London culture 1

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 2

London Culture 1

In four lessons we'll be learning about some of the horrid things that have happened in London's history. You'll also find out more about a cultural piece that some of you will have the priviledge to see. 

Goal:

By the end of the lesson you'll know more about 1 historical event + 1 of the most culturally significant shows of this time.

Today you'll be hearing more about Torture in the Middle Ages but first let's quickly discuss one of the most popular musical theatre shows of this time...

Task: 

Listen and watch + do the activities in class. 

Your homework can be 

found on the last slide(s)!

Dear Evan Hansen is one of the most popular musical theatre shows at the moment. The first show was held off-Broadway in 2015 and since November last year, they have also started performing in London. 

               

                They are now                            working on a                              movie-version of                      this show with                          the first Evan                            Hansen: Ben Platt. 

The play is devided into two parts called 'acts'. 

I will tell you more about this in the 

next few weeks. 

One of the things that I hope you have learned from the video is that Evan is a boy with social anxiety, he feels alone and afraid... 

Now what if he was born in the Middle Ages...?! That would have been pure torture...

Torture in the 

Middle Ages

Torture has been used for over 2000 years and so its origings have been lost in history. However, most of the world's civilizations have used torture as a way of punishing their victims or to find out information.

Many of the instruments of torture you will see in the Dungeons have been around for hundreds of yeards, and they still have the power to make you shiver.

Let's check out the video...

Instrument of Torture

Rate these medieval torture implements 

The Cage

Paying for torturers and equipment was expensive. Because of this, the basic metal cage was quite popular. The victim was simply locked inside, pulled up on a chain and left for as long as was required depending on the crime.

The Wheel

There were many different versions of this punishment. Often it involved a near-naked victim being tied across a large cart-wheel. The torturer, with a heavy hammer, then smashed the bones in every limb and joint of the victim, without causing death.

The Saw

Specialised instruments were expensive and not always available, so everyday tools were often used instead. The saw was an example of this. Victims would have various limbs or toes or fingers sawn off depending on what they had done.

The Heretics Fork

Religious men used this fiendish device to stop heretics (a person who held beliefs that were not thos of the Catholic church) from saying something they did not want to hear. This double fork, with two sharp prongs at each end, was placed between the victim's lower jaw and breastbone and held in place with a collar, so if they spoke, they would wound themselves badly.

The Head Crusher

This machine was made of metal and was helmet shaped and held the victim's head still. A cap on top was forced down by a powerful screw mechanism, shattering the bones of the skull. Unsurprisingly, it often caused death.

Which do you think is the most painful?

(1 = painful, 5 = immenent death)

Write your write  job adversitement/poster for a medieval torturer. 

Check out the requirements on the next slide!

Hand it in next week
(print it out please)!!!

Hand in next week:

Homework Exercise

Imagine that you have been asked to write a job advertisement for a medieval torturer. Write about 150-200 words (in English this time). You can turn this into a poster or billboard (with pictures and such). Make sure you include the following information:

- what the torturer's main responsibilities will be

- who he will be working with

- what kind of personality might suit the role

- previous experience required