learn why Brutus values Rome more than even family.
Show Us Your Mettle:
Quizzes on Brutus
Class 3- Antony and Brutus’ Dueling Speeches
(c) Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
That Is the Question
After Caesar’s Death, his friend Marc Antony held a funeral for him where he gives the famous “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech. How did Antony’s speech affect the crowd?
Brutus has a speech where he explains why he killed Caesar. What does he say, and how effectively does he say it?
Antony was secretly plotting to take power for himself, and get Brutus and Cassius killed. How did he do it?
Do speeches have the power to change a nation?
Learning Objectives
To explain the Rhetorical Triangle, the building blocks of persuasive speech.
To study the famous “Friends, Romans Countrymen” speech, as well
To look at these speeches and get you to think critically about:
We’ll talk about the consequences of violent revolutions and how Julius Caesar has inspired some of the greatest speeches in political history.
-Patrick Henry
– Gettysburg Address
– Mean Girls
That Is the Question
How have people interpreted the play “Julius Caesar” in America?
Does this play promote violence?
What kind of violent speech do we deal with in politics today?
Learning Objectives
To show the link between American History and Julius Caesar
To address the controversy and the misconception that the play promotes violent assassination.
To end on a cautionary note people must think critically about what they hear in politics and not make rash decisions based on appeals to fear.
Setting the Scene- US History
America was founded using the principles of republican government that Ancient Rome used- with a senate, and a series of checks and balances to ensure no one has too much power.
America was founded in a violent revolution, and some of our country’s early leaders used Brutus as an inspiration- to overcome a tyrannical king.
In later years, however, some people have forgotten what happened to Brutus
Today, we are often bombarded with speech that encourages fear and anger and we must think critically when we hear such speech in whatever forum- Roman, or Reddit.
The Players (use my JC lecture?)
Patrick Henry
Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth
Donald Trump
Go Deeper
-Watch the Caesar Video
– How does the play promote nonviolence?
– How did Brutus’ assassination fail to save the Roman Republic?
The Shakespearean Student 