PENGUIN READERS
Activity worksheets  LEVEL 5
More Tales from Shakespeare Photocopiable
The Winter’s Tale
1 Put these sentences in the correct order,
numbered 1–10.
a c Leontes orders Antigonus to leave the
baby Perdita to die.
b c Leontes suddenly becomes jealous of
Hermione and Polixenes.
c c The young prince Mamillius dies.
d c Camillo warns Polixenes that Leontes is
planning to kill him.
e c Leontes invites Polixenes to visit his
kingdom.
f c Paulina tells Leontes that his wife is dead.
g c The oracle reports that Hermione is
innocent.
h c Leontes asks Hermione to persuade
Polixenes to stay longer.
i c The baby Perdita is found by a shepherd.
j c Hermione gives birth to a daughter called
Perdita.
2 Look at the list of characters on page 1. Write
the correct names in the sentences.
a ……………………… are not recognised
when they go to the shepherd’s house.
b ………………………asks his father, without
realising it, to be a witness to his promise of
marriage.
c ………………………helps the young lovers
by taking them to Leontes’s court.
d ………………………proves that Perdita is
Leontes’s long-lost daughter.
e ………………………shows Leontes what
she says is a statue of his wife.
f ………………………has been hidden from
her husband for many years.
King Lear
3 Answer these questions:
a How does Lear intend to divide up his
kingdom and why does he change his mind?
b In what ways does Goneril behave unkindly
towards Lear?
c Why does Lear go to stay with Regan and
how does her treatment of him upset him?
d Why does Lear go out into the storm?
e Which action of Lear’s makes Kent sure that
he is going mad?
f How does Lear get to see his daughter,
Cordelia, again?
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Teacher Support Programme
4 Discuss this question with another student.
After Shakespeare’s death, another writer gave the
play a happy ending. Cordelia does not die but
marries the good son of the Earl of Gloucester.
For over 100 years, until the Lambs’ lifetime, the
play was always acted like that. Do you think it
makes a better ending to the story?
The Taming of the Shrew
5 Which of the characters in the list on page 25
says the following things? Why do they say
them and who are they talking to?
a ‘What an excellent lady! I love her more than
ever.’
b ‘I’d rather see him hanged on Sunday.’
c ‘It will be the moon or stars or what I wish
before I travel to your father’s house.’
d ‘Where are you going and what is your home?
The parents of so fair a child must be very
happy.’
e ‘It means peace and love and a quiet life.’
f ‘Then you are foolish, too, for betting on my
duty.’
6 Discuss this question with another student:
In Shakespeare’s time, most marriages were
arranged. Girls had the right to say ‘no’ but men
did not have much opportunity of finding out
about their future wives’ characters. Do you
agree with Petruchio’s way of dealing with this
situation?
Romeo and Juliet
7 Complete the sentences to say what would
have or would not have happened if the
circumstances had been different. The verbs
in sentences with (not) must be negative.
a If Benvolio had not persuaded him, Romeo
(not) ………………………………………. .
b Juliet would have recognised Romeo if he
(not) ………………………………………. .
c Romeo would not have known Juliet had
fallen in love with him if she (not) ………….
…………………………………………….. .
d If Tybalt had not killed Mercutio, Romeo
(not) ………………………………………. .
e If her father had not told her to marry Paris,
Juliet (not) ………………………………… .
f Romeo would have known she was not dead
if the Friar’s messenger …………………….. .
More Tales from Shakespeare - Activity worksheets   of 2

Activity worksheets  LEVEL 5
More Tales from Shakespeare Photocopiable
g If Paris had not tried to stop him opening the
grave, Romeo (not) ……………………….. .
h Romeo would not have taken poison if Juliet
…………………………………………….. .
i If there had been any poison left, Juliet
…………………………………………….. .
8 Discuss this question with another student:
In the film West Side Story, based on Romeo and
Juliet, the lovers belonged to groups which were
racial rivals in New York. Can you think of any
similar situation where young lovers may be
prevented from marrying each other?
Hamlet
9 Look at the list of characters on page 54.
Write the names in the right sentences.
a ……………………… marries her first
husband’s brother, though it is against the law.
b ……………………… tells Hamlet that he
has seen a figure like his dead father.
c ……………………… orders Hamlet to
avenge his death.
d ……………………… pretends to be mad to
deceive his enemies.
e ……………………… makes Hamlet able to
prove that his uncle is guilty.
f ……………………… spies on Hamlet while
he is talking to his mother.
g ……………………… goes mad and dies
because her lover has killed her father.
h ……………………… joins the king to
avenge the death of his father.
i ……………………… is the cause of all that
goes wrong in the story.
10 Discuss these questions with another student.
Charles Lamb left out much of the action of the
play, changing Hamlet’s actions and character.
Modern critics see Hamlet as a sensitive man
with the responsibility of taking violent action to
restore order.
a How does Hamlet prove that he thinks before
he acts?
b Once he knows his uncle is guilty, why can’t
he act as a normal person would do today?
c Shakespeare followed the tradition that the
villain (bad person) in the story must be the
cause of his own death. How did he arrange
this and what difference does it make?
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PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Othello
11 Are theses sentences true (T) or false (F)?
Correct those that are false.
a Brabantio accepts Othello as a son-in-law
because he is a respected general. c
b The senators send Othello to Cyprus
because they do not think well of his
marriage. c
c Othello is jealous by nature and likely to
suspect Cassio. c
d Iago is envious of Cassio, who has been
given a high-level job instead of him. c
e Cassio loses Othello’s confidence because
Iago makes him drunk when on guard. c
f Desdemona begs Othello to forgive
Cassio because she is secretly in love with
Cassio. c
g Iago makes Othello suspicious by telling
him that he does not know very much
about Italian women. c
h Othello begins to believe that Desdemona
is guilty because she has given his
handkerchief to Cassio. c
12 Discuss this question with another student.
Othello became jealous of Desdemona’s
friendship with Cassio. Are ‘platonic’ friendships
(i.e. friendships that are not sexual between men
and women) ever really possible?
13 a Match the descriptions with the names.
a an independent girl 1 Ophelia
with a strong
personality
b a young girl who falls in 2 Cordelia
love with an enemy
c a wife and mother who 3 Katharine
goes to prison
d a woman who is killed 4 Desdemona
by her husband
e a young woman who is 5 Juliet
more honest than the
rest of her family
f a girl who loses her 6 Hermione
mind
b Now write similar descriptions for these
male characters:
Petruchio, Romeo, Leontes, Othello,
King Lear, Hamlet
More Tales from Shakespeare - Activity worksheets  of 2
 PENGUIN READERS
Progress test LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme

More Tales from Shakespeare Photocopiable

The Winter’s Tale 6 Complete the sentences with the names from the
1 Which character says or thinks these things? box.
Use the names from the box. Baptista  Bianca  Katharine
Hermione  Leontes  Mamillius  Paulina Petruchio  Lucentio
a Why is my mother so unhappy? …………… a ………’s sister was loud and spirited.
b I don’t trust my friend. …………… b ………’s personality changed completely.
c What’s the matter with my husband? …………… c ………’s daughters both got married.
d I want to help my friend. …………… d ………’s bride was always well behaved.
e Take that child away! …………… e ………’s wife had been a ‘shrew’.
2 Match beginnings a–h with endings 1–8 to make Romeo and Juliet
true sentences. 7 Write Montague or Capulet next to the names.
a Mamillius 1 was jealous. Romeo ………… Juliet ………… Tybalt …………
b Leontes 2 saved Polixenes. 8 Answer the questions.
c Hermione 3 loved Perdita. a Where did Romeo first see Juliet?
d Camillo 4 was Perdita’s brother. b When and where was their first conversation?
e Perdita 5 was killed by a bear. c When did they get married?
f Florizel 6 found her parents. d Why did Romeo have to run away?
g Antigonus 7 went to prison. e Who did Juliet’s father want her to marry?
h Perdita 8 was Leontes’s daughter. Hamlet
9 Answer the questions.
King Lear a Who was the ghost, and what did he tell Hamlet?
3 Are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? b Who was Polonius, and who were his children?
a Cordelia was the youngest daughter. c c How and why did Hamlet ‘trap’ Claudius?
b She married the King of France. c d What happened at Ophelia’s funeral, and why?
c Goneril and Regan kept their promises. c e Who suggested the sword fight, and why?
d King Lear went mad. c 10 Write the correct names.
e Cordelia looked after King Lear. c Claudius  Laertes  old Hamlet  Ophelia
4 Put the events in the correct order. Write 1– 8 in young Hamlet
the right places. Who …
a c Goneril and Regan were cruel to Lear. a married his brother’s wife? ……………………
b c Lear became angry with Cordelia. b fell in a stream? ……………………
c c Lear died. c went to his sister’s funeral? ……………………
d c Lear decided to divide his kingdom. d saw a ghost? ……………………
e c Cordelia died. e died in a garden? ……………………
f c Cordelia returned.
Othello
g c Lear went to live outside.
11 Correct one name in every sentence.
h c The Earl of Kent became Lear’s servant.
a Cassio was Iago’s friend.
The Taming of the Shrew b Othello drank too much wine.
5 Choose the correct words. c Cassio stole Desdemona’s handkerchief.
a Katharine was older / younger than Bianca. d Iago killed Desdemona.
b Petruchio was polite / rude to Katharine at first. e Othello was tricked by Desdemona.
c Katharine agreed / refused to marry him. 12 Choose the correct words.
d Petruchio behaved well / badly at the wedding. a Othello was always / became jealous.
e He treated his bride kindly / cruelly. b Iago wanted Cassio’s / Othello’s job.
c Cassio trusted / didn’t trust Iago.
d Desdemona behaved / didn’t behave badly.
e Iago / Othello killed himself.
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