Creator: Anniina Jokinen | visit site
Grade Range: 8 - 11
Students know something about Shakespeare, but they tend to think he was the only playwright of his day. This site helps them realize that he was only one of many in the Elizabethan period and that there was a Tudor period before and a Jacobean period after him. This is an exhaustive, albeit entertaining, and authoritative look at English drama as it moved from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The articles are written by professors and they all contain links with explanations for all the referenced allusions. While rather encyclopedic in nature, having all the resources in one place is extraordinarily handy for the teacher of this period.
In the Classroom
Have students "become" one of the rival playwrights after researching the times and the playwright might be interesting. Perhaps students could do a panel discussion or write a blog entry as their “playwright.” Don’t miss the <i> Introduction </i> section to get valuable information about the theaters and the staging conventions of the time.
At Home
Do you have a student who lives for the Renaissance period? Send him/her on a virtual trip to this website to learn more about this unique time.
Tags
elizabethan, renaissance, elizabethan, renaissance,
Subjects
Drama, Social Studies, Social Studies, American History, English, Language Arts,