The
Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary Blackwood
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classroom activities |
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Awards
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The Shakespeare Stealer was chosen by the members of our group, because as future high school English teachers, we decided that the novel will prove to be a valuable asset to the classroom. This novel of historic fiction combines the ingredients to a possible success for everyone in the classroom. In The Shakespeare Stealer the reader will encounter adventure, mystery, suspense, friendship, loyalty, and history in this thoroughly entertaining novel of young adult literature. It is our hope that this site will inspire teachers to incorporate this novel into their curriculum, thereby inspiring teenagers to become as fascinated with Shakespeare as we were in the beginning, and prove its universality to audiences of all ages as well.
Everyone, even most of your students, have heard of the great Shakespeare and his plays, including Hamlet. While many teachers require students to read classics such as Hamlet, many young adults have problems identifying with the time period and characters. The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood, is a great resource for teachers to use to help young adults gain a greater understanding of the historical and cultural background involving Shakespeare's plays. By giving students this easy to read novel they will gain insight concerning the cultural mores and customs during this time period.
Set in and around London, England in the mid 1600's, the novel focuses around life in the Globe Theater, namely that of the hired actors and apprentices. According to the novel, playwrights of the time had problems keeping their plays their own. Instead of writing their own plays, many were stolen by others who wanted to take the easy way out. Because of this, plays were kept under lock and key. That is, until one boy, Widge, who had been taught the art of transcription was ordered by his master to travel to the Globe theater and copy Shakespeare's Hamlet. Consequently, Widge gets caught up in the action of the theater, thus beginning his moral dilemma: to obey his master or be true to his new found friends. The following passage is indicative of his obstacles:
"It was then that I heard footsteps on the stairs - not the outside steps I had used, but a steep, narrow flight rising from behind the stage. I choked back a gasp and desperately glanced about a place of concealment. Seeing none, I ducked between the end of the drapery and the wall. There was just enough room to stand there without being seen by the audience, provided I did not move so much as a finger.
The footsteps drew near. The drapes parted in the center, and a man in soldiers garb stepped onto the balcony, where a small cannon stood bolted to the floor. He dumped a charge of powder down the bore of the cannon, rammed in a wad of cloth, and set a fuse in the fuse-hole. As he lifted his smouldering stick of touchwood and blew on it, he caught sight of me for the first time." (p. 61)
In order to find out what happens to Widge, you'll have to read the book!
Gary Lyle Blackwood was born on October 23, 1945 in Meadville, Pennsylvania to Roy William and Susie Esther. Blackwood is currently married with two children. Mr. Blackwood resides with his family on an acre of land surrounded by cow pastures outside of Missouri. From an early age, Gary Blackwood has loved books and reading. Although he sold his first story to a magazine at nineteen, it took another 21 years to sell his first book, Wild Timothy. Being that Gary Blackwood has fond memories of reading as a child, it is no surprise that he primarily writes for school children. He has published both fiction and non-fiction works. The book, however, that has won him the most critical attention was The Shakespeare Stealer, published in 1998. Aside from being an acclaimed writer, Blackwood was also a playwright. Indicative of his love for music and the outdoors, Gary Blackwood's books include: The Lion and the Unicorn, The Dying Sun, Beyond the Door, The Masters, and Moonshine. In the future be on the look out for The Gypsy Players and a sequel to The Shakespeare Stealer, known as Shakespeare Scribe.
Language Arts
1. Students can create an alternative ending imagining that Widge had
decided to steal the play.
2. Students can design a program for Hamlet including date,
time, characters, and a description of the Globe Theater.
3. While reading, have students underline and define words that they
are unfamiliar with.
4. Students are put into small groups and are responsible for teaching the class one chapter. They will analyze characters,
conflicts, and any other issues of importance.
Visual Arts
1. Students get into groups and create a form of secret writing and
then switch with another group to see if they can decode it.
2. Have students prepare a Reader's Theater activity acting out a scene
in the book.
History
1. Students create a timeline of the important events of the story.
2. Discuss real and historical facts dealing with The Globe Theater.
Have students create a graphic organizer to compare and contrast fact from
fiction.
A great thematic project for your students would be
to read Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer and then break your
classroom up into four different groups. Once your groups have been created,
assign each group a different book for them to read. These four books include:
King
of Shadows by Susan Cooper Nat Field is the newest member to perform
at Shakespeare's Globe, London's amazing replica of Shakespeare's original
playhouse from four hundred years ago. One night Nat goes to bed feeling
ill, and wakes up in 1599. He finds himself co-starring with William Shakespeare
at the original Globe theatre.
The
Playmaker by J.C. The year is 1597. Young Richard Malory has come to
the rough streets of London to his missing father, who abandoned the family
long ago. In his despair, he is persuaded by the pretty maid Starling to
audition for Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting troupe that numbers among
its players Will Shakespeare himself. Richard immerses himself in the stage;
never noticing that someone is following his every move along London's
twisted streets--someone who knows Richard's mysterious father and of his
allegiance to a secret society that has sworn to overthrow the Queen.
A
Question of Will by Lynne Kositsky The novel's heroine, Perin "Willow"
Willoughby, is magically trasported back in time to 1595 London, where
she meets William Shakespeare and his fellow actors, as well as the Queen
of England. Perin deals with the time and cultural differences she faces,
and ultimately seems to take over the show.
The
Shakespeare Scribe by Gary Blackwood The Sequel to The Shakespeare
Stealer is here! Widge, along with his fellow actors are travelling
across London to escape the Black Plague. Along the way Widge meets someone
who knows a secret from his past. In this thrilling mystery, students can
enjoy another great sense of adventure.
Once your students have read the assigned books for their group, have
them answer the questions we have posted on our on-line discussion board
concerning their individual book. These questions deal with their reactions
to the stories, and also introduce them to basic literary devices. The
address to this page is http://pub59.ezboard.com/fshakespearestealerfrm1.Once
your students have completed their reading assignments, motivate your students
to pick an interesting scene from their book that lasts from five to ten
minutes. Have them act this scene out in front of the class, to illustrate
their knowledge and understanding of the text. As an evaluative measure,
it may be interesting to have each individual student write a one page
essay comparing and contrasting The Shakespeare Stealer to their
assigned book.
- Mrs. Heffner http://sheffner.home.pipeline.com/links.html (Mr. Heffner, a ninth grade English teacher includes a variety of websites devoted to Shakespeare, The Globe Theater and other information relating to Shakespearian times.)
- Shakespeare's Globe Research Database http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/ (Research on The Globe which is broken into three sections- (1) Research on The Globe (2) The Original Globe and (3) The New Globe. There is a variety of photographs, FAQ’s, other links and even a virtual reality walk around The Globe.
- Shakey’s Place http://library.thinkquest.org/10502/ (3D Globe Theater Internet Experience) really cool! Check it out!
- Gary Blackwood's Web page http://mowrites4kids.drury.edu/authors/blackwood/ (Gary Blackwood’s homepage discussing The Shakespeare Stealer and other books he has written.)
- The Shakespeare Stealer http://www.fsu.edu/~candI/ENGLISH/webq/steal/shakespeare.htm (This web quest is an interactive search and discovery designed to aid you in the creation of either a new written language as Dr. Bright has created in the book or blueprints for the construction of a new Globe Theater, like the theater described in the book.
True: Many Elizabethan actors performing with companies found that they had ;little time between plays, due to the small number of actors in the companies.
True: Although not specified in the novel, the name Burbage was mentioned. The name Richard appeared shortly afterwards. Richard Burbage was the famed actor of Lord Chamberlain’s Men. James Burbage, his father, was the owner of the Globe.
False: Richard Burbage played the famed role of Hamlet, a role that was specifically written for him. So why wasn’t his character more predominant?
True: Black Friars was an indoor theatre.
False: The neighboring tenants of Blackfriars did not want the playhouse. It was not put into use until two years after the Globe was built.
True: As mentioned in the text, Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles were very important to the time period. In fact, it was an important historical source for many of Shakespeare’s plays.
True: The Shakespearean plays as mentioned in the novel were actually all written before Hamlet.
True: William Shakespeare did play the role of the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
True: At one point the Globe was in a fire. In fact, the theatre had to practically be rebuilt.
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Edited by: (Spring 2002)
Lynette O'Donnell
Diana Hampel
The people who contributed to this project include:
- Rachel Elben
- Melissa Hill
- Robin Matlack
- Stacy Pietropaoli
