Title: Shakespeare in Churches: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Transcription

1 Title: Shakespeare in Churches: Something Wicked This Way Comes Suitable for churches with: Churches with intact interiors Curriculum Links: Literacy and Drama Lesson Aims: To provide an opportunity for primary school students to learn about aspects of Shakespeare s life and works as part of a unique Learning Outside the Classroom experience To help students understand the parallels between churches and theatres and understand why churches make appropriate settings for learning about plays To encourage students to work and communicate cooperatively in order to make group decisions and generate outputs together Overview: William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous poet and playwright of all time and there is a growing interest in and emphasis on introducing primary school students to the Bard s work. This workshop provides students with the opportunity to learn about one of Shakespeare s most famous plays, Macbeth, within the unique and dramatic setting of their local historic church. Throughout the workshop students will apply several Literacy skills including discussion, debate, cooperative writing and reciting in order to develop their familiarity with Macbeth and the nature of the key characters in this twisted tale of murder, mayhem and madness! It is not necessary for students to have previous knowledge of Macbeth as a summary of the play is provided. Location: Church based Activities: Introduction - Upon arrival at the church assemble the whole class together and explain that their focus for the workshop will be the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. Through discussion ensure that the students understand who Shakespeare was (16th century English poet and playwright) and how important and influential his works were/are (Shakespeare remains the best selling author of all time, his works have been translated into at least 80 different languages and his plays continue to be performed all over the world). Explain that it might seem strange to have come to a historic church to learn about a Shakespearean play but in actual fact churches make ideal setting for learning about plays because churches and theatres have a lot in common.

2 Illustrate this point by discussing with the class some of the shared similarities between churches and theatres (see Teachers Notes). A Summary of the Play - Remind the students that the Shakespeare play they will focus on during this workshop is called Macbeth. If the class have studied the play ask volunteers to summarise the plot and main characters aloud for the class. If they have little or no previous knowledge of the play, read aloud the summary provided (see Teachers Notes). Tell the students that they will now explore the key characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three Weird Sisters through a series of interactive activities. Getting to Know the Characters - Split the class into three groups and ensure there is at least one adult assigned to each group. The three groups will rotate around three activity stations which are entitled In Their Footsteps, In Their Words and In Their Defence (see Teachers Notes). Writing & Reciting Rhyming Couplets - After the groups have completed all three activity stations reassemble them as a whole class and ask each group to report back on which key characters they found guilty during the In Their Defence activity. Remind them of the Declaration of Innocence statements that they read out for each character during the In Their Defence activity and tell them that they are now going to do another group activity related to these statements - they are going to write out declarations of innocence for each character in the form of poems rather than prose. Read out the information sheet on Rhyming Couplets (provided) to the whole class and discuss the example of rhyming couplets given on that sheet. Then split the class back into their three groups, assign a different key character to each group Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters and send the groups to three separate areas of the church to compose their poems (see Teachers Notes). When the poems have been written reassemble the whole class together and have the groups take it in turns to recite their poems out loud for the other two groups. Plenary: Ask the students to consider how convincing the poetic pleas of innocence were and conduct a final whole class vote to determine who the majority now feel was the guiltiest of the key characters in the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters. Conclude by inviting the students to give their feedback on the workshop (e.g. What did you learn? What did you enjoy? What will you remember most from the experience? Have you been inspired to read Macbeth or any other Shakespeare plays?) Extension Activity: Put on a class performance of Macbeth. Challenge students to read and report on other Shakespeare plays. Instruct students to write individual rhyming couplets poems on different themes.

3 Materials: General Printed copies of information, instruction and support documents for all activities In Their Words Quill pens, Bottled ink Paper (one sheet per child) Clip boards Kitchen roll (to remove excess ink from quills) Hand wipes Writing & Reciting Rhyming Couplets Handwriting pens Thick felt tip markers A3 paper (two sheets per group)

4 Teachers Notes: Shakespeare in Churches - Comparing Churches and Theatres: There are several comparisons that may be drawn between churches and theatres such as: The congregation of a church may be compared to the audience at a theatre The vicar may be compared to an actor both recite words aloud for the benefit of the people gathered to watch and listen to them The vicar s robes may be compared to the actor s costume they are both examples of special clothing worn to identify the wearer and his or her role The pulpit in a church may be compared to the stage of a theatre all eyes are directed towards these performance areas from which the vicar/actor speaks The sermon may be compared to the script words written down for the vicar/actor to recite/perform A Summary of The Play - Background Notes: If students have little or no knowledge of the play share this summary with them: The main character, Macbeth, is a brave soldier and great general in the army of King Duncan, the King of Scotland. When the play begins Macbeth has just led his troops to victory in battle. King Duncan is very proud of him and agrees to stay at Macbeth s Castle. Macbeth however encounters three strange and sinister characters, the Weird Sisters, who tell him their prophecy that they have seen a future where Macbeth becomes King of Scotland! Soon after Macbeth has wicked thoughts about murdering Duncan to make the prophecy come true. Macbeth does like the idea of being King but surprises and scares himself with these thoughts of murder. Macbeth tells his wife of both the prophecy and his thoughts of murder. She likes the idea of Macbeth being King too because it means that she would be Queen and have all of the riches and power she desires! So she encourages Macbeth to turn his wicked thoughts into reality and kill Duncan. She helps plan the murder and assists by drugging Duncan s servants so the coast is clear for Macbeth to kill Duncan. Afterwards Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pretend that the servants committed the murder and have them killed in turn as punishment. Once Macbeth becomes King he starts to worry that he himself might now be in danger of someone else trying to take the crown from him. So he returns to the Weird Sisters to ask if he faces any threats. They reveal to

5 him three apparitions or visions which seem to say that he has nothing to fear. But they are actually veiled or disguised threats. So Macbeth orders more people to be killed anyone who he thinks might want to harm him and take away his power. Macbeth becomes more worried and fearful and commands more murders. Both he and his wife start to go mad. Lady Macbeth, consumed by the guilt she feels about her role in these wicked deeds, ends up taking her own life. And Macbeth s former friends, who now realise the danger he poses to them and the stability of the country, rise up against him and kill Macbeth in order to stop the murder, mayhem and madness. Getting to Know the Characters Preparation Approximately 20 minutes is suggested per activity station. The information and instruction sheets for all three activities (provided) should be printed and brought to the church. The adult supervisors should read the information and instructions aloud to their groups at the beginning of each activity. It is advisable to make a preliminary visit to the church to decide in advance where to set up each activity station. In Their Footsteps - students follow in the footsteps of the countless actors and actresses who have performed the play Macbeth over the past four centuries by reciting lines from the key characters out loud. It is suggested that this activity take place at one of the prominent points in the church where the vicar would have spoken or conducted services from the pulpit, the lectern or the chancel. If using the pulpit make sure in advance that the structure is safe to access. In Their Words students write out lines spoken by the key characters in the play. This activity was conceived as a quill writing exercise so that students gain the experience of writing with the same sort of instrument that Shakespeare himself would have used. It is strongly recommended that you acquire quills and ink (you can purchase these on-line or from craft shops) for your students to use however if this is not possible ordinary hand writing pens may be used instead. This activity should take place in any area of the church away from the other two activities. In Their Defence - students consider the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters and decide collectively within each group which of these key characters was really to blame for the terrible crimes that take place in the play. This activity should take place in any area of the church away from the other two activities. Writing & Reciting Rhyming Couplets Preparation Ensure each group has a copy of their assigned character s Declaration of Innocence statement for reference and a copy of the Poem Writing Instructions to be read aloud to each group by the adult supervisors. Each group should also have two sheets of A3 paper, pens and a thick felt tip

6 marker. Approximately 20 minutes is suggested for the composition of the group poems followed by a recital where each group recites their poem aloud for the whole class. If you wish to deliver this lesson within a church cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust, please contact : learning@thecct.org.uk prior to your visit to confirm church availability. If you wish to deliver this lesson in a church not cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust, please contact the relevant parish or diocese in advance for permission

7 Activity 1: In Their Footsteps William Shakespeare was born just over 450 years ago and in his lifetime he wrote at least 38 plays. In the centuries since, those plays have been performed thousands of times by thousands of actors! A good way to get to know the characters from the play better is to follow in those actors foot steps and have a go at performing yourselves. In this activity you will have the chance to perform a line in the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters. When you are reciting your chosen line try to think like an actor and adjust your voice and your body language to reflect the nature of the character you are portraying for example, would they speak in a strong voice or a soft voice, would they speak with confidence or would they seem doubtful, would they have a smile on their face or a frown, would they stand tall and straight or would they hunch over? Like all good performers, you should speak clearly and project your voice. Churches, like theatres, have very good acoustics which means that sound carries around the buildings very well. It is just as important for a vicar s voice to be heard by the whole congregation as it is for an actor s voice to be heard by the whole audience. When William Shakespeare was alive women were not allowed to be professional actors so all of the roles in his plays, even the female characters, were performed by men. Today we will put a bit of a twist on that and say that anyone can perform any character - the girls may perform as Macbeth and the boys may perform as Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters. Instructions: Read the Quotes to Recite sheet for each character aloud in your group. Each student may then pick one of the quotes to recite. While each student is performing the others should listen quietly.

8 Quotes to Recite: Macbeth Stars, hide your fires: Let not light see my black and deep desires (Macbeth to himself after hearing the prophecy that he will be King of Scotland, thoughts of murder enter Macbeth s head. He is ashamed of these thoughts. In this quote he means that he doesn t want any light shed on these evil thoughts or, in other words, he doesn t want anyone to find out what he has been thinking.) False face must hide what the false heart doth know (Macbeth to Lady Macbeth Macbeth is telling his wife here that even though they are planning terrible things they must continue to appear to be pleasant, happy people so no one suspects they are plotting to murder the king.) Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? (Macbeth speaking to himself before killing Duncan, Macbeth imagines he sees a dagger or knife floating in the air in front of him - a vision of the murder weapon he is about to use and a symbol of the guilt and fear he feels. But this guilt and fear are not enough to cause him to change his mind and he goes through with the murder.)

9 Quotes to Recite: Lady Macbeth But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we'll not fail (Lady Macbeth to Macbeth Macbeth is having doubts about their plan to kill Duncan and take the throne. His wife, who really wants to be Queen, thinks he is being a coward and says to him here that if he summons up all of his courage then their plan can and will succeed.) What's done, is done (Lady Macbeth to Macbeth after murdering Duncan Macbeth struggles to accept what he has done but his wife is basically telling him here that it is too late to have regrets now. He can t change the past, he just has to accept what he has done and get on with being the new king.) Out, damned spot! Out, I say! (Lady Macbeth to herself after the murders Lady Macbeth sleep walks through the castle and imagines that she can see blood stains on her hands which she cannot wash off no matter how hard she tries which is symbolic of the guilt she feels deep down inside.)

10 Quotes to Recite: The Weird Sisters Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble (The three weird sisters together the sisters sing or chant these words out loud together as they work, throwing gruesome ingredients like eye of newt and toe of frog into their magical cauldron to conjure up their supernatural spells and mystic prophecies.) By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes (The second weird sister to the other two the second weird sister says this line just before Macbeth arrives at their cave after he has killed Duncan. It means she can sense when something bad or wicked is approaching in this case that sense is felt as a pricking or tingling in her thumbs and the bad or wicked thing that is causing it is Macbeth himself!) Here I have a pilot s thumb, Wrecked as homeward he did come (The first weird sister to the other two the first sister is telling the others what she did when she asked a lady for a chestnut to eat but the lady refused to give her one. To punish the lady she put a curse on the lady s husband who was a sailor. She cast a spell which caused the pilot or captain of the husband s ship to lose his thumbs so he could not steer the ship safely through a storm. As a result the ship was wrecked and its crew, including the lady s husband, were all lost at sea.)

11 Activity 2: In Their Words Shakespeare was a great writer and wordsmith. He is credited with inventing many phrases that have become common sayings in the English language, phrases like all that glitters is not gold from the play The Merchant of Venice and wild-goose chase from the play Romeo and Juliet. Through the words that he wrote Shakespeare was able to bring his characters to life. The lines that the characters speak in each play reveal a lot about their nature and the kinds of people Shakespeare imagined them to be. Below are three examples of lines from the play Macbeth spoken by Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters. Read the lines and their explanations out loud and discuss with your group what you think the words reveal about each of the characters. Lady Macbeth: But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we'll not fail (Lady Macbeth to Macbeth Macbeth is having doubts about their plan to kill Duncan and take the throne. His wife, who really wants to be Queen, thinks he is being a coward and says to him here that if he summons up all of his courage then their plan can and will succeed.) Macbeth: Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? (Macbeth speaking to himself before killing Duncan, Macbeth imagines he sees a dagger or knife floating in the air in front of him - a vision of the murder weapon he is about to use and a symbol of the guilt and fear he feels. But this guilt and fear are not enough to cause him to change his mind and he goes through with the murder.)

12 The Weird Sisters: Here I have a pilot s thumb, Wrecked as homeward he did come (The first weird sister to the other two the first sister is telling the others what she did when she asked a lady for a chestnut to eat but the lady refused to give her one. To punish the lady she put a curse on the lady s husband who was a sailor. She cast a spell which caused the pilot or captain of the husband s ship to lose his thumbs so he could not steer the ship safely through a storm. As a result the ship was wrecked and its crew, including the lady s husband, were all lost at sea.) You can now get to know these lines even better by copying them out using a quill pen just like the one Shakespeare would have used when he first wrote these lines over 400 years ago! In Shakespeare s time they didn t have computers yet. They didn t even have ball point pens. Instead they used quill pens made out of bird feathers and dipped in pots of liquid ink. Shakespeare would have written all of his plays and poems using quill pens like the ones you are going to use today.

13 Quill Writing Instructions Roll up your sleeves so that you don t get ink on them Choose one of the quotes to copy (if there is time you may copy more than one) Take a quill and dip the tip in the ink, then dab the tip on the kitchen roll to soak up the excess ink so it doesn t blob on your paper, then write. The ink will run out after a few words. When this happens start the process over again Dip, Dab, Write! Be careful not to drag your hand across the paper as you write or you ll smudge your work. If you get ink on your hands do not touch your face. Wipe the ink off on the hand wipes or kitchen roll provided. Remember to write your name on your paper. When you are done put your paper to the side to dry.

14 Quotes to Copy Choose one of these quotes to copy with your quill pen. If you have time you may do more than one: But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we ll not fail. Lady Macbeth Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Macbeth Here I have a pilot s thumb, Wrecked as homeward he did come. The Weird Sisters

15 Activity 3: In Their Defence Begin by reading this summary out loud as a reminder of the main events and key characters in the play: The main character, Macbeth, is a brave soldier and great general in the army of King Duncan, the King of Scotland. When the play begins Macbeth has just led his troops to victory in battle. King Duncan is very proud of Macbeth and agrees to stay at Macbeth s Castle. Macbeth however encounters three strange and sinister characters, the Weird Sisters, who tell him their prophecy that they have seen a future where Macbeth becomes King of Scotland! Soon after Macbeth has wicked thoughts about murdering Duncan to make the prophecy come true. Macbeth does like the idea of being King but surprises and scares himself with these thoughts of murder. Macbeth tells his wife of both the prophecy and his thoughts of murder. She likes the idea of Macbeth being King too because it means that she would be Queen and have all of the riches and power she desires! So she encourages Macbeth to turn his wicked thoughts into reality and kill Duncan. She helps plan the murder and assists by drugging Duncan s servants so the coast is clear for Macbeth to kill Duncan. Afterwards Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pretend that the servants committed the murder and have them killed in turn as punishment. Once Macbeth becomes King he starts to worry that he himself might now be in danger of someone else trying to take the crown from him. So he returns to the Weird Sisters to ask if he faces any threats. They reveal to him three apparitions or visions which seem to say that he has nothing to fear. But they are actually veiled or disguised threats. So Macbeth orders more people to be killed anyone who he thinks might want to harm him and take away his power. Macbeth becomes more worried and fearful and commands more and more murders. Both he and his wife start to go mad. Lady Macbeth, consumed by the guilt she feels about her role in these

16 wicked deeds, ends up taking her own life. And Macbeth s former friends, who now realise the danger he poses to them and to the stability of the country, rise up against him and kill Macbeth in order to stop the murder, mayhem and madness. Now read this information out loud: William Shakespeare wrote many different plays. Some were funny comedies, some were lovey-dovey romances and some were sad or terrible tragedies. Macbeth is definitely a tragedy, with several gruesome murders taking place throughout the play. But just who was really guilty of those murders do you think? Most people would be quick to blame Macbeth himself as he was the person who wielded the knife. But was he really to blame? After all, it was his wife who encouraged him so insistently to kill Duncan so that she could become queen. And she even helped her husband by drugging Duncan s body guards so that the coast would be clear. Or perhaps the real guilt lies with the Weird Sisters? They were the ones who put the idea of power and kingship into Macbeth s mind in the first place. Perhaps they knew all along that the desire for power would lead Macbeth to murder - and they did nothing to stop him! What if you could hold a trial right here in this church today with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters all present? What do you imagine they might say to defend themselves? What if you were a lawyer what would you say to convince other people of the guilt or innocence of each character? And if you were a judge, who would you find guilty? In this activity you will get to find out!

17 In Their Defence Instructions: Read the Declaration of Innocence cards out loud. Each card is written in the character of either Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters and in each declaration they are stating how or why they should be found innocent of the murders and the other characters should be found guilty. After reading each declaration card out loud discuss what each of the characters have said. Do you believe Macbeth? Do you trust the Weird Sisters? Has Lady Macbeth convinced you of her innocence or hasn t she? While you are discussing the characters statements you will probably find that not everyone in your group agrees. Some people might think that a particular character is innocent while others think that same character is guilty. Where there is disagreement you should try to persuade the people When you are finished your discussions you can vote by a show of hands to determine who your group thinks was really to blame for the murders. What do you think the outcome will be?

18 Declaration of Innocence: Macbeth I am innocent. I admit that it was I who killed King Duncan and his servants and it was I who commanded the murders of the others but I was under the spell of those horrible hags, the Weird Sisters. They are far more powerful than I am, with their magic and sorcery. They controlled my every word and movement - they and that wife of mine. She egged me on! She encouraged me to do it so that she would benefit. She wanted the wealth and glory that would come with being Queen. So you see, none of it was really my fault. I was like a puppet being controlled by those evil women! Cut along the line to create two separate declaration cards Declaration of Innocence: Lady Macbeth I am innocent. I admit that I might have encouraged my husband in his desire to become king, but isn t that what any good wife should do? Support her husband? It was not I who actually committed the murders. Yes, I feel terrible about the loss of so many lives at the hands of my husband, but how can I be blamed for his actions? It was Macbeth and those nasty witches who are the cause of all this murder and mayhem. I am just a good and loyal wife who stood by her husband through troubled times. I was an innocent fool. Cut along the line to create two separate declaration cards Declaration of Innocence: The Weird Sisters We are innocent. We simply told Macbeth that we had seen a future where he would be king. We did not tell him that he should commit murder to make the prophecy come true. It was Macbeth and his wife who decided that murder was the only way to gain the throne and keep it. We are not evil witches. We are but three poor, old sisters who try to help others out of the kindness of our hearts by sharing the prophecies that our magic reveals. We have no control over the way other people react to what we say. Macbeth and his wife are the true criminals, not us. We three sisters have done nothing wrong!

19 Rhyming Couplets William Shakespeare was both a playwright and a poet. When he wrote his poems and when he included poetic verses in his plays he often wrote them in rhyming couplets. Rhyming couplets are two lines or sentences that end in rhyming words. In the play Macbeth, the Weird Sisters recite rhyming couplets to list the gruesome ingredients they put into their cauldron to conjure up their spells and prophecies: Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog. Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and owlet's wing. For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. You are now going to write group poems in the style of Shakespeare using rhyming couplets. Your poems will be written in the characters of either Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the Weird Sisters and in the poems your characters are going to declare their innocence.

20 Poem Writing Instructions: Your group will produce one poem between you - you will have to work cooperatively to accomplish this task. Your poem should have at least 3 rhyming couplets in it for a total of at least 6 lines. A good starting point is to have a group brainstorm think of possible words that might be used to describe your character or words that you can imagine your character using to declare his or herself innocent. You may write your ideas on one of the sheets of A3 paper. Choose the best words from the brainstorm and see if you can find rhyming words for each. Once you have at least three pairs of rhyming words work together to fashion them into three pairs of rhyming couplets. You may write your rough ideas on the same sheet of A3. When your group is happy with the rough copy of your poem write it out in good on the second sheet of A3 using a thick felt tip. Write it in big letters so everyone in the group can read them when it is time to recite your poem. If you have time when you are finished writing your poem out in good practice reading it out loud together. When all three groups have completed their poems you will all recite your poems for each other.