Key features Shakespeare knowledge organiser

SHAKESPEARE KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER

Things I need to know

Performance: Shakespeare’s plays were written to be performed. Theatre in Shakespeare’s time was different – there was no lighting, no roof and some people had to stand to watch a performance. Punctuation: When you are reading a Shakespeare play, you need to get into the habit of looking at the punctuation, not the line breaks, to figure out when a sentence ends. Inventions: Shakespeare invented over 400 words by joining two words together, adding prefixes or suffixes, changing nouns into verbs and coining totally new words. Insults: Shakespeare used impressive insults to keep his audience entertained and amused.

Retired words: Some words that Shakespeare used will look unfamiliar as they have completely fallen out of use or been replaced by more modern words. Pronouns: A pronoun is a part of speech that replaces a noun in a sentence. When Shakespeare was writing his plays, there were more pronouns in speech than we have today. Contractions: Shakespeare often cut out syllables and replaced them with an apostrophe to make the rhythm of a line fit better. Inversions: Sometimes Shakespeare changed the order of words in his lines to fit a particular rhythm or to make a rhyme. Skills I will develop Engaging and participating in dramatic oral communication exercises Delivering short oral texts using appropriate language Identifying and understanding the grammatical features of Shakespeare’s English Reading and understanding a Shakespearean text Project Who Was William Shakespeare?: Researching and writing about the life and times of William Shakespeare ©The Educational Company of Ireland