Reply To: Shakespeare’s five books:Macbeth etc
Summary for lesson 5:
What did we cover
– Reflected on last week’s lesson
– Summarised the first half of the play
– Discussed whether Julius Caesar should be considered the tragic hero
– Discussed key contextual points (i.e. Elziabeth’s reign, Fate)
– Worked through the questions for the first half of Julius Caesar
Class report
I was delighted to see the students be so excited to start our third text, Julius Caesar. They engaged so well in our discussions on Tragedy last week, and this lesson that level of interest and enthusiasm continued to show itself.
We began by briefly going over the texts we have looked at so far and what themes/ideas seem to recur in Shakespeare’s tragedies. After hearing a summary of the first half of the text, we moved on to debate whether Julius Caesar should be considered the tragic hero of the text (since he dies half way through). The students had some incredibly interesting and well informed opinions, and it was wonderful to see them be willing to counter points raised by me and other students.
We then moved onto discuss some contextual information (largely the reign of Elizabeth I and how that related to the play and the way it would have been received). We also discussed the changes Shakespeare made to his original source. I have been so pleased to see that, with
every lesson, the students are becoming more and more confident and willing to share their ideas. It is clear that they are engaging well with the material, and that they have a genuine interest.
Next, we went through the questions for the first half of the play. We would frequently linger on some points and have longer debates, all of which were very intriguing. It is fantastic to see the students always wanting to add another point; there is rarely not a hand up!
I would like to end by mentioning how impressed I have been not only by the level the students are performing at, but the friendliness and interest they are showing; they have
started to really listen and respond to each other, and it makes for a very warm and safe space.
Home work for lesson 5:
Imagine you are any one of the main characters. Write a diary entry recounting the events
from their point of view.
OR
Write a short summary of what you expect to happen next and why.
VIPERS questions for lesson 6 to be discussed on Monday