Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth) Language Paper 2
Overview
Pupils will be introduced to their final GCSE Literature text: Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth. Alongside this comprehensive study, their skills in critical analysis will be interweaved with the core assessment objectives found in their English Language GCSE. Themes will be interwoven with current topics prevalent today while incorporating significant historical value and the context needed to propel their understanding and the construction of these texts.
Unit aims:
- Read and study a whole Shakespeare play
- Explore plot, characterisation, themes and symbols within the genre
- Make links between ideas and contextual influences
- Evaluate writer’s use of methods to impact the reader/audience
- Exploring unseen non-fiction texts thematically linked to the play
Example Key Words
Couplet
Two lines of a verse usually rhymed. Heroic couplet: a rhymed iambic pentameter couplet.
Dramatic Irony
This occurs when the audience know more about what is happening that some of the characters themselves know
Elegy
Usually denotes a reflective poem that laments the loss of something or someone.
Enjambment
A “run-on” line that carries over into the next to complete its meaning.
Foot
The basic unit of accentual-syllabic and quantitative meter, usually combining a stress with one or more unstressed syllables.
Free Verse
Poetry in which the rhythm does not repeat regularly.
External Links
- GCSEPod – Power and Conflict poems
- Macbeth – GCSE English Literature Revision – BBC Bitesize
- Romeo and Juliet – GCSE English Literature Revision – BBC Bitesize
- GCSEPod – Romeo and Juliet
- GCSEPod – Macbeth
- Glossary of Dramatic Terms (oranim.ac.il)