This exercise will allow you to
explore web sites, so you may gain general background knowledge on William
Shakespeare, and will prepare you for the play by making you answer general
questions about its content.
Please print off the following questions to answer while browsing the web! (See the bottom of this page for sites to begin your search)
1. When and
where was Shakespeare born?
2. Who were
Shakespeare's parents?
3. Who did
Shakespeare marry?
4. How many
children did he have, and what were their names? Also, list one interesting
fact about one
or all of his children.
5. For what
theater company was Shakespeare both a stockholder and an actor?
6. Later, the company changed its name to ________________________ in honor of ___________________.
7. The company
performed at and made famous what outdoor theater? (See Picture Below)
8. Shakespeare's plays have been traditionally
divided into three categories. Please name
them, and give two examples
of each.
9. When did Shakespeare die?
10. Extra Credit: What famous playwright
is rumored to have faked his death and assumed
a new identity
as William Shakespeare?
1. What type of play is Hamlet? (Under which
category from question #8 does it fall?)
2. Where is the setting of the play?
3. In the beginning, Hamlet is mourning the death
of ________________.
4. Hamlet's mother marries _________________.
What is his relation to Hamlet before he
marries Hamlet's mother?
5. The ghost of the answer to #3 demands that
Hamlet do what to the answer in #4?
6. ____________________ is Hamlet's love when
the play begins.
7. Who is Polonius?
8. The best known soliloquy in the play is Hamlet's
_______________________________ speech.
To help you find the answers to these questions, browse
the web. You may
wish to start with these addresses to begin your search:
http://www.imsa.edu/~greenday/macbeth/william.html
http://www.dixie.edu/academics/courses/shakespeare/othersites.htm
http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/Globe.html
http://hometown.aol.com/liadona2/shakespeare.html
http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/timeline/timeline.htm
If
you have any questions or comments on this web lesson, please address them
to: ajdepaolo@mail.viterbo.edu