What tragedies have you experienced? Do you have any tragic flaws or know of someone who has?
What is a play?
A play is a drama that is performed on a stage.
What is involved in a play?
In a play you have drama, conflict, characters, a setting, props, play writes, music, lighting, etc.
Where did Shakespeare’s plays staged?
English Renaissance theatre.
Who did he write his plays for?
The Queen.
Who was his audience?
His audience was more the people of the courts, because he was afraid of losing the royal favors, which is why he performed here more than in any other place.
Who were the actors/actresses?
His actors were those from the Chamberlain’s and Kings Men.
How were the characters dressed?
Very uptight. Puffy dresses
How did they speak?
Their way of speaking is in the way Shakespeare write his plays, meaning that Shakespeare made his writing and the way it was spoken.
Can we plot a play? Yes. Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution.
What do you think was the cultural background of the actors/actresses? Any people of color?
I would say there might have been because in one of Shakespeare’s plays, Othello, the main character was a man of color.
How many of Shakespeare’s plays have you read or know about?
I haven’t read any but I have heard of Romeo and Juliet.
Have you ever seen an On/Off Broadway play?
No.
Do you like plays? Why or Why not?
I like plays because it is a different kind of literature and it is fun if you actually want to put the play together.
Group Work:
Okay from what you already know, and learned now tell me if you had to put on a play what kind of play would it be, and what would be involved in putting on your play?
Well, I would say a dramatic play of things that happen in our everyday lives like family and love problems. I would involve both men and women, different ethnic backgrounds and a lot of the important events going on at the time.
Here is a topic that you can work on: “if you see something, say something”. Now if this was the name of your play what monologue/dialogue would you expect or write for this play?
I would make it a monologue, maybe when a person sees a suspicious package and wonders what the package contains and then debates with himself whether he should take action and speak up or just assume everything is alright.
