When I first started teaching, I used to teach Shakespeare plays in their entirety–word by word by word. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that method, but over the years, I’ve definitely changed my approach. I’ve attended a few webinars held by the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the influence of those brilliant educators is a major impetus for the adjustment; they strongly advocate for depth over breadth. Another reason for the change? The simple fact that reading a full Shakespeare play takes a lot of time, and time is a resource always in short supply. I’ve found that covering plays more quickly seems to increase the rigor, maintain student interest, and leave time for other pursuits. Plus, plays are meant to be viewed rather than read, so I don’t hesitate to rely heavily on film versions to fill in the gaps for what we do not read aloud in class.
With that said, here are five ideas for covering Act I without reading every word of Act I. However, you could most certainly utilize these ideas alongside students reading the full text in class, or after they’ve been assigned to read the full first act for homework, if you prefer!
Idea #1: Cutting the Scene
This idea is borrowed from Folger Shakespeare Library, but the application for King Lear‘s first act is my own creation. I distribute copies of Act I, Scene I, lines 37-355 (I’m purposefully leaving out the subplot that is introduced in the first 36 lines for now). If you’d like to borrow my PDF script, click here (it will force copy). Students work in groups of 4 (or sometimes 5), with these roles: Lear, Goneril/Burgundy, Regan/France, Cordelia/Kent. (For groups of 5, I split the combined role of Cordelia and Kent into two readers.)
As a group, students read the scene excerpt aloud with their parts. This should be fairly low-stakes, since they are reading simultaneously in small groups, rather than performing for the class. After they’ve finished the reading, I give them these instructions:
Students work collaboratively to cut the scene, which is a sneaky way of getting them to complete a close reading and engage in meaningful discussion about a complex text. Afterwards, students answer the following three questions as an “exit ticket” so that I can check for understanding:
- What is the most important line you saved? What makes this line so important to the scene?
- What is the most useless line you cut? Why was it useless in this scene?
- What is one lingering question you have about Act I, Scene 1?
The next class period, I start by answering lingering questions (or posing them to the class to answer).
Idea #2: The Three Sisters
It’s important that students understand the dynamics between Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia and the differences in their relationships with their father. I created a fun (English teacher “fun”) activity to get students to think more closely about these three characters. It’s called “Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia on the Red Carpet” and it’s for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Click here to take a look!
Idea #3: Choose the Edmund
After students are confident about the main plot that’s established in Scene 1 of the play, it’s time to dive into the subplot involving Gloucester and his two sons, the “legitimate” Edward and the scheming Edmund. I begin by projecting the first 36 lines of the play, and we talk through what we understand about the three characters. I’ll usually ask for volunteers to read the lines aloud. Then, it’s time for Edmund’s soliloquy from Act I, Scene 2.
First, I borrow an idea from Folger Shakespeare Library and students participate in a choral reading of the soliloquy. I put the soliloquy on the screen and ask them to read it to themselves and then rate their understanding on a scale of 1-5. Then, I divide the class in half and have the students alternate reading the lines, which are color-coded on the screen, in unison. I check in again to ask them rate their understanding on a scale of 1-5. Finally, they participate in a partner discussion to check for understanding and rate one last time. Ideally, student confidence with the soliloquy has increased over the three activities. At this point, we talk through any remaining confusion so that students understand the text well.
The next step is to pass out the paper copies of the soliloquy and have students mark it in terms of how they would direct the actor delivering the lines to speak (e.g. emphasis, tone, volume). Then, I play three different versions of Edmund’s soliloquy and ask students to consider the decisions that each actor made and to select their favorite version. Here are some videos that you can choose from, available on YouTube at the time of publication:
- Riz Ahmed
- Adam Lawrence
- Francis Tucker
- Myles Bullock (please preview this first as the character is smoking)
After watching, students vote for their favorite interpretation.
The last step is to direct students to make decisions regarding the nature of Edmund’s character and to substantiate those decisions with text evidence. I distribute a character trait list, like this one, to help students select precise descriptors.
If you like this idea and what to implement it with very little prep, you can find the materials in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Click here to take a look!
Idea #4: Goneril & Oswald Close Reading
This is a quick activity just to make sure that students understand the current dynamics between Goneril and Lear as well as the nature of the relationship between Goneril and Oswald. I like to get students moving during the class period, so for this activity I use random partner generator and ask them to stand and find their partner. Then, they need to decide who will play Goneril and who will play Oswald in a short excerpt from Act I, Scene 3. If you’d like to borrow my PDF script, click here (it will force copy). Students read the short excerpt aloud with parts and then complete these two steps:
- Underline three specific complaints Goneril makes against her father.
- Put a star next to three instructions that Goneril gives to Oswald.
These two tasks lead to a quick whole-class discussion to check for understanding.
Idea #5: Act I Film
Our last Act I activity is watching a film version and answering some close reading questions. For the end-of-act viewings, I use the Amazon Prime version directed by Richard Eyre and starring Anthony Hopkins as King Lear. If you plan to use the same version, I’ll eventually post the video guides. I’m still working on this. 🙂
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I’ll be adding Act II soon! If you’re looking for a good introductory activity for King Lear, check out this post.
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