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PD Course

Shakespeare's Toolkit

Created by Todd Espeland

9 modules 3 hours, 3 minutes 6 Credit Hours Shakespeare popular

Todd Espeland has the experience to know that having more tools in your toolbox makes you a better actor. This is especially important when teaching students how to approach Shakespeare. They need help breaking through the language barrier and into the character’s needs and into the character’s thoughts.

The tools that you’ll receive in this course will do just that. The course looks at scansion as a tool for breaking down Shakespeare’s verse, the importance of end of lines, and caesura. Caesura is an inner-line pause which is a lot of fun to play with and really, helps us provide insight to the character’s thoughts and into their needs.

The course provides numerous examples and handouts, and culminates in a performance assignment to use with your students.

  1. 1
    Lesson 1
    Introduction
    7:20 FREE PREVIEW
    Lesson 1 outlines the course and explains the techniques that will be covered to build the tools to break down Shakespeare's characters and text.
  2. 2
    Lesson 2
    Warm-Up
    9:02 FREE PREVIEW
    This lesson teaches a vocal warm-up that gets the lips, teeth, and the tongue prepared for the language of Shakespeare's text.
  3. 3
    Lesson 3
    Scansion
    41:47
    This lesson covers scansion: a system of breaking down Shakespeare’s verse in order to understand it, see how it’s arranged, and then look at the arrangements and see how Shakespeare arranged this poetry.
  4. 4
    Lesson 4
    Scansion with a Sonnet
    31:17
    This lesson applies the scansion learned in lesson 3 to one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
  5. 5
    Lesson 5
    Ends of Lines
    21:15
    This lesson looks at ends of lines in Shakespeare's poetic form, and examines their importance.
  6. 6
    Lesson 6
    Ends of Lines with the Sonnet
    10:58
    This lesson reviews the ends of lines learnings and applies them to the ends of lines verse with the sonnet.
  7. 7
    Lesson 7
    Caesura
    31:02
    This lesson reviews Caesura: an inner-line pause that Shakespeare has built in for characters to take breath or to create suspense or to have an emotional gear shift.
  8. 8
    Lesson 8
    Performing Everything
    11:58
    This lessons applies the scansion, the ends of lines and the caesura to the sonnet, in order to perform.
  9. 9
    Lesson 9
    Non-Shakespeare Work and Recap
    18:31
    This lesson recaps the learnings of the course, as well as discusses how these learnings can be applied to non-Shakespeare work.

Standards Addressed

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding - Grade 6

Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade 7

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade 7

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade 8

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work - Grade HS Proficient

Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade HS Advanced

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