Shakespeare’s Globe ExhibitionSchools’ Activity Book

Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition provides a theatrical, social and historical context to the staging of Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theatre. This activity book contains photocopiable material to provide students with pathways through the Exhibition.

The material in this book suggests six characters who are planning a visit to Shakespeare’s London. The character profiles are of varying complexity, number one being the most difficult and number six the easiest.

Before your visit, students should be divided into groups of five or six to plan their research. Since the characters are imaginary, but based on real people, a very personal approach is possible. Students, especially the younger ones, may choose to build up a lifestyle for their character, giving their children names or building up life histories based on their research.

Please note that the ‘dating’ of this imaginary visit cannot be exact, since exhibits cover a range of time from before the building of the first Globe in 1599 to the present reconstruction.

Information about Shakespeare’s Globe is available on our website: www.shakespeares-globe.org

Your group booking

All groups of 15 or more people should book their visit to Shakespeare’s Globe in advance.

The Exhibition visit includes a guided tour of the Globe Theatre. To book this option please contact: 020 7902 1500 (+44 20 7902 1500)exhibition@shakespearesglobe.com

If you wish to book Globe Education’s A Day On Bankside Programme (workshop, Exhibition visit and guided Theatre visit) please contact: 020 7902 1433 (+44 20 7902 1433)livelyaction@shakespearesglobe.com

If you have a question regarding your visit or your booking, please contact the appropriate department.

What to bring

Students will need a clipboard (or something to press on) with their character profile/task sheet and pencils. Please note that students will need to carry all of their belongings with them, as there are no cloakroom or luggage storage facilities.

Please advise students that eating or drinking in the Exhibition is not allowed.

There is a shop selling a wide range of postcards, posters, souvenirs, gifts and books. A range of products is also available online to purchase in advance of your visit: www.globe-shop.com

On arrival

Entry to the Exhibition is via the entrance on Bankside, near to the Millennium Bridge. You will be directed to the appropriate till to be issued tickets for your group. To avoid delay, please have your confirmation papers ready and make cheques payable to ‘The Shakespeare Globe Trust’.

Toilets are available on both levels inside the Exhibition.

All the information required to complete the tasks in this activity book can be found from the static exhibits and accompanying displays. Additional information can be gained from the interactive touchscreens, sound stations and videos. Please ask your students to use the left-hand touchscreen where possible, as this also displays the information on the overhead monitor for the whole group to see.

Suggested timing

Each accompanying adult should guide the movement of up to three groups (of 5-6 students) through the Exhibition. We suggest you allow a maximum of 10 minutes in each area.

Following each task on the character sheets is a reference (in italic) to the area of the Exhibition where students may find the information they seek. Please use the floorplans at the back of this book to ensure your students are in the relevant section. If a part of the Exhibition is crowded, it is possible to undertake the tasks in a different order.

Planning your visit to the Exhibition

Back in the classroom, all the information that has been amassed for the characters will need to be used in some interesting way which also allows for sharing. Here are some suggestions...

Letters

Group or individual letters to the chosen character giving the advice they sought.

Finding an appropriate style to write to any of the characters.

Shaping their answers into letter form and finding out how letters were conveyed in Shakepeare’s day.

Understanding the characters and giving life to their situation, reassuring, warning or satisfying.

Finding words that the character will understand without resorting to too many ‘thees’ and ‘thous’.

Letters put up on walls, read aloud or put into a portfolio.

Drama and roleplay

Imagining a visit to the character’s home.

Planning and even scripting what to say.

The teacher represents the character who receives the information, thus being able to ask helpful questions.

The scene improvised and rehearsed among themselves and then presented to others.

Another class, who perhaps had not been on the visit, but given the character profiles and questions, could ‘represent’ each character in groups, prepare questions and receive a visit from your students.

Talks and projects

Project-books, display sheets or wall charts, computer programmes.

Mini-lectures, classroom exhibitions, an information library.

First-person accounts or diaries written by the characters of their imagined visits to London.

An illustrated map of Shakespeare’s London showing the locations that characters might have visited. Could the characters ever have met in London? What would they talk about if they did meet?

After your visit

1 The chief secretary to the Venetian Ambassador

2 A preacher

3 A student from the University of Oxford

4 A shoemaker’s apprentice

5 A country landowner

6 A peddler and his wife

The characters

Signor Bosoni chief secretary

1

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3

4

5

Signor Borsoni is the chief secretary to the Venetian Ambassador. His master is coming to England and will be received at court. Borsoni is worried because his master is young and can be careless about his safety and he has heard that men and women go about much more freely in London than in many other European cities. They have neither of them been to London before, so he wants to plan their first visit.

Tasks

Venice is a city on water. How important is the River Thames in the daily life of London? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

In Venice there are street entertainers for the common people and court theatres for the rich. Where do English actors perform? Who goes to the playhouse in London? How do they behave? What other entertainments are there? Please give some advice to a young man about such places.[Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

English tailors are known to be excellent. Please describe the clothes a well-dressed person would wear in London. What are the favourite colours and materials? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

Music, dancing and swordplay are all important to a young man. Is swordplay popular in England? Where can he see good swordfights? What musical instruments are popular in England? Are there musical entertainments and dancing at court? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Music]

There are few wooden buildings in Venice. He has heard that the public playhouses on Bankside are especially fine. How are such large, half-timbered buildings put together? What other materials are used? What is the decoration like? [The Globe Today: Reconstructing the Globe]

6 The young Ambassador does not speak good English. While he is here he should learn to read the work of

well-known English writers – notably William Shakespeare. Are there such works in print? Can

they be bought easily? A few printed samples of English literature, especially in dramatic verse, would be very helpful. [Reading and Hearing Shakespeare]

Robert Bowley preacher

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3

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5

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7

Robert Bowley comes from Banbury. He is married with several children. Once he was a baker but now he travels the countryside preaching. He believes that the world has become very sinful. London, he thinks, is a very wicked place. He plans to go there to see for himself how people live.

Tasks

Do Londoners hear sermons? Where should he go to hear good preachers? He hears that St. Paul’s church needs repair. Why is this? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

He would like to see London Bridge. What is so special about it? Should he go across to Bankside? What would he see there?[Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

He hates plays and players because he thinks they encourage murders and violence. There are several others who agree with him. Try to find out what they say and judge for yourself. You may want to persuade him to change his mind. He won’t be seen in a playhouse but needs to know what kind of people go there and how they behave. [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

He needs a new, warm cloak. Are London fashions suitable for a preacher? What should he look out for? His wife wants material to make them all shirts and shifts but he has forgotten what she asked for; can you advise him? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

Although he dislikes ceremony, he likes music. Fiddles and dancing are not approved. What sort of musical instruments should his wife and children practise at home? If possible listen to some of them and then make a drawing of any you think his family might like. [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Music]

He wants to turn the old bakehouse into a schoolroom. It needs a new roof and the walls need plastering. What are the best materials to use? [The Globe Today: Reconstructing the Globe]

He has written a book of sermons and wants to have it printed. Please give him some information about how this is done. [Reading and Hearing Shakespeare]

Samuel Browne student

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8

Samuel Browne has written a play. He is still a student at Oxford but his play has been performed by his classmates who thought it was good. It is a comedy about merchants and their wives, based on an old Roman story. He plans to make his first visit to London to find out about the theatres and whether people will like his play. His tutor thinks he should set his play in London. Please advise him on a few details of city life.

Tasks

The river that flows through Oxford is called the Isis. When it gets to London it has a different name. What is it? Name some ways in which the river is important to the life of London. How do Londoner use the river? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

He wants to mention a few important city places in his play. Can you suggest some places to visit and tell him what they are known for? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

The city lies on the North side of the river but the other side seems interesting. What goes on there? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

Where is the best place to put on his play? Up to now it has only been seen in a college hall. He has heard that plays are sometimes performed indoors: can you give him some more information about indoor playing places? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

What sort of people go to the theatre in London? How do they behave? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

If he changes his play from a Roman to a London setting what sort of clothes would rich London merchants and their wives wear? What about poor people? Suppose he ignored his tutor and left it as a Roman play, how would the characters be dressed? Please make drawings. [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

He would like to have music in the play. What sort of music do they have in plays? What are the best instruments to use in outdoor playhouses like the Globe? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Music]

Is there are chance of his play being printed? Some advice on printing methods would be useful. [Reading and Hearing Shakespeare]

Ralph Hyde shoemaker’s apprentice

1

2

3

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5

Ralph Hyde is a shoemaker’s apprentice from Deptford. When he was eleven years old he was bound to his master for seven years, to learn the trade. He is now fourteen. His master wants him to run some errands for him in London. He has a little spending money of his own. The second day of his visit is St. Crispin’s day and a shoemakers’ holiday. He needs some advice on how to spend his time.

Tasks

He will come up the Thames by boat from Deptford to the Port of London. He would like not to seem ignorant about how Londoners use the river and how they cross from one side to the other. He will spend two nights with his master’s brother who is also a shoemaker in Cheapside. Can you find it on the map and tell him how to get there from the Port of London? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

Because it is a shoemakers’ holiday he may meet other apprentices. They say there could be gangs of them roaming the streets. What will they be likely to do? Should he join them? He hears that they might all meet at one of the playhouses. What are playhouses like and how much will it cost to go inside and hear a play? What other entertainments are there, especially on Bankside? He has heard that actors have apprentices too; do boys act and if so what sort of parts do they play?[Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

What are the latest styles of shoes in London? Are any made of other materials than leather? How are fashionable shoes fastened? His master has some new, soft Spanish leather and wants to know what other things can be made from it.[Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

His master’s family like to make music together in the evenings. He used to sing but his voice is breaking. Can you help him to choose a simple musical instrument to accompany the singing? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Music]

His master’s daughter, Celia, has never been to the theatre but she would like to read a play. He thought of buying a small book as a present for her. She is very romantic. What do you suggest he might buy? [Reading and Hearing Shakespeare]

Elizabeth Greenfield landowner

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Mistress Greenfield is a widow. She has a country estate with two farms and many fields. She plans to come to London to sort out some business with her lawyer. She will meet him at Middle Temple Hall. While she is staying in town she would like to shop for clothes and visit some places of entertainment.

Tasks

A distant cousin is getting married in Bermondsey. She does not think they have room in their house but they have invited a great many guests. She would like to go but would like some more information about what is likely to happen. [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

She would like to take presents for her children. The elder boy wants a dagger and she was thinking about either a money box or a silver spoon for the younger one. Could you make some drawings for her. [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

What is Middle Temple Hall like? She hears that Queen Elizabeth has been entertained there with a play. Whereabouts in the hall could one stage a play? Would people still be eating while the play was on? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

She would like to hear a good play. Are there other playhouses where she could go? How should she get the best place without being too crowded? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

Her sheep produce fine wool and she often knits stockings for her two boys. What other things could she knit? She would like a pair of fine stockings for herself; what can they be made of? Her old dress has a low neck; what can she wear with it instead of a ruff? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

She plans to extend her farm buildings. What materials are going to last a long time, especially for a new roof on the barn?[The Globe Today: Reconstructing the Globe]

Tom and Ann Quick peddlers

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5

Tom Quick and his wife Ann are planning to come up to London to collect supplies. They travel the country roads selling at fairs and from door to door. They come to London about four times a year. Their customers depend on them for news and gossip. While they are in town they will go to the playhouses and to other entertainments. They always want to know what is popular.

Tasks

They hear that Bankside is the best place to go for entertainment. How should they cross the river? What entertainments will they find on Bankside? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

They have to get fresh supplies of spoons. Can you draw some and suggest some other pottery or metal things they could carry in their packs? [Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time]

What are the popular colours for clothes? How much material goes into a ruff and how easy is it to starch? A list of small items of fashion would be really helpful.[Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

They sell trimmings of all sorts. Could you suggest and perhaps draw some patterns of lace and embroidery. What small things could they carry to help people make their own clothes more fashionable; for example pins, ‘points’ and bobbins? Draw anything you think might be useful.[Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Tiring Room, Clothes & Costume]

The latest songs are always popular. Is it possible to print music and pictures as well as words? What musical instruments are ordinary people playing? Are there any that a peddler could carry easily? [Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time: Music]

EntranceIntroduction:

Shakespeare in Context

Bankside in Shakespeare’s Time

The Globe TodaySam’s story Reconstructing the Globe

Theatre in

Shakesp

eare’s Time

The Tiring Room C

lothes & C

ostume M

usic

Toilets

Upper Level‘Mezzanine’

Lower Level‘The UnderGlobe’

Original PracticesProperties Store

Reading and Hearing Shakespeare

Join the Cast Printing Press

Stage

Demonstrations and Temporary Displays

ToiletsTemporary

Displays

Floorplans

About the Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe is being developed for the enjoyment and exploration of Shakespeare and his contemporaries in performance. It is a world-class facility on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London.

It consists of three enterprises which contribute to the overall aim:

The Globe Theatre, with a professional theatre company incorporating international artists playing a summer season of plays.

Globe Education, which works with students of all ages exploring Shakespeare’s scripts in relation to the stage for which they were written.

Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition, the most extensive exhibition in the world devoted to Shakespeare and his contemporaries in performance. Against a historical background of Bankside in Shakespeare’s times, it focuses on the Actors and others involved in staging the plays, the Architecture and the craftsmen who built and decorated the playhouse, and the Audiences attending the performances.

These three activities together attract more than 750,000 people each year to Shakespeare’s Globe.

The Globe Theatre is at the heart of the centre and is the focus of all three enterprises. It was completed in June 1997. To date, the cost of developing the International Shakespeare Globe Centre and Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition on this 2,100 square metre site has been £30million. It is estimated that a further £20million is needed to complete the outstanding phases of the Globe’s capital programme.

Exhibition and Theatre Tours

Open daily, except 24 & 25 DecemberTel 020 7902 1500 (+44 20 7902 1500)Fax 020 7902 1515 (+44 20 7902 1515)Email exhibition@shakespearesglobe.com

Globe Education

Workshops, lectures, courses and evening classes for all ages and nationalities.Tel: 020 7902 1433 (+44 20 7902 1433)Fax: 020 7902 1401 (+44 20 7902 1401)

www.shakespeares-globe.org

The Shakespeare Globe Trust, a limited company registered in England and Wales No.1152238 and a registered charity No.266916.

Shakespeare Globe Trading Limited, registered in England and Wales No.997433, a subsidiary of The Shakespeare Globe Trust.

Shakespeare’s Globe ExhibtionSchools’ Activity Book (3rd Edition)January 2009

Layout by Pete Le May, based on a design by Howard Brown. Cover illustration by Peter Till.Character illustrations by Graham Percy.