Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

What do these quotes mean?

“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” - Hamlet

“There is no darkness but ignorance.” - Twelfth Night

“For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - Hamlet

“Nothing will come of nothing.” - King Lear

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." - As you like it

1. Green-eyed monster 

2. In a pickle 

3. The world is your oyster 

4. Catch a cold 

5. It’s all Greek to me 

6. Love is blind 

7. Wild goose chase 

8. A heart of gold 

9. Break the ice 

 10. Laughing stock  

A. a very kind or honourable person

B. to start conversation

C. a person subjected to ridicule

D. a hopeless and neverending pursuit

E. doing crazy things when in love

F. a difficult /uncomfortable situation

G. take advantage of life’s opportunities

H. to get sick

I. jealousy

J. you don’t understand something

When was William Shakespeare born?

1. 1498
2. 1564
3. 1695

In which period of English history was Shakespeare alive?

1. Elizabethan
2. Georgian
3. Victorian

Where was Shakespeare born?

1. Stratford-upon-Avon
2. Oxford
3. London
4. Cambridge

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

1. 3
2. 38
3. 108

Which type of play did Shakespeare not write?

1. Comedies
2. Tragedies
3. Musicals

What’s the name of the ‘Shakespeare theatre’ in London?

1. The World Theatre
2. The Globe Theatre
3. The Royal Theatre
4. The Old Shakespeare Theatre

Similes

When we want to compare two things that are alike in some way, we sometimes use ‘as … as …’. 

For example, sometimes we compare people with animals:

She’s as brave as a lion.

We call these expressions similes to show that two different things can have similarities.

a peacock - a mule - a bee - an owl - an ox - a tortoise

1. She is always working, in fact she’s as busy as ………………..

2. He may look thin, but he’s as strong as ………………..

3. When my Grandpa climbs the stairs, he’s as slow as ………………..

4. My teacher knows a lot, in fact she’s as wise as ………………..

5. When he showed me his  car, he looked as proud as ………………..

6. I tried to get her to change her mind, but she was as stubborn as ………………..

Think of two new similes using animals.

Marvellous metaphors

A metaphor is like a simile in that it compares and links two different ideas or things.

However, with a metaphor there is no ‘as … as’ or ‘like’ before it.

Write down the six metaphors that are connected to roads, travel or transport. 

Mrs Smith has really got problems with her children. Her oldest son Jake is at a crossroads. He was in a dead-end job so he gave it up. Now he can’t find another one and he doesn’t know which way to turn. His relationship with his girlfriend is over. They have had a bumpy ride so they have decided to separate. Meanwhile the younger son, Cyril, has gone off the rails. He has stopped going to school. ‘It’s very worrying,’ said Mrs Smith. ‘I want both my sons to get back on track as soon as possible.’

Match the six metaphors in the text to the definitions below.

1. ended up in a chaotic state

2. something which has no future

3. a difficult time

4. a point where a decision must be made

5. to start working normally again

6. what to do next

Below are three of Shakespeare’s metaphors and what they represent. 

Shakespeare’s metaphor                                             Meaning

1. a ‘well-tuned’ instrument (Othello)                     a happy couple

2. ‘pearls from diamonds dropped’ (King Lear) tears

3. an ‘undiscovered country’ (Hamlet)                  death

Can you invent another metaphor for each meaning?