"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Teenagers have been sighing an approximation of these words for centuries, ever since William Shakespeare had Juliet utter them from her balcony in one of the most popular plays of all time, Romeo and Juliet. Tales of love, loss, rebellion, rivalry before there was Twilight, Warm Bodies, and The Lion King, there was Shakespeare. The characters, language, imagery, and plot elements of many books and movies that appear on bookshelves and in cinemas today are directly influenced by the plays of the Bard. In Shakespeare: Investigate the Bard's Influence on Today's World, readers discover links between the books, movies, and music they listen to today and the words that were written and acted out more than 400 years ago. Readers deconstruct Shakespearean themes, imagery, language, and meaning by finding familiar ground on which to gain literary insight. Through hands-on projects such as coding a video game based on one of Shakespeare's plays to rewriting a scene in the text language of emoji, readers find compelling avenues into the dramatic, sometimes intimidating language, leaving them well-equipped to tackle any major text in the academic years to come.

 

There are 128 pages in this book. This book was published 2016 by Nomad Press .

Andi Diehn is a writer, editor, and book critic with a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College. She has published dozens of articles, stories, and essays, and is the author of Explore Poetry! With 25 Great Projects from Nomad Press. She lives in Enfield, New Hampshire, with her family. Sam Carbaugh is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator. He has illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including Forensics: Uncover the Science and Technology of Crime Scene Investigation and Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future. He works with many colleges and companies to create informational comics and illustrations. Sam lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This book has the following chapters:

Timeline

Introduction: Shakespeare Past and Present

• Create a Shakespearean Timeline

Chapter 1: Romeo and Juliet

• "A Plague on Both Your Houses"

Chapter 2: The Romeos and Juliets of Today

• Drop the Beat

Chapter 3: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

• To Write or Not To Write

Chapter 4: The Hamlets of Today

• Design the Play-Within-the-Play

Chapter 5: Twelfth Night

• Choose Your Own Adventure

Chapter 6: welfth Night Today

• R U OK?,

Chapter 7: A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Compare and Contrast

Chapter 8:The Midsummer Night Magic of Today

• Act Out!
• Your Turn

Glossary

Essential Questions

Resources

Index