Teaching Richard II

Instructions for You

Objective: We've said it before and we'll say it again: Shakespeare was no dummy. While he knew poetry and symbolism and all that stuff, he knew what people liked and tried to weave plays with topics, themes and characters that would draw audiences in. With Richard II, Shakespeare hit the mother load by creating a family soap opera.

Richard II was a craz- popular play during Shakespeare's reign as theater heavyweight; there were at least four printings of the play during his time period, not to mention a bit of controversy with a deleted scene. If he were alive today and working in television, he would be the guy who turns out stuff for HBO—high quality with a ton of drama.

In this exercise, students will consider common thematic plots used in television shows and analyze Richard II for those exact same plot lines. The activity will conclude with students trying their hand at a bit of script writing as they convert one scene of the play into a television episode. This whole activity will take about two hours.

Materials Needed:. Brains, creativity and a good knowledge of television programming will help, along with the Richard II Story Line worksheet.

Step 1: Point out to students that Richard II is really one big family drama—the king kills one uncle, steals from another when he dies, and banishes his cousin—and that is just in the first three scenes of the play. Almost sounds like Game of Thrones. Students might be surprised that a lot of the plot lines Shakespeare used are still used television programs today.

Have students discuss their favorite television drama—those with a written script and characters and themes. Some shows that they might come up with (and there are a ton more): Walking Dead, Scandal, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, How to Get Away with Murder.

Lead a short discussion on the following prompt: What is it about jockeying for power, whether in a family, business, politics etc. that hooks an audience?

Step 2: Have students form groups of three or four, and pick one television series to analyze. So there's no repetition, only allow a television show to be used once. (Only one group can analyze The Walking Dead, for example.)

Give groups the task of listing five to seven plot or story lines that make the show so compelling or interesting. It may be helpful to give an example. Here are some ideas to get them going:

Series: House of Cards
Plot: Overthrow of a leader or group/Evil ruler
Example: Frank Underwood gets the president to resign his position as leader of the free world by undermining his creditability and popularity with the people. Frank, as president, is a terrible ruler and a worse human being—he kills people, manipulates people, uses people…all for his own advancement.

Series: The Walking Dead
Plot: Seeking revenge
Example: The Governor seeks revenge against Rick's tribe for destroying his town and revealing that he is self-serving and unethical.

Series: Scandal
Plot: Adultery
Example: Kerry Washington and the president having an affair.

After ten minutes or so, have the groups share some of their plot lines—one or two per group. No repeats.

Step 3: Let's now bring in Richard II. Share with the class that Richard II was incredibly popular during Shakespeare's time, no small feat because of the different audiences he had at the theatre—he had nobility/aristocracy who would be interested in learning about the history of England and their leaders, but there were also the groundlings who wanted interesting plots and stories. Richard II did both, and chances are some of the storylines they find so interesting in their television mirror storylines in Richard II.

Using the same five to seven plot lines the groups identified with the television show, challenge the groups to find similar examples in Richard II.

Here are some plot lines in Richard II that should crossover with examples from their television shows:

• Family or group arguments/disagreements
• Evil, self-serving leader
• Sexual indiscretions/affairs (Oh, yes. It is in in there. Act III, Scene 1. Looks like Richard II is doing a bit of slap and tickle with some of his buddies from the royal court.)
• Seeking revenge
• Plotting against someone in "power"
• Killing of enemies
• Social humiliation/embarrassment
• Impeding danger/doom/disaster for family/country/group
• Good people who get hurt
• Social or group outcasts

After 20 minutes or so, have the groups share their examples. If a group found a plot line in a television show but couldn't find it in Richard II, ask them to share it and see if others in the class can find a parallel.

Step 4: Students should remain in their current groups and pick one scene from Richard II that demonstrates a storyline that could be seen on television today. They'll take that scene and write it as a script in a scene for a modern day television show.  Allow each scene to be performed by only one group—that will keep it more interesting. You may want to assign scenes or give a bit of guidance to keep it interesting. Here are some suggestions:

• Act I, Scene 1
• Act I, Scene 3
• Act I, Scene 4
• Act II, Scene 1
• Act II, Scene 3
• Act III, Scene 1
• Act IV, Scene 1
• Act V, Scene 3
• Act V, Scene 6

The specifics of the assignment are as follows:

• Create a contemporary setting. Be sure to describe the setting in detail.
• Change the characters' names.
• Create contemporary dialogue based on the text from the play—you can't change the meaning.
• Be sure to include stage directions (what the characters should do).
• Act it out for the rest of the class.

Groups should be evaluated on creativity as well as adhering to the meaning of the original text.

Instructions for Your Students

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Shakespeare was no dummy. While he knew poetry and symbolism and all that stuff, he knew what people liked and tried to weave plays with topics, themes and characters that would draw audiences in. With Richard II, Shakespeare hit the mother load by creating a family soap opera.

Richard II was a crazy popular play during Shakespeare's reign as theater heavyweight; there were at least four printings of the play during his time period, not to mention a bit of controversy with a deleted scene. If he were alive today and working in television, he would be the guy who turns out stuff for HBO—high quality with a ton of drama.

In this exercise, you'll consider common thematic plots used in television shows and analyze Richard II for those exact same plot lines. The activity will conclude with you trying your hand at a bit of script writing as you convert one scene of the play into a television episode.

Step 1: Richard II is really one big family drama—the king kills one uncle, steals from another when he dies, and banishes his cousin—and that's just in the first three scenes of the play. Almost sounds like something you could tune into on Showtime or HBO. Lots of the plot lines Shakespeare used are still used in television programs today.

Let's compare what's on television today to Richard II.

First, think about your favorite television show—those with a written script and characters and themes. Your teacher will list everyone's favorites and then, as a class, you'll discuss this question: What is it about jockeying for power, whether in a family, business, politics etc. that hooks an audience?

Step 2: You'll form groups of three to four people, organized around the favorite shows that were listed. Each show can only be used by one group and you should attach yourself to the show that you're most familiar with.

Here's the assignment: Identify five to seven plot or story lines that make the show so compelling or interesting.

Here are some examples to get you going:

Series: House of CardsPlot: Overthrow of a leader or group/Evil ruler
Example: Frank Underwood gets the president to resign his position as leader of the free world by undermining his creditability and popularity with the people./Frank, as president, is a terrible ruler and a worse human being—he kills people, manipulates people, uses people…all for his own advancement.

Series: The Walking Dead
Plot: Seeking revenge
Example: The Governor seeks revenge against Rick's tribe for destroying his town and revealing that he is self-serving and unethical.

Series: Scandal
Plot: Adultery
Example: Kerry Washington and the president having an affair.

After ten minutes or so, you'll share a few of your plot lines with the larger class.

Step 3: Richard II was incredibly popular during Shakespeare's time. And it could prove to be a challenge because of the different audiences he had at the theatre—he had nobility/aristocracy who would be interested in learning about the history of England and their leaders, but there were also the groundlings that wanted interesting plots and stories. Richard II did both, and chances are some of the storylines you found so interesting in your television shows mirror storylines in Richard II.

Using the same five or so plot lines your group identified with the television show, find examples of those story lines in Richard II. If there is a plot line you don't think pertains, still record it.

After 20 minutes or so, share your examples. If you found a plot line in a television show but couldn't find it in Richard II, be sure to share it and see if others in the class can find a parallel.

Step 4: Stick with your group and pick one scene from Richard II that demonstrates a storyline that could be seen on television today. Re-write that scene as a script, but for a scene for a modern day television show. Below is a list of the more interesting scenes. Once you decide on a scene, tell your teacher. Each scene can only be used once.

• Act I, Scene 1
• Act I, Scene 3
• Act I, Scene 4
• Act II, Scene 1
• Act II, Scene 3
• Act III, Scene 1
• Act IV, Scene 1
• Act V, Scene 3
• Act V, Scene 6

The assignment is as follows:

• Create a contemporary setting. Be sure to describe the setting in detail.
• Change the characters' names.
• Create contemporary dialogue based on the text from the play—you can't change the meaning.
• Be sure to include stage directions (what the characters should do).
• Act it out for the rest of the class.