This quest contains all the information you need for studying the Renaissance period of English literary history. It is a compulsory part of your 4V Language Portfolio. It will also return in your Literary History SE which you will sit in 6V.
2. Literary History SE
Overview
In the Literary History SE, you will be tested on your knowledge of the main events and works of English literary history, starting with the Middle Ages and up to the modern day. You will study the following eras and disciplines:
Literary eras
Middle Ages (4V)
Renaissance (5V 4V)
Romantic Poetry (5V)
Victorian Age (5V)
Early 20th Century (6V)
Disciplines
poetry
theatre
novels
Organisation & SE
Organisation
We will study literary history at various points in your school career, so it is important that you organise your materials properly. I urge you to start a Literary History File, either in paper in a new notebook or digitally in a Pages document. I also advise you to create a separate Literary History File tile in Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
SE
In 6-vwo, you will sit an SE on Literary History. In it, you will answer questions about literary terms and eras, and you will analyse fragments of literature using the knowledge you have gained over the years.
This SE is a written test lasting 100 minutes and counts for 10% towards your final PTA mark.
3. Historical background
➜ Start this part of your Literary History File with a title page: Renaissance. Find an appropriate illustration here.
➜ Study the links and videos below to get an idea of the historical background of the Renaissance in England.
➜ Write a summary in your Literary History File of what you've learned. Be sure to include the following key words / people in your summary: key words: renewed interest in Classical times, Humanism, Thomas More, Utopia, The Tudor dynasty (Henry VIII, Elizabeth I), Protestantism, Renaissance theatre
➜ Upload your summary to Seesaw/Egodact.
1. The Renaissance Period Explained - All you need to know An 8-minute crash-course on the most essential concepts to understand about the European Renaissance
2. Introduction to English Renaissance Theatre. A rather lengthy but very elaborate video covering a general introduction to the Elizabethan Era, Shakespeare and his works, and the way the theatres were run in the Renaissance.
3. History vs Henry VIII A fun courtroom twist discussing the good and bad sides of King Henry VIII, one of the most famous Tudor kings.
4. Renaissance Literature
For Renaissance literature, we are focusing on two genres: poetry and theatre.
Each section is presented as follows:
Introduction: a basic introduction to the genre and why it is relevant to our studies. You will find key terms and phrases to remember in bold. These terms and phrases should find their way into your Literary History File.
Literary fragment(s): one or more fragments, translated to a more modern English to make it easier to understand. Often paired with comprehension questions.
Study questions: one or more assignments that analyse the work on a deeper level. The answers to these should be included in your Literary History File.
4a. Poetry: Sonnets
4a. Introduction
The Sonnet
Due to the spread of literacy and the rise of the printing press from the fourteenth century onwards, new forms of literature developed and gained popularity in Renaissance England. Poetry was seen as an art form, and new forms such as the sonnet were imported from Italy and adapted for the English language. A sonnet is bound to all sorts of rules and restrictions, making it a challenge to write and, when pulled off successfully, an admirable feat.
The sonnet (from Italian "sonnetto" = little song) was invented in Italy in the thirteenth century and popularised by the Italian poet Petrarch. A classical or Petrarchan sonnet consists of:
fourteen lines, subdivided as follows:
two quatrains, stanzas of four lines
and two tercets, stanzas of three lines
between the quatrains and tercets, there is often a volta or plot twist. Often, the first eight lines posed a problem or question, and the last six lines offered a solution.
a rhyme scheme of ABAB-ABAB-CDC-DCD
In the sixteenth century, the sonnet was popularised in England by Sir Thomas Wyatt, a diplomat and poet. The English language is not as flexible as Italian when it comes to rhyming words, so some changes were made to the original rules. The changed form is often called a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet, and follows these rules:
fourteen lines, subdivided as follows:
three quatrains, stanzas of four lines
and one rhyming couplet, a stanza of two lines
the volta is between the quatrains and the couplet. Often, the couplet functions as a pithy summary, making the final point and then, as it were, dropping the mic.
the metre is iambic pentameter
this means each line consists of ten syllables, alternately stressed: da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM.
a rhyme scheme of ABAB-CDCD-EFEF-GG
Analysing poetry
A poet has a wide range of literary techniques to enhance the message and heighten the emotional impact of the poem. When analysing poetry, it helps to be aware of these techniques. Below, you will find an overview of the techniques you'll need to be able to recognise and describe. We will discuss these terms in class.
➜ Below you will find three sonnets by William Shakespeare.
➜ Read each sonnet a couple of times; don't forget to read it out loud. This will help you understand them better.
➜ Do the exercise you will find after each sonnet.
➜ Upload screenshots of your results to Seesaw, and copy the link to your Literary History Filein Egodact.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
To study poetry, you need to experience it: either the writing or the reciting of it. Therefore, you can choose between these two assignments below.
➜ Do one of the assignments below.
Assignment A: WRITE the poetry
➜ This assignment is easily explained: write your own sonnet.
➜ Make sure you follow the rules of a sonnet. You are free to choose between a Petrarchan sonnet or a Shakespearean sonnet.
➜ Upload your sonnet to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Assignment B: RECITE the poetry
➜ Choose one of the three sonnets we studied in this quest.
➜ Go to YouTube and look for three readings of one of these sonnets. Below you will find a few of Mrs W's favourites...
➜ Take notes on the readings you found
who is reciting the poem?
how is the poem read? Think of pace, volume, emphasis, pauses, tone...
which is your favourite and why?
➜ Make a video or audio recording of yourself reciting the sonnet you chose.
➜ Upload your recording to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Although William Shakespeare wasn't the only playwright in Renaissance England, he is surely the best-known one. Shakespeare wrote many different types of plays and a grand total of 37 plays.
Plays are meant to be played and seen, rather than read, of course. This means we will be studying bits of the script alongside video fragments of actors actually playing the scene.
A play doesn't have chapters like a book. Instead, a script is divided into acts; these acts are further subdivided into scenes. When quoting from plays, we therefore refer to the act and scene number of a quote. For example: "To be, or not to be; that is the question" - Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1.
A classic tragedy consists of five acts following a typical narrative pattern: introduction - rise - climax - fall - catastrophe.
A play's text consists of stage directions and script. The script can contain dialogues, spoken interaction between two or more characters (sometimes interrupted by asides, where a player says something that the other characters supposedly can't hear, but the audience can), monologues, where a character speaks at length to one or more other characters or soliloquys, where a character is alone on the stage and gives voice to their thoughts so that the audience can still follow the story.
There are different types of plays. The first type of play we are studying is the tragedy. Tragedies were already written by the Greeks, famous examples being Oedipus or Antigone. It is a story revolving around a tragic hero,which is a hero with a character flaw that somehow leads to their doom. A tragedy typically ends with the main character dying. In Grecian times, most of the violence happened off-stage, but Shakespeare was writing for the masses and the masses want to be entertained, so Shakespeare's tragedies are filled with fighting, stabbing, poisoning, drowning and in one case even baking an enemy into a pie and serving it to their mother.
We will be studying fragments from two plays: Hamletand Othello.
In the videos below, you will find more information on William Shakespeare himself, Shakespearean tragedies as a genre, and summaries of both Hamlet and Othello.
4b. Literary Fragment(s)
➜ Below you will find two fragments from Hamletand Othello.
➜ Read the original text on the left and use the modern translation on the right to help you understand the fragments better.
➜ Do the exercise you will find after each fragment.
➜ Upload screenshots of your results to Seesaw, and copy the link to your Literary History Filein Egodact.
Hamlet - To be or not to be... Act 3, Scene 1
Introduction: this is the most famous soliloquy(=a long speech where a character talks to himself/herself or voices his/her thoughts aloud for the benefit of the audience) from Hamlet, starting with what is probably the most famous line from Shakespeare's entire repertoire: "To be, or not to be, that is the question".
In this soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates the point of his existence: should he take action and fight against his fate, or give up, accept defeat and end it all.
soliloquy
modern translation
To be, or not to be? That is the question—
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to [...]
The question is: is it better to be alive or dead?
Is it nobler to put up with all the nasty things
that luck throws your way,
or to fight against all those troubles
by simply putting an end to them once and for all?
Dying, sleeping—that’s all dying is—a sleep
that ends all the heartache and shocks
that life on earth gives us
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
[...] Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of? [...]
After all, who would put up with all life’s humiliations—
Who would choose to grunt and sweat through an
exhausting life, unless they were afraid of something
dreadful after death, the undiscovered country
from which no visitor returns, which we wonder about
Introduction: Cassio has fallen out of favour with Othello, and asks Iago for advice. Iago tells him to go to Desdemona and ask her to speak to Othello on his behalf. He plans to tell Othello that Desdemona is secretly in love with Cassio, to make him jealous when she brings him up.
IAGO
And what’s he then that says I play the villain?
When this advice is free I give and honest,
Probal to thinking and indeed the course
To win the Moor again? […]
His soul is so enfettered to her love,
That she may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite shall play the god
With his weak function. How am I then a villain
To counsel Cassio to this parallel course,
Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When devils will the blackest sins put on
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows
As I do now. For whiles this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortune
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear:
That she repeals him for her body’s lust.
And by how much she strives to do him good
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.
IAGO
Who can say I’m evil
when my advice is so good?
That’s really the best way
to win the Moor back again[…]
He’s so enslaved by love
that she can make him do
whatever she wants.
How am I evil
to advise Cassio to do exactly what’ll do him good?
That’s the kind of argument you’d expect from Satan!
When devils are about to commit their biggest sins
they put on their most heavenly faces,
just like I’m doing now. And while this fool
is begging Desdemona to help him,
and while she’s pleading his case to the Moor,
I’ll poison the Moor’s ear against her,
hinting that she’s taking Cassio’s side because of her lust for him.
The more she tries to help Cassio,
the more she’ll shake Othello’s confidence in her.
There are different ways of analysing and thinking about theatre. Below, you will find four types of assignments. You will choose one type for Hamlet, and another for Othello.
Assignment A: be the CRITIC
➜ Watch and compare three interpretations of the soliloquy (links below).
➜ While watching, take notes on...
who plays the role, when and where? (theatre? film? TV?);
what do you like/enjoy in this interpretation?;
compare and contrast the differences in the actor's textual interpretation: think about pace, emphasis, pauses, volume...;
compare and contrast the differences in the actor's physical interpretation: think about looks, gestures, tone...;
compare and contrast the differences in the setting: think about costumes, decor, use of colour, cinematography...;
➜ Use your notes to write an article (250-300 words). Tips for writing an article can be found on this page.
➜ Upload your article to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Assignment B: be the ACTOR
➜ Make a video recording of yourself doing the soliloquy.
Feel free to watch the interpretations in the links below for inspiration.
Use props, decor, costumes if you need.
Learn the soliloquy BY HEART.
Ready, set, action!
➜ Upload your video to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Assignment C: be the POET
➜ Study the monologue, and underline examples of alliteration, assonance, personification etc.
What is the rhythm of the text?
Does Shakespeare use the rhythm or other techniques to emphasise certain phrases?
➜ Write a descriptive essay (250-300 words) about your findings. Tips for writing an essay can be found on this page.
➜ Upload your article to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Assignment D: be the PSYCHIATRIST
➜ FOR HAMLET: Study the monologue, underline the phrases that Hamlet uses to talk about his feelings. Do you think Hamlet is depressed? Or suicidal? Find out what critics have said about Hamlet's mental health. Which do you think is the most credible analysis and why?
➜ FOR OTHELLO: Study the monologue, underline the phrases that Iago uses to talk about his own manipulative scheme. What does this say about Iago's character? Do some additional research into Iago's character using the sources below. Can you think of a convincing backstory for someone to become like Iago?
➜ Write a descriptive essay (250-300 words) about your findings. Tips for writing an essay can be found on this page.
➜ Upload your article to Seesaw and copy the link to your Literary History File in Egodact.
Unfortunately, there aren't as many famous renditions of Othello as there are of Hamlet... so there's one below from famous Shakespearean actor Kenneth Brannagh, one from a live production in Shakespeare's The Globe Theatre and then a few from lesser known actors and even random YouTubers for you to compare the professionals to...
In the previous section, we explored the genre of tragedy. Its polar opposite is the comedy. It is defined as a dramatic performance with a light and humorous tone and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. If you want to make a blunt statement, you could say that where tragedies always end in death, comedies always end in weddings.
The introduction to our previous section already contains most of the information you need to understand comedies. These, too, are divided into acts and scenes, and can contain dialogue, monologues and asides. An additional technique that sometimes happens in theatre, and that we will look at in our text fragment, is the breaking of the fourth wall, which is when the players momentarily step outside the play, as it were, and address the audience directly.
Watch the videos below to get an idea of why studying A Midsummer Night's Dream is a good idea and what the story is about.
4c. Literary Fragment(s)
Midsummer Night's Dream
➜ Below you will find three fragments from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
➜ Read the original text on the left and use the modern translation on the right to help you understand the fragments better.
➜ Watch the video you will find after each fragment, each showing a different theatrical production of the scene you've read.
➜ Write a short summary of the three scenes in your own word, and review the videos. Which was your favourite, and why? Include this in your Literary History Fileand upload it to Seesaw and link it in Egodact.
Introduction to the play
To be honest, A Midsummer Night's Dream is not the simplest play that Shakespeare has written. There are a few storylines that intermingle and sometimes get tangled, fortunately to get solved in the end. The characters are chasing each other around in varying circumstances, and there's confusion, misunderstandings, mischief and mayhem all around. Oh, and there's fairies, too. The geographical setting of the play is Athens, Greece; the historical setting is foggy, at best.
Please make sure you have watched the videos on the previous page, outlining the general plot of the play.
Act 3 Scene 1
Introduction: In this part, a group of 'mechanics', or simple labourers, is preparing to rehearse a play they want to perform at the Duke's wedding feast. The group is supposedly led by Quince the carpenter, but in fact dominated by the outrageously annoying Bottom the weaver. The play is 'Pyramus and Thisbe', which is an ancient Roman story about two doomed lovers.
BOTTOM
Are we all met?
BOTTOM
Are we all here?
QUINCE
Pat, pat. And here’s a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house, and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
QUINCE
Pat, pat. Here's a nice place for our rehearsal. This green patch will be our stage, this bush our curtains, and we will perform it as we will do it before the duke.
BOTTOM
Peter Quince—
BOTTOM
Peter Quince—
QUINCE
What sayest thou, bully Bottom?
QUINCE
What do you want, Bottom?
BOTTOM
There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?
BOTTOM
There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that just don't work. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which will frighten the ladies. What do you think of that?
SNOUT
By 'r lakin, a parlous fear.
SNOUT
Gee golly, that's really scary..
STARVELING
I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
STARVELING
Let's just leave the killing out.
BOTTOM
Not a whit. I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to say we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed. And for the more better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them out of fear.
BOTTOM
No need. I have a plan to make all well. Write me a prologue, and let the prologue say we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed. And to make it even more assuring, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will ease their minds.
QUINCE
Well. We will have such a prologue, and it shall be written in eight and six.
QUINCE
Well. I will write such a prologue, and it shall be written in eight and six line.
BOTTOM
No, make it two more. Let it be written in eight and eight.
[Bottom also proposes to write a second prologue to comfort the ladies by telling him the person playing the Lion is not actually a real lion, but just an actor]
QUINCE
Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber. For, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.
QUINCE
Okay, let's do it that way. But there are two more things that bug me: the first, how to bring the moonlight into a chamber. For, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.
SNOUT
Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?
SNOUT
Does the moon shine on the night we play our play?
BOTTOM
A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac. Find out moonshine, find out moonshine!
BOTTOM
A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac. Find out moonshine, find out moonshine!
QUINCE
(takes out a book) Yes, it doth shine that night.
QUINCE
(takes out a book) Yes, it shines that night.
BOTTOM
Why then, may you leave a casement of the great chamber window where we play open, and the moon may shine in at the casement.
BOTTOM
Well, then you may leave a small window of the room where we play open, and the moon can shine in through the window.
QUINCE
Ay. Or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber. For Pyramus and Thisbe, says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.
QUINCE
That's possible. Or someone must come in carrying a bush of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to represent the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber. For Pyramus and Thisbe, says the story, talked through the chink of a wall.
SNOUT
You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
SNOUT
You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
BOTTOM
Some man or other must present Wall. And let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some roughcast about him to signify wall. And let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper.
BOTTOM
One of us must represent the Wall. And let him carry some plaster, or some sticky mud, or some other building material to symbolise the wall. And let him hold his fingers like this, and through this little space Pyramus and Thisbe shall whisper.
Act 3 Scene 2
In this scene, both Lysander and Demetrius have been bewitched to fall in love with Helena. Hermia cannot believe what is happening and finally turns on Helena, furious that she has stolen her love.
HERMIA
O me!
(to HELENA) You juggler! You canker-blossom!
You thief of love! What, have you come by night
And stol'n my love’s heart from him?
HERMIA
O poor me!
(to HELENA) You juggler! You tumor-flower!
You thief of love! What, have you come by night
And stolen my love’s heart from him?
HELENA
Fine, i' faith!
Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
Fie, fie! You counterfeit, you puppet, you!
HELENA
I beg your pardon!
Don't you have any modesty, no young girl's shame,
No touch of humility? What, are you going to try
to rip out my tongue to get your answers?
For shame! You wannabe, you little doll, you!
HERMIA
“Puppet”? Why so?—Ay, that way goes the game.
Now I perceive that she hath made compare
Between our statures. She hath urged her height,
And with her personage, her tall personage,
Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.—
And are you grown so high in his esteem
Because I am so dwarfish and so low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? Speak.
How low am I? I am not yet so low
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.
HERMIA
“Little doll”? What do you mean?— Oh, that's how you want to play it.
Now I see that she is making comparisons
Between our builds. She has drawn attention to how tall she is,
And with her person, her tall person,
Her height, you know, she has won him over.—
And does he think so highly of you
Because I am so dwarfish and so low?
How low am I, you painted maypole? Speak.
How low am I? I am not that low
That I can't scratch your eyes out.
HELENA
(to LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS)
I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,
Let her not hurt me. I was never cursed.
I have no gift at all in shrewishness.
I am a right maid for my cowardice.
Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think,
Because she is something lower than myself,
That I can match her.
HELENA
(to LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS)
Please, though you make fun of me, gentlemen,
Let her not hurt me. I have never been cursed at before.
I am no good at saying mean things.
I am a little cowardly, like a young girl.
Don't let her hit me. Maybe you think,
Because she is a little shorter than me,
That I can take her easily.
HERMIA
“Lower”? Hark, again!
HERMIA
“Shorter”? There, she says it again!
HELENA
Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.
I evermore did love you, Hermia,
Did ever keep your counsels, never wronged you—
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,
I told him of your stealth unto this wood.
He followed you. For love I followed him.
But he hath chid me hence and threatened me
To strike me, spurn me—nay, to kill me too.
And now, so you will let me quiet go,
To Athens will I bear my folly back
And follow you no further. Let me go.
You see how simple and how fond I am.
HELENA
Sweet Hermia, don't be so bitter with me.
I have always been your friend, Hermia,
I always kept your secrets, never did you wrong—
Except that, because I love Demetrius,
I told him of you sneaking away into this forest.
He followed you. For love I followed him.
But he turned me away and threatened me
To hit me, despise me— even to kill me too.
And now, if you will let me go quietly,
I will go back to Athens like a fool
And follow you no further. Let me go.
You see how simple and how nice I am.
HERMIA
Why, get you gone! Who is ’t that hinders you?
HERMIA
Well go away then! What is stopping you?
HELENA
A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
HELENA
A foolish heart, that I leave behind here.
HERMIA
What, with Lysander?
HERMIA
Are you in love with Lysander?
HELENA
With Demetrius.
HELENA
With Demetrius.
LYSANDER
Be not afraid. She shall not harm thee, Helena.
LYSANDER
Don't be afraid. She won't harm you, Helena.
DEMETRIUS
(to LYSANDER)
No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part.
DEMETRIUS
(to LYSANDER)
No, sir, she won't, but it won't be because you're cheering her on.
HELENA
Oh, when she’s angry, she is keen and shrewd!
She was a vixen when she went to school.
And though she be but little, she is fierce.
HELENA
Oh, when she’s angry, she gets mean and spiteful!
She was a bad girl when she went to school.
And although she is only little, she is fierce.
HERMIA
“Little” again? Nothing but “low” and “little”!—
Why will you suffer her to flout me thus?
Let me come to her.
HERMIA
“Little” again? Nothing but “low” and “little”!—
Why will you let her call me such names?
Let me at her!
LYSANDER
(to HERMIA) Get you gone, you dwarf,
You minimus of hindering knotgrass made,
You bead, you acorn!
LYSANDER
(to HERMIA) Go away, you dwarf,
You little pinky made of weeds,
You bead, you acorn!
DEMETRIUS
You are too officious
In her behalf that scorns your services.
Let her alone. Speak not of Helena.
Take not her part. For if thou dost intend
Never so little show of love to her,
Thou shalt aby it.
DEMETRIUS
You are trying too hard
For someone who isn't interested in you
Leave her alone. Don't talk about Helena.
Don't take her part. Because you used to be in love with Hermia
So you can't say you love Helena now,
Or you will be sorry for it.
LYSANDER
Now she holds me not.
Now follow, if thou darest, to try whose right,
Of thine or mine, is most in Helena.
LYSANDER
Hermia doesn't interest me anymore.
So follow me and let's fight it out, if you dare, to see which of us,
most deserves to be with Helena.
DEMETRIUS
“Follow”? Nay, I’ll go with thee, cheek by jowl.
DEMETRIUS
“Follow”? No, I'll be right there at your side.
Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS
Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS
HERMIA
You, mistress, all this coil is long of you.
Nay, go not back.
HERMIA
You, girl, you caused all this trouble.
Don't you run away.
HELENA
I will not trust you, I,
Nor longer stay in your curst company.
Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray.
My legs are longer though, to run away.
HELENA
I will not trust you, I,
Nor will I stay any longer stay with you.
You're more eager for a fight than I am,
But my legs are longer, so I can run away.
Exit HELENA
Exit HELENA
HERMIA
I am amazed and know not what to say.
HERMIA
I can't even.
Act 5 Scene 1
The fairy Puck, also known as Robin, is left alone on stage to finish the play. He breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly.
ROBIN
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended—
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearnèd 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.
ROBIN
If we actors/shadows have offended you,
Just think this, and all will be well ---
That you have simply been asleep
While you were here looking at this story.
And this simple and insignificant little story,
Was nothing but a dream.
Gentle people, don't be angry,
If you will forgive us, we will do better next time.
And, because I'm an honest Puck,
If we are undeservedly lucky
That you won't hiss at us for this play,
We will perform a better play for you soon.
If our next play isn't better, you can call the Puck a liar.
So goodnight, everyone.
Clap your hands if you liked us,
And Robin will make it better for you soon.
4c. Study Questions
5. Assessment
5a. Checklist
Want to check whether you've done all the assignments that go with this quest? Use this checklist!
Historical Background
summary
Poetry: Sonnets
Literary fragments: 3 screenshots for comprehension exercises
Study question: an original sonnet or a sonnet reading
Theatre: Tragedies
Literary fragments: 2 screenshots for comprehension exercises
Study question: two assignments, one for Hamlet, one for Othello
Theatre: Comedies
[update: not required in year 2021/2022]
5b. Rubric
Your work for the Literary History File is part of your Language Portfolio.
Below, you will find how your work will be assessed.
Good
Pass
Insufficient
Assignments
Your work is complete;
You've paid attention to the lay-out and design of your work, adding images where necessary;
You've made an effort in your study questions, showing your literary insight.
Your work is complete.
Your work is incomplete.
Class participation & interaction
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've taken notes during classes;
You've shown an interest in participating in class discussions and/or asked questions to further your understanding and insight.
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've answered questions during class discussions if prompted.
You've skipped classes;
You've been mentally absent during classes and often didn't know what was being discussed.
5c. Study Help
Concepts & terms to remember
Check your Literary History file whether you've taken notes on all these concepts/terms.
Het arrangement 4V Renaissance (Literary History) is gemaakt met
Wikiwijs van
Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt,
maakt en deelt.
Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding 4.0 Internationale licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding vrij bent om:
het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
het werk te bewerken - te remixen, te veranderen en afgeleide werken te maken
voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
