The Theater
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The 2024 Season
The Adventures of Puppet Shakespeare: the Utah Shakespeare Festival
theater
Is Harry Potter Hamlet?
1. Introduction
As is often the case for me, I like to get at the heart of what makes a piece of pop culture relevant and compare it to Shakespeare. I wish to stress that Shakespeare is not the source of all great art, but at the same time, he knew where to find the source of art, and most great art has some sort of Shakespearean influence.
2. Plot
In the case of Harry Potter, we have some surface plot similarities to Hamlet: a young man brooding over the loss of his parents, who takes revenge against the man who took them from him. Both stories also have a powerful autocrat who is associated with snakes:
The serpent that did Sting thy father’s life
now wears his crown.
In both Harry Potter and Hamlet, the hero’s friends worry that he’s losing his mind; in the second book: Harry Potter can hear the basilisk because he speaks the snake language. Nobody else can understand what he’s hearing, and they conclude Harry is hearing voices. Meanwhile, Hamlet is the only one who hears the ghost of his father:
In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry can hear voices coming from a vale between the land of the living and the land of the dead, because he saw death at a very young age. This isolates Harry from other characters, (who have not suffered loss), and they once again think that he is losing his mind.
Hamlet and Harry have a visceral understanding of grief; they understand that when one is experiencing grief, one sees the world in a way that most other people can not comprehend. In a way, insanity is a metaphor for grief, and both characters (both of whom, by the way, spend most of their time wearing black) personify how this grief changes their worldview.
The fundamental difference between Hamlet and Harry Potter could be summarized like this; Hamlet is devoted to his father, Harry to his mother. The ghost of Hamlet’s Father sets the action of Hamlet into motion, as he demands that his son revenge his murder. By contrast, Harry Potter is constantly inspired by his mother. Although he only sees his mother for a short time, it’s what he learns about her that drives many of Harry’s actions. Even after death, the memory of Lilly’s kindness and love not only inspires Harry, but other characters like Snape, Slughorn, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Lupin. Lilly’s memory rallies all the heroes to unite and defeat Voldemort.
In addition, Harry’s choices emulate his mother’s personality more than his father’s. Harry’s primary concerns are to stop Voldemort from taking over the Wizarding World, to show kindness and respect to everyone, and to guard his friends with his life if necessary, just as his mother did for him. In other words, the matriarchal virtues of love, self-sacrifice, and familial devotion drive Harry, not a patriarchal desire for vengeance which drives Hamlet. Therefore, Harry Potter is a more modern Hamlet, driven by a desire to improve a world and a community, rather than just “The royal bed of Denmark,” which Claudius has defiled.
The Melancholy Dane is driven by anger over his father’s untimely and foul murder and the sadness of losing him. Many actors have chosen to play Hamlet as a man who wants revenge, but one for whom vengeance doesn’t come naturally. Hamlet’s conscience, his scruples, his gentleness, and sometimes his sympathy for Claudius, blocks him from quickly taking revenge. In the clip below, Ethan Hawke is literally watching an avenger in a movie (Brandon Lee in The Crow) on a movie screen. It’s as if Hamlet is looking at a reflection of what he wishes he could be- a decisive, ruthless avenger:
As mentioned before Harry Potter’s ability to command loyalty, friendship, and respect from others allows him to accomplish his goals; he succeeds by rallying everyone, his friends, family and even his enemies to unite and fight. By contrast, Hamlet is a man who cannot trust anybody and therefore must rely on his own cunning (and sometimes ruthlessness), in order to achieve his goals.
Harry’s powers to mobilize the best in people are the powers that the dark Lord did not understand. Like a tyrant, Voldemort keeps all the power to himself; he rules by being more powerful than the people around him and inspiring fear. This makes him vulnerable when his foes band together, and his friends desert him, like when Laertes implicates Claudius for killing Hamlet and finds himself alone, friendless, and ready to taste Hamlet’s revenge:
When Shakespeare sat down to write Hamlet, the Elizabethan age was very cut throat- England had gone through the Civil War, violent factions were springing up at court, and Elizabeth herself suffered multiple assassination attempts. Hamlet is very much a product of a time where everyone is worried about being watched and betrayal can happen at any moment. By contrast, Harry Potter was written at another paranoid time- right after the September 11th attacks where racism, homophobia, and xenophobia were (and to a certain extent, still are), ripping the world apart. For all her faults, JK Rowling created a new kind of Hamlet figure, one who tries to bring people together in times of fear and grief, not one who wishes he could be “bounded in a nutshell” or that his “too too solid flesh”Close Reading: “Oh That This Too Too Solid Flesh” would melt away.
3. A Common Ancestor- Hercules
Like all Renaissance playwrights, Shakespeare took inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman sources. Scholars have seen echoes of Orestes, Perseus, and of course, Oedipus in Hamlet, but one Greek myth that pops up in both Hamlet and Harry Potter is the myth of Hercules. Here’s a short list of commonalities:
1. Both heroes defeat a serpent as a baby and is raised by people who aren’t his parents. Hercules strangles snakes in his cradle, Harry defeats Voldemort, and Hamlet (who is still a child), defeats his uncle who is called a serpent by the Ghost.
2. Cursed by a malevolent creature who hates his mother. Harry gets his scar, Hercules is cursed by Hera (his father’s wife, but not his biological mother). Hamlet
3. Labors involving wild beasts- Nemean Lion (sorting hat), Hydra= basilisk. 3. Captures a stag (Conjures a patronus) 4. Boar= Troll 5. Stables= basilisk in the bathroom 6. Stymphalian birds= golden snitch 7. Girdle of Hipolita= Ravenclaw diadem 8. Cattle of Geryon= other horcruxes 9. Golden Apples= mermaid egg guarded by dragon
10 and most obvious- BOTH OF THEM FACE A THREE HEADED DOG
I bring this up because in many ways, Harry Potter, Hamlet, and Hercules are timeless myths that represent what Joseph Campbell called “The Hero’s Journey”- an eternal story of growth, struggle, death, and rebirth that transcends time, place, and cultures.
Another character that shares a lot of similarities with Hamlet and Harry Potter is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. If you enjoyed this analysis of Shakespeare and Harry Potter, you might enjoy my course on Shakespeare and Star Wars from Outschool.com:
This two-week course is fully online and fully immersive. You can learn about Shakespeare through the lens of Star Wars, (and like this post), you will learn about characters, plots, and the ideas behind classic stories by comparing them to contemporary pop culture. Click the link below to get started:
Thanks so much for reading, and stay tuned for more insightful content!
‘We went bankrupt and had to set up the explosives ourselves’: Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine on making Richard III | Movies | The Guardian
The Adventures of Puppet Shakespeare: Utah
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Graphic Novel
- Name: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Adapted by Nel Yomtov (Adaptor), and Berenice Muniz (illustrator)
- Media: Graphic Novel compilation, with accompanying website https://www.mangashakespeare.com/titles/midsummer.html
- Ages: Pre Teen- teen. The story is highly condensed so older readers might want a more in-depth adaptation to understand the themes and ideas of the plot.
- Premise: This graphic novel is a good introduction to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It tells the bare minimum of the story with very little dialogue and almost none of the original text. Most of the story is conveyed through the visual medium.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATORS (Reprinted from the graphic novel)
https://www.behance.net/berelince?locale=en_US
Berenice Muniz is a graphic designer and illustrator
from Monterrey, Mexico. In the past, she has done
work for publicity agencies, art exhibitions, and
she’s even created her own webcomic. These days,
Berenice is devoted to illustrating comics as part of
the CGraphikslava crew. In her spare time, “Bere”
loves to draw, read manga, watch animated movies,
play videogames, and kill zombies
Fares Maese is a graphic designer and illustrator. He
has worked as a colorist for Marvel Comics and as a
concept artist for the card and role-playing games
Pathfinder and Warhammer. Fares loves spending
time playing video games with his Graphikslava
comrades, and he’s an awesome drum player: https://faresmaese.artstation.com/
About the Retelling Author
The career path of Nel Yomtov has taken him from
the halls of Marvel Comics, as an editor, writer,
and colorist, to the world of toy development. He
then became editorial and art director at a children’s
nonfiction book publisher, and now Nel is a writer and
editor of books, websites, and comics for children. A
harmonica-honking blues enthusiast, Nel lives in
New York with his wife, Nancy. They have a son. Jess.
mY rEACTION
tECHNICAL eXECUTION
Character Design. It’s interesting to see the difference in style between this version, and the Manga Shakespeare version I previously read. That one was very much inspired by the Shoujo manga style, which emphasizes drama and relationships. This version’s drawings are softer, more cartoonish, and the expressions are less stiff, (except for Oberon, who is drawn very austerely). I particularly like the design for Puck with his big mischievous eyes and squat, childlike shape. I would argue however that the lovers and Mechanicals aren’t distinct enough, which is a problem since they are the most important characters.
The Adaptation
Like I said, this is a bare minimum adaptation of the play. None of Shakespeare’s text is used and the lines and speeches are cut liberally. The entire book is only 77 pages which of course means, that there are a lot of cuts. There’s no mention of the Indian boy, Titania’s tiff with Oberon, Philostrate, the other fairies, and all the great speeches are cut. This version is focused entirely on the plot, and it cuts it quite efficiently. To demonstrate this, below on the left is a panel that shows how Lysander and Hermia express their frustration with not being allowed to marry. On the right is the original text of the scene.
Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;
But, either it was different in blood,
Lysander. Or else misgraffed in respect of years,
Lysander. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends,
Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
Making it momentany as a sound,
Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
And ere a man hath power to say ‘Behold!’
The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.
The Colors
The colors are very beautiful. Other manga stories have colorful title pages but no color in the panels. This comic is alive with color and the colors help tell the story. Athens represents the world of the daytime, so the colors are very warm and vibrant. In the nighttime, the colors are cool and the characters are drawn with very sharp lines to make sure they don’t fade into the background.
IN Conclusion
This version tells l the story quickly and entertainingly with a vibrant and colorful style that was lacking in the Manga version. Granted, the Manga Shakespeare did allow me to focus on the text more, but I think I actually prefer this version, simply because of its beautiful artwork. Check it out if you get a chance!.
Shakespeare in the time of Bridgerton
Period Overview
Georgian England
Shakespeare and the Regency Era
The popular Netflix show “Bridgerton”, takes place in England during the reign of King George III (reigned 1760-1820). This was a time of enormous cultural and political upheaval- less than one century after the monarchy was restored, with the American and French Revolutions taking place across the pond. This was an era of power and privilege for the aristocracy, but a time of great uncertainty for nearly everyone else.
Shakespeare in this period was considered a bit old hat and too vulgar for the refined age of the 18th century. During the Regency, Sentimental Comedies were all the rage. These comedies and tragedies were designed to instill audiences with Catharsis or empathy with the characters, rather than get people to think or use their reason. Gone were the days of laughing at people’s humorous behaviors and more along the lines of pitying the poor fates of middle-class rustics. These poor characters remained good-natured at the cruelty of powerful aristocrats. This explains the popularity of such plays as Beaumarchais‘ The marriage of Figaro, or Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, in which an evil aristocrat is ruining the lives of common people like the naive peasant Zerlina with his insatiable sex drive.
After the religious wars of the 16th century and the civil wars of the 17th century, early 19th century people were more disillusioned about the monarchy, especially after the seismic shifts of the French revolution and the American Revolution. This was the beginning of the end of the aristocracy, and even though we don’t see it in Bridgerton for comedy reasons, you can sense that the eponymous family is preserving their family and houses, rather than crown and country, which is one reason why the show still resonates with young people.
The Bridgertons might be aristocratic but they have no illusions about their own self-importance. They’re rich, yes but, like modern rich people, they don’t believe that they deserve their riches because of God- they merely fight to preserve their riches for their children, to find their daughters good love matches, and to survive the complex social Laviathon of eighteenth Century and Nineteenth Century England.
Popular Productions Of the Georgian Era
Georgian Shakespeareans
The Georgian Era was the first time in history that Shakespeare started to have a Global audience. French and German writers like Goethe, Schiller and Voltaire helped to kick off the practice of Shakespeare being translated and performed in non English speaking countries in the 18th century. In addition, Empress Catherine the Great brought Shakespeare as far as Russia with her 1786 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. By the end of the 19th century, Shakespeare had been translated into French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, and Danish (Downer, 468).
In England, however, with the trend towards sentimentality and accessibility, (as the video above mentions), the idea of adapting and modernizing Shakespeare became more common in this type period. What’s interesting is that, just when Shakespeare seemed to be on the way out culturally, people like David Garrick began to rehabilitate Shakespeare (McDonald 358).
English writers of the 18th century were trying their best to use Shakespeare as a tool of moral instruction.
Not only did Garrick create popular adaptations of Shakespeare, he also successfully made Shakespeare a cultural icon. Garrick’s famous jubilee of enthroned Shakespeare as the perfect example of english writing and the common man (even though most of his characters are aristocrats), the fact that Shakespeare was a common writer a not an aristocrat or a University educated man, actually benefited his reputation in the 18th century.
Famous Shakespeareans
Shakespeare and Bridgerton: Balls vs Breeches
Even though Bridgerton prides itself on its colorblind casting and the black & white characters haven’t a shred of racial discrimination (except in the spin-off), this society is still plagued with sexism. What I find the most interesting about Bridgerton is that, like a Shakespearean comedy, the show’s conflicts center around how women navigate sexist patriarchal systems.
In Bridgerton, the London season and the annual balls are more than just a chance to to socialize and meet handsome young man, dance, and wear pretty dresses; they are the only hope that upper class women had for the future security of their houses. These systems were put in place because women were denied the ability to determine their own destinies. Though Queen Charlotte runs the social season, she is enforcing a patriarchal system; one that places a woman’s value entirely on her ability to charm and retain the affections of men.
the bridgerton ladies are extremely aware of this and you can see their anxiety every time they attend a ball. They know that their future depends on this and the show isn’t shy about that. So so like a Shakespearean heroine, the comedy and the central conflict is how these women will navigate this socio-economic gender-based political mindfield.
What Shakespeare frequently does in his comedies is have women deliberately challenge or abandon this strict social structure. Young Shakespearean heroines frequently omen disguise themselves as men and/ or go traveling abroad so that they can find husbands and determine their own destinies. Shakespeare won’t Go So Far as to abandon the notions of marriage and childbearing, but he does create a sort of Female Fantasy: “wouldn’t it be nice to determine a one’s Future for oneself?”
In As You Like It, Rosalind, in disguise as a man, is able to dictate for herself the way that she marries and courts Orlando, which must have been shocking and hilarious for Elizabethans. Viola again disguised as a Man is able to criticize his outdated notions of women to his face, and disdains his repeated attempts to woo a woman who does not share his affections. Meanwhile Juliet, a woman whose arranged is dramatically portrayed from start to finish, abandons her father’s choice and marries for love. All these women have the same conflict as the bit bridgerton women they just confront them in more extreme way
References
Bedford
Brockett
Leslie Dunton-Downer
Worthen
Hamlets of the Theater
New Course: Shakespeare’s Histories
Shakespeare’s History Class
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?
- Video- the 10 Duel commandments of Shakespeare
Week 2- Richard II
- The history of Richard Shakespeare’s Richard II | Animated short
- Watch the presentation and fill in the blanks of the story: Richard the Second Intro Presentation
- Web quest- go online and write down three things about the Wilton Diptych
- Wilton Diptych https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/english-or-french-the-wilton-diptych
- Open ended question- if you were Richard, how would you feel about your role as king?
- Wilton Diptych https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/english-or-french-the-wilton-diptych
- John of Gaunt’s speech
- Watch Patrick Stewart reading this: Shakespeare: “This scepter’d isle”
- Now see John McInerny performing it in context
- What images were the most striking?
- Did you feel more sorry for Gaunt, or England?
- 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.
- Quotes from Richard II
-
- https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/resource/document/examination-augustine-phillips#:~:text=In%20his%20examination%20on%20February,fellows%20proposed%20an%20alternative%20play%2C
- https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Shakespeare-Richard-II-Rebellion/
- https://www.elizabethi.org/contents/rebellions/essex/
- The danger of this scene:
- 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
- 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.
Week 6 History Board Game/ Final Project
Great Classes for the Month of June!
Great online classes in Shakespeare and science are available for students all this month at Outschool.com.
Special Promo: LIMITED TIME ONLY!
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.
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.
Stage Combat Course (Multi Week Course) Saturdays 3-4PM (EST)
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.
- An Interactive Guide To: “Macbeth”
2. An Immersive Guide to Shakespeare’s London: A virtual tour of Shakespeare’s London will get kids to interact with the culture of Elizabethan England. https://outschool.com/classes/an-interactive-guide-to-shakespeares-london-E6KqeBQQ?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link
3. The Violent Rhetoric of “Julius Caesar”
Delve into the passionate speeches of Brutus and Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which led a whole country to revolution.
4. Gravity Falls: Defeat the Cypher
5. Romeo and Juliet Murder Mystery
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.
6. Shakespeare and Star Wars:
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!
BUT WAIT! There’s MORE
Get $10 off my multi-week classes, including “An Interactive Guide to Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” ” with coupon code HTHES3HDTO10 until Aug 4, 2024. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/an-interactive-guide-to-shakespeares-macbeth-jp7TIh9B and enter the coupon code at checkout.
Click the link below to get started:
New Class: Shakespeare and Star Wars!
Using self-paced online activities, your child(ren) will compare the plot and characters of Star Wars to Shakespeare’s plays. We will also discuss Shakespeare writing by looking at “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” by Ian Doescher.
Course Description
- Concept: To compare and contrast the plot, characters, themes, and language of Shakespeare’s plays with Star Wars
- Student Description:
- Epic battles, quests for revenge, pirates, funny characters, powerful warriors swinging swords. Star Wars has something for everyone. But did you know that in many ways, Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? In this course we’ll peer beneath the veil of Shakespeare and Star Wars to find the universal stories of love, revenge, power, and growing up, using games, artwork, and dramatic readings by professional actors!
- 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!
- Course organization (the class is divided into 6 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period.
Outline
Unit 1: How Is Shakespeare Like Star Wars?
Class I- Setting the Scene
- That is the Question:
- What is Star Wars about?
- What parts of the Star Wars story are like Shakespeare’s plays?
- Are Shakespeare and the Star Wars movies saying anything similar about war? Families? Growing up?
- Lesson Objectives
- To teach about the characters and plot of Star Wars by comparing them to Star Wars
- To introduce the concept of archetypes, tropes,
- Set the Scene
- Star Wars is about an evil empire trying to take over the galaxy. They have more ships, more soldiers, and a fearsome weapon that can blow up planets. The rebels on the other hand, though fewer in number, are faster, smarter, and have the advantage of fighting for a good cause.
- In addition, the story is about growing up- Luke becomes a Jedi Knight. He takes revenge on the man who destroyed his father.
- The Players (slides)
- Luke
- Obi Wan/ Yoda
- Vader
- Leia
- Han
- R2D2 and C3PO
- The Emperor
- Words Words Words
- Epic
- Parody
- Theme
- Plot
- Archetype
- Character
- Trope
- Theme
Class 2: The Journey of Han and Leia
- Han and Leia vs. Beatrice and Benedick
- Show videos of Han before Leia
- Plot summary of Much Ado
- Clips of the bickering of Benedick and Beatrice
- Read blog and look at the writing.
- Activity- how would you write a love letter to Han or Leia?
- Play the scene from Jedi
Unit 2- The Prequels and Shakespeare’s Histories
- A Crash Course in Shakespeare’s Histories
- The Rise of Palpatine/ Richard III
- Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars rises to power through a combination of manipulation, intimidation, and by killing his opponents.
- Bio of Richard III
- Slide- Richard’s rise to power
- Slide- Palpatine’s rise to power
- Quizlet
Unit 3- The Verse of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher
- What is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
- Introduce the plays
- Explain how Shakespeare’s verse works
- Look at the common verse elements
- Sonnets
- Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
- It is a period of civil war. The spaceships of the rebels, striking swift From base unseen, have gain’d a vict’ry o’er The cruel Galactic Empire, now adrift. Amidst the battle, rebel spies prevail’d And stole the plans to a space station vast,Whose pow’rful beams will later be unveil’d And crush a planet: ’tis the DEATH STAR blast. Pursu’d by agents sinister and cold,Now Princess Leia to her home doth flee, Deliv’ring plans and a new hope they hold:Of bringing freedom to the galaxy .In time so long ago begins our play,In star-crossed galaxy far, far away
- Stychomichia
- Half lines
- Enjambment
- Title Crawl (make a gif via Canva)
- Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
- Sonnets
- Side By Side Comparisons
- Read/ watch segments of the play
- To Be Or Not To Be
- All the World’s a Stage
- St. Crispin’s Day Speech
- Try to turn a Star Wars line into verse, and then look at the reveal.
- Read/ watch segments of the play
Unit 4- Literary Devices of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
- Using the educational guide, we’ll learn about the following literary devices:
- Extended Metaphors (Luke’s green lightsaber)
- Anaphora (Luke’s call to action in Jedi)
- Premonatory Dreams (Calpurnia)
- Stichomythia Richard III vs. Han and Leia
Unit5- The Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker
Class 1: What is a Hero’s Journey (Slides)
- Learn a little about Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. using the Percy Jackson post, Crash course video about monomyth
- Chart Luke’s monomyth journey
- Activity- Mad libs- write a star wars movie!
- Quiz on plot elements from the monomyth (Quizzes or Quizlet)
Class 2 : Hamlet and Luke Skywalker
- Plot comparison
- (use infographic)
- Quote from Doescher:
- Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is Shakespeare’s most famous play. It’s also the play I make the most references to in William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
- To Be Or Not to Be
- Use my video about the speech to explain the structure
- Note how Doescher repurpuses every line in the Star Wars Trilogy:
- Sometimes it expresses fear:
- Sometimes concern:
- Frustration: “The whips and scorns of time”
- Hope: “The undiscovered galaxy” “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
- Activity: write your own paraphrase of Hamlet’s speech, using the 6 beats I provided.
Unit 6- Become a Bard Warrior (Slides and Sites)
- Number Lock (door)
- Color Lock to start the engine (control panel)-
- Light speed
- Asteroid Iambic
- https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/60286856/
- Scratch Game with a quote at the end https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/221876944/
- Short video at the end.
Notes
Resources:
Web: https://americanshakespearecenter.com/2011/05/in-the-force-of-his-will-shakespeare-and-star-wars/
Close Reading: Shakespeare’s Star Wars (Empire Scene) https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2024/04/17/close-reading-william-shakespeares-star-wars/
The Journey of Han and Leia: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2023/06/16/new-podcast-william-shakespeares-star-wars-part-ii-the-journey-of-han-and-leia/
Review of Jedi:
Video
- William Shakespeare’s Star Wars and the Power of Iambic Pentameter – Summer of Shakespeare the First
- The Wampa From “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars”
- Han Solo Does Shakespeare
- Emperor Shakespeare
- Darth Vader does Shakespeare
- Dagobah Cave Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otvBA0iAA0
- Duel between Luke and Vader: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars excerpt: the Duel from “The Empire Striketh Back.”
- Comparison:
- 1st 10 minutes of Jedi: Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi Opening Scene HD720p
- Doescher’s version: Darth Vader Reads Star Wars Shakespear The Jedi Doth Return Vader Reviews
Podcast:
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BJ6TuhFO699OxWRLZNL2U?si=_cRGo7FzQjakUuZuPT0KwA
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E3Eh9OpcR7lpMHI8edU4o?si=p-PrlRzQStqwGnoz4Y88pA
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SFDcMAfF14ANVIki6xxr8?si=0YWtFyWoQE2CtG8fAEK22A
The Shakespearean Student 