Arizona Standards: Select characters from various historical periods and cultures from scripts and other sources and illustrate how these characters have similar needs and motivations, and also retlect the conditions of their time and place.

Student Objectives:
    The students will learn about the theatre of William Shakespeare
    The students will begin to explore the monologues of Shakespeare

Introductory exercise - Hidden Words
     Each student will have a post-it-note on their back, that they have not seen, with a word relating to Shakespeare's theatre. The words might include "Wooden O, Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Soliloquy, Sonnets, Groundlings, Hamlet, Puck, Romeo and Juliet, A Nlidsummer Night's Dream, The Scottish Play, etc.," The students will mingle and give each other hints as to what is on each other's back.  After a few minutes, the students will attempt to guess the phrase on their back.

Introduction to the Globe: Drawing a brief diagram of the Globe on the board, question the students as to the structure of the Globe and elicit responses as to what sort of effects the Elizabethans would use in an open-air theatre. How explicit would the literature have to be to determine the time of day? How would the acting be affected?

Introduction to Elizabethan literature: Distribute copies of selected monologues.
Discuss the monologue. Spend some time translating the monologue into modern English with the students, then have them work in pairs to complete the translation.  Ask students to provide translations based on assumptions they make while reading the dialogue.  Part of the fun is the variety of translations.  Being "right" is less important that exploring and justifying one's opinion to new Shakespeare explorers.  Getting students to talk about their translations and work through the dialogue often opens up a door to good hearted debate over meaning.

One Example Monologue:
A Missummer Night's Dream
Act V, Scene I

Puck:
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumb'red here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding than a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call.
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

*Note - Puck was a stock character of the time. His proper name - Robin Goodfella