Posts Tagged ‘Shakespeare’

Macbeth Poem for Kids

Monday, April 8th, 2013

Macbeth-poem-for-kids

This Macbeth poem for kids was written by my 11-year-old son when he was given the assignment to write a summary of Macbeth. He decided to do the summary as a poem. My kids said that Macbeth was the worst story they ever read, and we talked about how ambition led Macbeth to take matters into his own hands. I’m doing a Bible study on the life of David, and we compared Macbeth to King David. Both men had predictions that they would be king. But David waited on God. He did not take matters into his own hands, even when he had the chance twice to kill Saul. David was a man of integrity, whereas Macbeth thought he had to keep killing people to cover up his previous murders. Macbeth even had his best friend Banquo killed, and after he won the crown, he couldn’t even enjoy it but was miserable. All sin ends in misery.

Macbeth – by Stephen Evans (age 11)

I’ll tell you a gruesome tragedy,
The worst you ever read.
Three witches caused Macbeth to act,
And everyone ends up dead.

Macbeth had won a victory
Against the thane of Cawdor.
Lady Macbeth contrived a plan
That was so full of gore.

Macbeth was to kill King Duncan
And take the crown for himself,
Framing the sleeping guards,
And sneaking away with stealth.

Banquo thought he was a friend,
But Macbeth had him killed.
Banquo’s ghost showed up at a feast;
With insanity Macbeth was filled.

Macbeth revisited the witches,
Who told him, “Beware Macduff
And watch out for Birnam Wood.”
Then they disappeared with a puff.

Macduff, Duncan’s son, and an army
Made camp in Birnam Wood.
When Macbeth looked over the battlements,
At once he understood.

The soldiers hidden by branches
Marched against Macbeth.
Macduff sank his sword into his foe,
And Macbeth fell down in death.

*Artwork above poem by Bryan Evans (age 12)
“Macbeth Sees Birnam Wood Advancing”

 

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Romeo and Juliet Poem for Kids (slapstick humor)

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

romeo-and-juliet-poem-for-kids-3My son Stephen (age 10) was halfway through writing a summary of Romeo and Juliet when he saw his older brother writing a poem. He asked me, “Can I write it as a poem, too, but can mine be funny?”

“As long as you keep the main plot line, you can add humor to it,” I answered, and he excitedly ran to get started.

His Romeo and Juliet poem for kids includes slapstick humor similar to the Three Stooges:

Once upon a time there was a fight
Because a Capulet bit his thumb.
A Montague tied his belt too tight,
And a Capulet fell on his bum!

A Montague named Romeo
Went to a Capulet ball.
He was handed some strawberry jello,
Which he dropped when he climbed the wall.

“What light through yonder window breaks?
‘Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun.”
“Not now, Romeo; my toe aches.
But I’ll marry you tomorrow at one.”

The next day they were wed.
But Romeo hit Tybalt with a frying pan
Because Romeo’s friend was dead.
So he was banished by a man.

Juliet in her grief and sorrow
Ran to the friar for relief.
“This potion you may borrow,
And your life will seem so brief.”

She drank the potion,
Was put in a crypt,
Romeo saw her without motion,
And on a banana peel he slipped.

He died by her side.
Juliet woke up, screamed, and died.

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Another Romeo and Juliet Poem for Kids

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

romeo-and-juliet-poem-for-kids-2My 9-year-old son Nathaniel also wanted to write his summary of Romeo and Juliet in poetic form. His poem ended up with very short lines, which were easier to write. He had a great time trying to rhyme all the action in the story. We made a list of the sequence of events on a sheet of paper, and he referred to the list as he wrote this Romeo and Juliet poem for kids:

Romeo arrived at a party
Dressed up with a mask.
He fell in love with Juliet.
Winning her heart would be a task

Because their families were enemies.
Later Romeo climbed the wall
To see Juliet at her balcony.
To her he did call.

They decided to get married
The next day on the morrow.
Juliet said to Romeo,
“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

After marrying at the church,
Tybalt killed Mercutio.
So Romeo killed Tybalt
And was banished. Oh, no!

Because of Juliet’s grief
She drank a potion and fell asleep.
Her family thought she was dead.
All they could do was weep.

Romeo visited her grave,
Drank some poison and sighed;
While Juliet woke up,
Stabbed herself, and died.

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My Sons’ Comments About Shakespeare

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

comments-about-shakespeareHere are some comments about Shakespeare my sons made to me recently:

“Mom?! How come you’re going so slowly? I can’t stand it! How on earth am I supposed to follow the action in the story if you take so long explaining one scene?” cried out my 10-year-old son Stephen.

“Sweetheart,” I answered, “you’ve already heard the plot of the story, and you’ve seen the play. Now we are going to read the actual Sharespearean language. I want you to understand the poetry of it, to savor the language. We are going to settle in and study one or two scenes per day. It will take a month for us to study this play. By the end of the year, after studying many plays, you will be able to understand any Shakespeare play that you’ve never read before just by reading the real thing.”

My 12-year-old son Bryan stated another observation about Shakespeare. “Mom, how come there are so many words in each scene? It seems like the characters could have said their lines in a much more simple and understandable way. Even in the play we saw, the action didn’t move forward very fast.”

“That’s because the language is poetic. It’s beautiful language, and your future wife is going to thank me for teaching you how to understand poetic language.”

My son Nathaniel asked, “Is that how Dad got you to marry him?”

“No,” I said, and we all laughed.

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Shakespeare in the Park

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

shakespeare-in-the-parkLast weekend we took our kids to see Shakespeare in the Park. This is an ideal way to introduce Shakespeare to children, because it is a casual environment that doesn’t require complete silence. Besides, kids can wiggle around on a blanket on the grass, changing positions, so even if your child has lots of energy, the child does not have to sit still. Shakespeare in the Park is usually free, so if you need to leave, you are not wasting any money.

On the way to the park, I told my children the plot of the story “Twelfth Night,” which was being performed that night. Twins are shipwrecked, and the girl thinks her twin brother has died. So she goes to work for the local duke. She dresses up as a boy in order to work for the duke, but she ends up falling in love with the duke. Meanwhile, the duke is in love with Olivia, who is in love with the duke’s page (who happens to be the girl dressed up as a boy). Suddenly the twin brother shows up and is mistaken for the sister who is dressed up as a boy. In the end, everyone is paired off and gets married. Yes, I told my kids that in Shakespeare’s comedies, there is always at least one love story, and couples always get married at the end. This is opposed to the tragedies, where lots of people are dead at the end. Yep. Comedy or tragedy. Married or dead. My kids laughed.

My kids seemed to follow their first Shakespeare play just fine. I told them they might not understand all the language, and just to pay attention to the plot. Also, I said that the language was similar to the King James version of the Bible. My 12-year-old son had no problem understanding the language, my two middle boys understood most of it, and my 7-year-old daughter said she couldn’t understand the words, but she enjoyed seeing the play. What a great kick-off to a full year of teaching Shakespeare to my children!

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Nature Centerpiece

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

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Stratford -upon-Avon

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

When I was a student in England, I was able to get cheap theater tickets, and I mostly enjoyed watching Shakespeare plays. I argued to myself that one of my classes was Shakespeare, and what better way to study it than to watch as many plays as possible? I counted how many plays I saw in that one year, and I discovered that I had attended 12 plays. The cheap student seats were usually not very close to the front, but I could hear just fine, and the choreography was wonderful. My favorite place to watch plays was in Stratford, the home town of Shakespeare. Stratford-upon-Avon was only about 2 hours south of the university by train, so I often went there on a weekend, either alone or with friends. (I also went with a group of international students. Whenever there was an opportunity, I took it.)

The costumes were phenomenal, and the fact that they were speaking in a British accent made it more authentic for me. The sets were beautiful, too. I noticed every detail. Actually, watching a Shakespeare play can give you an overall feel for the play that you cannot get just by reading it. After all, it is a play, and it was written to be performed.

Shakespeare’s birthplace is presumably the house where Shakespeare was born and where he grew up. It is a half-timbered house. It looks very quaint both inside and out. The kitchen includes an open fireplace with a pot, and the bedroom has a cradle where presumably Shakespeare was rocked. Anne Hathaway’s cottage (where Shakespeare’s wife lived when Shakespeare was in London) looks similar to Shakespeare’s birthplace, but the gardens are much more beautiful. It has a picket fence around it.

Holy Trinity Church in Stratford was very beautiful, as most church buildings in England are. Each church is built in a cross shape facing the east where Jesus was born. The massive stone walls and beautiful stained glass windows bring about a feeling of awe as you enter. Most churches have a crypt where people are buried, and a lot of them let you go up the steeple to look down on the town. The river Avon winds around the town, and people take boats on the river. Stratford is quite picturesque, since many of the regular houses are thatched cottages. There are always good views when walking around Stratford.

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