English · Year 9 · Power and Conflict in Shakespeare · Autumn Term

Shakespeare's Historical Context

Understanding the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, including social hierarchy, beliefs, and political climate, to contextualize Shakespeare's plays.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: English - Reading: Shakespeare
• KS3: English - Reading: Context and Genre

About This Topic

The concept of the Tragic Hero is central to understanding Shakespearean drama at Key Stage 3. Students explore the Aristotelian roots of tragedy, focusing on the protagonist's 'hamartia' (fatal flaw) and their inevitable 'peripeteia' (reversal of fortune). In Year 9, this involves moving beyond simple character sketches to analyze the complex interplay between a leader's strengths and the weaknesses that lead to their destruction. This topic connects to the broader curriculum by linking classical literary theory with the social and political contexts of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.

By examining characters like Macbeth or Othello, students learn how Shakespeare uses the tragic hero to comment on the nature of power and morality. This study is particularly effective when students can engage in role-play or simulations of the hero's decision-making process. Students grasp the weight of 'fate' versus 'choice' much faster when they have to physically map out the 'turning points' in a character's journey through collaborative discussion.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how the political anxieties of Shakespeare's time are reflected in his plays about power.
2. Explain the significance of the Divine Right of Kings in understanding character motivations.
3. Compare the role of women in Elizabethan society with their portrayal in Shakespearean drama.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how specific political anxieties of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, such as succession crises or religious tensions, are reflected in Shakespeare's plays.
• Explain the concept of the Divine Right of Kings and evaluate its influence on character motivations and actions in plays like 'Macbeth' or 'Richard III'.
• Compare the societal roles and expectations of women in the Elizabethan era with their portrayal and agency within Shakespearean drama.
• Critique how Shakespeare uses dramatic conventions to comment on social hierarchy and the consequences of challenging established power structures.

Before You Start

Introduction to Dramatic Conventions

Why: Students need a basic understanding of how plays are structured and use dialogue and character to convey meaning before analyzing historical context.

Key Figures and Events of British History (Pre-1700)

Why: Familiarity with the Tudor and early Stuart periods provides a foundation for understanding the specific political and social climate of Shakespeare's England.

Key Vocabulary

Divine Right of Kings	The belief that a monarch's authority comes directly from God, not from any earthly source, making them answerable only to God.
Social Hierarchy	The division of society into a series of ranks or classes, with the monarch at the top and peasants at the bottom, influencing social interactions and opportunities.
Succession Crisis	A situation where the line of succession to a throne is unclear or contested, leading to political instability and anxiety, as was common during Elizabeth I's reign.
Patriarchy	A social system where men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.
Machiavellian	Characterized by cunning, duplicity, or amorality, especially in political affairs, inspired by the political theories of Niccolò Machiavelli.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

A tragic hero is just a 'bad person.'

What to Teach Instead

A tragic hero must be essentially noble or high-status for their fall to be tragic. Using a 'fall from grace' visual chart helps students see that the character's initial goodness is what makes the ending so impactful. Peer discussion can help clarify that we should feel 'pity and fear' for them.

Common Misconception

The 'fatal flaw' is something the hero can't help.

What to Teach Instead

While fate plays a role, the tragedy often stems from a conscious choice made by the hero. Role-playing the 'moment of choice' helps students see where the character could have turned back, emphasizing their agency and responsibility.

Active Learning Ideas

Simulation Game: The Decision Tree

In small groups, students are given a key moment from the play and three possible choices for the hero. They must predict the consequences of each choice and present why the hero's 'fatal flaw' makes one specific path inevitable.

35 min·Small Groups

Formal Debate: Fate or Free Will?

Divide the class into two sides to argue whether the hero's downfall was written in the stars or a result of their own actions. Students must use specific quotes from the text to support their 'verdict.'

40 min·Whole Class

Think-Pair-Share: The Hamartia Audit

Pairs are assigned different characters and must identify their primary flaw. They then share how this flaw, which might be a virtue in another context (like bravery or ambition), becomes 'fatal' in the world of the play.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Historians and political scientists analyze historical documents and speeches from periods like the English Civil War to understand how leaders justified their actions based on beliefs about authority and power, similar to how Shakespeare explored these themes.
• Modern political commentators often draw parallels between contemporary leadership challenges and the struggles for power depicted in Shakespeare's history plays, using the plays as a lens to examine current events in countries like the United States or France.
• Museum curators at the Globe Theatre in London use historical artifacts and research to reconstruct the social and political environment of Shakespeare's time, helping visitors understand the context of the plays performed there.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'How might Queen Elizabeth I have reacted to seeing a play that depicted a monarch being overthrown?' Ask students to discuss in pairs, referencing specific historical anxieties of the time and characters from plays studied. Facilitate a whole-class discussion, noting key points on the board.

Quick Check

Provide students with a short, anonymous quote from a historical figure or a modern politician discussing leadership. Ask them to write down which Shakespearean character's motivations or actions this quote most closely reflects and provide one sentence of justification, linking it to the historical context.

Exit Ticket

On an index card, ask students to write one specific way the Divine Right of Kings influenced a character's decisions in a play studied. Then, ask them to write one question they still have about women's roles in Elizabethan society or their portrayal in Shakespeare.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five stages of a tragic hero's journey?

Usually identified as: 1. Noble Birth, 2. Hamartia (the flaw), 3. Peripeteia (reversal of fortune), 4. Anagnorisis (the moment of realization), and 5. Catharsis (the audience's emotional release at the end).

Why did Shakespeare write about tragic heroes?

He used them to explore the dangers of unchecked ambition, the fragility of social order, and the human condition. They often served as a warning to the audience about the consequences of disrupting the 'Great Chain of Being'.

What is the difference between a villain and a tragic hero?

A villain (like Iago) often acts with pure malice and has no 'fall' because they were never noble. A tragic hero (like Othello) is a good person who is led astray by a specific weakness or manipulation.

How does active learning help students understand tragic heroes?

Active learning, like 'decision-tree' simulations, forces students to step into the hero's shoes. Instead of just reading about a downfall, they experience the pressure of the choices that lead to it. This creates a deeper emotional connection to the character and a clearer understanding of how 'hamartia' functions as a structural device in drama, rather than just a vocabulary word.