Conclusion

Here are some final remarks about the quality of each group´s product.

This is your last English presentation in your school career. Try and make it the climax of all your presentations!

 

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." Hamlet quote (Act II, Scene II)

 

Some general remarks / points to ponder:

  1. The other students of your class have not worked on the same topic. Some may consider Shakespeare boring. Make your presentation lively and entertaining!

  2. Make sure you use language that can be understood by your classmates. Do not copy from your internet sources but re-write complicated sentences in your own words.

  3. Carefully select the information you want to present. Make sure your presentation is short and to the point. Avoid overlaps with other group members. Avoid information overload!

  4. Listening to a presentation is quite strenuous. Ensure your presentation has a clear structure and the audience always has the chance to check at which point of your presentation they are. Try hard to make the information you provide stick in the listener´s mind.

 

"Brevity is the soul of wit". - 

Hamlet Quote (Act II, Scene II).
 

 

Individual Hints

 

Shakespeare´s Biography

This is going to be the first presentation on P-Day (Presentation Day). Be aware that the two groups after you will focus on the question whether William Shakespeare has really written all the plays and sonnets published under his name. You may want to point out what is really fact and what is fiction about Will´s life. Pointing out what we don´t know about Shakespeare may be important for the audience in order to make up their mind on the validity of the claims of each of the following groups. In order for the audience to be able to appreciate Shakespeare the poet provide some information on his works as well. Give the gist of  three of his most important works (which themes do they deal with). Make sure the audience understands Shakespeare´s greatness. Think of a lively way to present Shakespeare. Why not have Shakespeare interviewed by a reporter or invite some people who knew Shakespeare well to a talk show about Shakespeare?

 

Shakespeare´s Authorship

You are working on an unsolved mystery. The whole matter is rather complicated. Make sure the audience understands why this mystery cannot be easily solved. Show the complexity of the problem but make sure you don´t ask too much of your audience.

Talk to the second group that also tries to answer the question who really wrote all those plays. Make sure you avoid repetitions. Why not be creative and have the different contestants act out a debate in front of the class. Have Shakespeare, Marlow, de Vere etc. appear in the classroom and argue their case. Or put them on trial or send them to a court of inquiry!

 

Elizabethan World View

In order to understand Shakespeare some knowledge about the times he lived in is required. The effect of Shakespeare´s plays is mostly based on the philosophical, religious and mythical ideas of his time. Natural sciences were still in their fledgling´s stages. So the knowledge about the function of the body and the influence of nature on it was mainly guided by ancient beliefs. People believed in the chain of being, the wheel of fortune, etc. and they were superstitious about supernatural appearances as might occur in a thunderstorm, magical tricks or dreams.

                                                           

Point out the main concepts people believed in. Also provide some information on the woman that gave the era its name. Be careful not to let the audience get lost in a maze of details. Rather provide a general overview of the era and give your own opinion whether the Elizabethan Age was a merry one (as it was called) or a gloomy one.