Shakespeare’s Plays

1. Shakespeare’s Plays Eight Grade English Mr. Wagner Click here to continue to play list

2. Shakespeare’s PlaysClick on a picture or title to begin the lesson Macbeth Hamlet A Midsummer Night’s Dream Romeo and Juliet King Lear The Comedy of Errors Othello Julius Caesar Click here to continue to quiz Please continue to quiz after reviewing each play

3. Hamlet The prince of Denmark’s father has been killed by his uncle, Claudius. The story follows Prince Hamlet’s path to revenge on his uncle, who became the king and married his mother. Hamlet’s maltreatment of his lover, Ophelia, drives the woman into madness and suicide. Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, challenges Hamlet to a fencing match and plans to use a poisoned sword. Both men are poisoned, along with Hamlet’s mother. It is not until his fate is sealed that Hamlet finally kills Claudius. Click here to return to play list

4. Romeo and Juliet The Capulet and Montague family are engaged in a major feud. Romeo (of the Montague family) falls in love with Juliet (of the Capulet family). Juliet feigns death after Romeo is exiled for killing Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin . Romeo finds Juliet unconscious in the Capulet crypt, so he commits suicide via poison. Juliet finds her lover dead and takes her own life. Click here to return to play list

5. Macbeth Macbeth, following prophecies given by three witches, anxiously wants to become king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to murder King Duncan, setting the stage for Macbeth to become king. Macbeth is shaken up and becomes scared from the ghost of Banquo, who he had murdered. Lady Macbeth too falls mentally and takes her own life. Macduff fulfills the witches’ prophecies by killing Macbeth. Click here to return to play list

6. King Lear The elderly King Lear decides to divide his wealth among two of his three daughters (Goneril and Regan) The elderly King Lear decides to divide his wealth among two of his three daughters , Goneril and Regan. His third daughter, Cordelia, is not as much of a suck up. She ends up marrying the king of France Goneril and Regan secretly don’t actually respect their father Edmund frames his brother, Edgar, in order to become the better son in his father, Gloucester and gets him disinherited. King Lear is now under control of his daughters Goneril poisons Regan, and Edgar stabs his evil brother in a duel, and their father, Gloucester, dies of shock. Goneril commits suicide, and Cordelia has been slain by one of Edmund’s henchman. Lear then dies himself. Click here to return to play list

7. The Comedy of Errors Egeon gets into trouble in Ephesus while searching for his son, Antipholus. Egeon explains that his son had a twin, and that his slaves were twins, but one slave, one twin, and Egeon’s wife, Emelia, were seperated due to a shipwreck years before. Antipholus and his slave, Dromio, have a hard time when they too arrive in Ephesus; they meet and mingle with two of their exact duplicates. The Ephesians are thought to be either demonic or insane due to the other two’s actions, and Egeon is to be put to death for not paying his fine. Eventually, the sets of twins, Egeon, and Egeon’s wife, Emelia, are reunited. Egeon is pardoned and the family celebrates. Click here to return to play list

8. Othello Rodrigo becomes jealous of General Othello, who has married Desdemona. Lago is unhappy with Othello for promoting Cassio over him, and eventually gets him stripped of his prestige. Lago plants evidence to make it seem like Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, and eventually turns on and murders Rodrigo. Othello kills Desdemona for her apparent adultery and eventually takes his own life. Click here to return to play list

9. Julius Caesar Brutus, a patriotic man, is convinced by Cassius and others to kill the emperor, Julius Caesar. Caesar ignores warnings and is assassinated. Cassius and Brutus go to war against Mark Antony and Octavious despite their own warnings. Cassius and Brutus eventually commit suicide due to actions during the battles. Mark Antony recognizes Brutus as a noble, tragic figure. Click here to return to play list

10. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Hermia’s father is making her marry Demetrius. Lysander, an Athenian, is accidentally given a potion by Puck of Fairyland, and he falls in love with Helena. Demetrius falls in love with Helena as well. Hermia, who is interested in Lysander, is mad at Helena for stealing her lover. The fairies then make the characters believe they were in a dream, and Demetrius is the only one in love with Helena. This frees Hermia from her obligation to marry Demetrius. Duke Theseus and Hippolyta have a happy wedding as all the problems are solved. Click here to return to play list

11. QUIZ A. Hamlet B. Macbeth C. A Comedy of Errors D. Romeo and Juliet Which one of these plays is not a tragedy?

12. Sorry! Try again! Hamlet is a tragedy because it features the death of not only the vengeful prince, but also many of his loved ones Click here to return to quiz

13. Sorry! Try again! Macbeth is a tragedy due to the downfall and death of the title character, who went from a well respected man to a corrupt soul who ignored warnings Click here to return to quiz

14. Sorry! Try again! Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy because both of the young, forbidden lovers’ lives are cut short. Click here to return to quiz

15. Congratulations!!! The Comedy of Errors is a comedy with a happy ending and no tragic deaths! Click here to continue to final slide

16. This concludes the lesson. Please click on the “return to title’ button for the next student Click here to return to title