Time to work!

Here you've got the guidelines for your project. Organize your information in a power point presentation or any other multimedia support (blog, podcast...) It's up to you!

The deadline for handing in projects is 20th February

For questions, doubts... write a comment!

Send me your projects to gemma@hotmail.es

PROJECT WORK

1. ANSWER A MINIMUM OF 2 QUESTIONS :

1. Who were the Shakespeares and the Ardens, and what was each family's place in local society?

2. When do historians think that Shakespeare arrived in London? What is the reason he may have had to leave Stratford?

3. What was the population of London during Shakespeare's time? Can you briefly describe what the city was like at the time? How did it smell like?

4. Who was the ruler when Shakespeare first came to London? Who were her parents? Was she a good queen? Why?

5. What was the established religion in England during Shakespeare times? Who was Henry VIII? How did he and his daughter influence religion in England?

6. Who was Cristopher Marlowe? Which kind of relationship did he have with Shakespeare? How did he die? What might have been suspicious circumstances surrounding his death?

7. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write? Who is believed to be the "Dark Lady" of the sonnets? Who else, other than Shakespeare, is believed to have written his plays?




8. Who were the Puritans? What were some of their beliefs? What did they think of the theatre and the actors in Shakespeare's time?

9. What were the main theatres in Shakespeare's times? Where did Shakespeare use to act? What are the names of the acting companies with which Shakespeare was associated?

2. COMMENT ON THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PLAY AND ITS FILM VERSION.

2.1. Baz Luhrman, the film director, updated the story. Although the film is still very similar to Shakespeare's original work, CHARACTERS have suffered some changes and some ELEMENTS have also been substituted by their corresponding modern versions (e.g. swords for guns) Comment on these differences.

2.2. Choose ONE of these topics and analyze its role within the play:

- SETTING: Italian Verona has been renamed into Verona Beach. Why? Where is it? What is The Globe in the film? If you are working with a blog, use TAGZANIA to locate it.

- IMAGERY: there are lots of metaphors and images in the film: WATER (swimming pool, beach, aquarium...) and FIRE (petrol station, fights...), DAY and NIGHT, the MOON. What do they mean?

- LANGUAGE: which characters speak in verse? which in prose? When? Why do the characters speak in American English if Shakespeare was British? The film has no longer a narrator. Who takes this part instead? Why?

- DREAMS: In Shakespeare's play dreams play an important role. Why? How have they been translated into Luhrman's film? Why is Queen Mab cited?

- THE FANCY DRESS PARTY: Are the costumes the characters wear in the party relevant? What do they represent? Relate the knightly armour to chivalric love.

- RELIGION: Religion is something by which the two families justify their actions. There are many religious references in the film (e.g. in the title). Which are they? Why? Do they also appear in Shakespeare’s work?

When was

born?