Playing Shakespeare

A webquest for grades 9-12

Designed by
Rachel Douglas

Introduction

William Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous of English playwrights and has shaped the
interpretation of literature and drama for centuries. Though he may seem like ancient news, he is
still relevant today. The plays that he wrote characterize the human experience in a unique way
that makes it seem universal. In this webquest, you will explore over the coming weeks
Shakespeare’s works and have the opportunity to immerse yourself in several of his plays as you
ask yourself: how is Shakespeare still relevant today?

Task
Your task in this webquest is to work both individually and in groups to interpret several scenes
from Shakespeare’s plays. This will involve reading several research papers, reading through the
text’s themselves, and watching performances of scenes by Shakespearean actors. Individually,
you will show your understanding through a short written analysis of the Shakespearean scene of
your choice. As a group, you will then act out in front of the class a scene from Shakespeare,
done with your own interpretation of the characters, voices, and actions. Everyone will be
required to participate.

Process
1. First, you will divide into groups of 2-4 to complete this webquest. In this group you will
work together to interpret and discuss the scenes and material that you read. This group is
also the people who you will act out a scene in front of the class with. You may choose
your own groups.
2. Read through this biographical information on William Shakespeare.
https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare Keep in mind that this is just a
brief summary of Shakespeare’s life.
3. William Shakespeare produced 37 plays throughout his career, but in this webquest we
will only focus on a few of them. Read and watch through the summaries of the plots of
the following plays to create a basic understanding for further discussion.
a. Romeo and Juliet:
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/summary/
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/video-summary/
b. Henry V: https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henryv/summary/
c. A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/summary/
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/video-summary/
4. As a group, pick one play to study and discuss together. This will be the play that you do
a scene in front of the class from.
5. As a group, please read and watch through the following scenes that apply to the play that
you have chosen to work on:
a. Romeo and Juliet
i. Prologue
ii. Act I, Scene I
iii. Act II, Scene I Balcony scene
1. 1968 Balcony Scene (youtube)
iv. Act III. Scene I Tybalt death scene
v. Act V, Scene III Romeo and Juliet die
1. 2013 Death Scene (youtube)
b. Henry V
i. Prologue
ii. Act I, Scene II Henry V declares war on France
iii. Act III, Scene III Henry V threatens Harfleur and then grants mercy
iv. Act III, Scene IV Katherine learns English (youtube)
v. Act IV, Scene I Henry V goes into his camp disguised
vi. Act IV, Scene III Band of Brothers speech
 1. Kenneth Branagh production (youtube)
c. A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
i. Act I, Scene I
ii. Act II, Scene I
iii. Act III, Scene I
iv. Act III, Scene II
1. Video (youtube)
2. Video (youtube) Helena and Hermia fight
6. After studying the following scenes with your group, please discuss and answer these
questions about the play you have chosen. Write your responses on a paper (one per
group) and turn them in:
a. Romeo and Juliet
i. Compare and contrast Romeo’s love for Rosalind and Juliet
ii. What role did the family feud play in the outcome of the play?
iii. Were Romeo and Juliet really in love?
iv. Was Mercutio’s death Romeo or Tybalt’s fault?
v. What are the main themes of the play?
b. Henry V
i. What are the main themes of the play?
ii. What role does kingship have in the play? What aspects of kingship does
Henry V portray throughout the play?
iii. What was Henry V’s character development throughout the play?
c. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
i. What are the main themes of the play?
ii. What role do the faeries have in this play?
iii. Discuss the character of Bottom. Why is he an important character in the
play?
iv. How did Shakespeare include a “play within a play” in this piece?
7. Pick one of the following scenes from your chosen play to portray in front of the class:
a. Romeo and Juliet:
i. Act II, Scene I Balcony scene
ii. Act III. Scene I Mercutio and Tybalt death scene
b. Henry V:
i. Act IV, Scene I Henry V goes into his camp disguised
ii. Act IV, Scene III Band of Brothers speech
c. A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
i. Act III, Scene II Helena and Hermia fight
ii. Act III, Scene I Players practice play and Bottom turned into a donkey
d. If your group would like to perform a different scene than those provided, please
talk to me during class and I will approve of the scene you would like.
 8. Work together to decide on characters, staging, etc. Each group member must have a role
to play, even if you have to invent a small one. If your scene has more characters than
you have people, please use creativity in playing multiple roles. Remember, this is your
own interpretation of the scene and you can make it as fun or tragic as you would like. I
have costume props (of a wild assortment) that you can use in your scene. Remember,
this is your interpretation of how Shakespeare is still relevant today. Try a modern take
or twist on the scene. If you have any questions, please ask me and I will gladly help you
prepare your scenes.
9. Performance days!
10. After performing your play, write a 1 page response to the scene of your choosing from
any of the Shakespeare plays. Please answer these questions in your response. What is the
theme of the play? How does this scene contribute to the theme? What do the characters
say/do that support your claim? How is Shakespeare still relevant today?

Conclusion
During the course of this webquest, you have read a selected few of Shakespeare’s tragedies,
comedies, and histories. You have learned about major themes in literature and how they still
apply to our lives today. You have also had the opportunity to produce your own interpretation
of Shakespeare in a way that is relatable and relevant to today.

Credits and References

Thanks to all of the sources that I used to create this Webquest:
● Biography.com https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare
● Sparknotes https://www.sparknotes.com/
● Open Source Shakespeare https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/plays.php
● Youtube creators:
○ Shakeoutloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qao2xINsE
○ Angeli Lovely Odrunia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Xsg72nWbY
○ Fairgroundlove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmH47UslWpc
○ Technicalmark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM
○ Gargi Joshi [13S3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsXa6cRp3w
○ Yena han https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpbOorlx57M

Evaluation
You will be evaluated on your group discussions, the production of your scene, and your
individual response to a Shakespeare scene. Here is how your evaluation will break down:

20 pts 15 pts 10 pts Score

Participation in Participated in Mild participation in Did not participate in
group activities all group group discussions. group activities or
activities and Did not make discussions. Did not
discussions. comments do the readings.
Actively
engaged in
discussion with
peers.

Group Participated in Participated in group Did not participate in

performance group performance but was the group
performance. not a good/respectful performance.
Was a good audience member for
audience other group
member for other presentations.
groups.

Individual Fulfilled paper Individual response Did not turn in their

Response length was less than 1 page individual response.
requirements and and included several
had minimal grammar errors.
grammar errors. Showed an
Demonstrated a incomplete
good understanding of
understanding of Shakespeare’s
Shakespeare’s relevance today.
relevance today.

Total Grade