Easing into Shakespeares Sonnets via 20th Century Sonnets Lesson #1 Texts Covered A 20th century sonnet of the

teachers choosing. Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Own is used here as a model. !"#$% &O#' O$ ( !)* What You Need +o,ies of the sonnet- double s,aced- so that students can mar. them u,. f a/ailable- ,hotos of soldiers in World War - ra0 or Afghanistan1 ,hoto of Wilfred Owen. ( !)* Whats n !or Today and Why 'odern sonnets loo. more accessible than "ha.es,eares to most students. 2ocusing on the techni0ues used by more recent ,oets ,re,ares the way for reading "ha.es,eares sonnets. A lesson on iambic ,entameter could ,recede this one. 3"ee am a &irate with a Wooden (eg4 "tom,ing ambic &entameter or (i/ing ambic &entameter on the 2olger You%ube channel.5 What To "o 6. 7ournals. 2ree8write for a few minutes on the .inds of emotions a war e/o.es in ,eo,le at home. Are they sad- fearful for the soldiers at the front- angry at those who sent them there* Write along with the students. Discuss the res,onses. &ossiblyshow news,a,er ,hotos of soldiers in ra0 and Afghanistan. 2. &ass out ,hotoco,ies of Anthem for Doomed Youth double8s,aced. As. students to read around 9 each ,erson reads one line. 3%he te:t of this ,oem as well as most of the others- is a/ailable on the $e,resentati/e &oetry Online site.5 O' %* (in. instead* As. students to circle any words which are unfamiliar. "ome .ey words which will need definition are passing-bells, orisons, shire, pallor, pall. +ollecti/ely- students may be able to come u, with any necessary definitions1 if not- they can go to the dictionary. Discuss the connotations of these and any other words that ha/e been circled. ;. "tudents read the ,oem aloud- chorally. Discuss the theme of the ,oem. What are the two settings in/o.ed* What is the tone of the ,oem and the attitude of the ,oet towards war* %ell students that Owen ser/ed in World War and was .illed shortly before the Armistice. f a/ailable- show ,hotos of soldiers in WW . <. One or two students read the first line of the ,oem- which ,oses a 0uestion. %hen ,airs of students- one for each ,assage ending with a ,eriod- read the answers of the ne:t se/en lines. $e,eat the ,attern for the sestet. "tudents should stand in front of

the class- or at their des.s- and should try to ma.e eye contact with someone as they read. =. +ollecti/ely- ,ara,hrase the ,oem. Write reactions to the ,oem for 28; minutes and share res,onses. >ow does the ,oet answer the 0uestions he ,uts forth* ?. As time ,ermits- discuss imagery- such as the religious imagery- and sound effectsli.e the onomato,oeia of the stuttering rifles rapid rattle, and their effects. @. As. students if they recogniAe the form of the ,oem. Discuss the characteristics of a sonnet 3see the section on "onnet "tructure in An ntroduction to %eaching "ha.es,eares "onnets.5 Bo o/er the rhyme scheme and ,oint out its /ariations from either of the basic ,atterns- talian and #nglish. Why might Owen ha/e chosen a sonnet for this subCect* Why might he ha/e left a s,ace between octa/e and sestet* D. One or two ,eo,le- ,referably /olunteers- read the whole sonnet aloud. E. 7ournals. "tudents write for 28; minutes describing their own feelings about the deaths of young soldiers. %his is not to share now- but to sa/e as ,ossible subCect matter for a sonnet of their own later in the unit. #o$ did it go% Did students res,ond to the ,oem* Were they mo/ed by it* Did they ,artici,ate acti/ely in the choral reading and in the writing* n discussions- did they demonstrate an understanding of the basic sonnet form and how it can /ary* #o&e$ork !or Next Lesson4 Fring in the lyrics andGor music for a ,o, song about the ,ain of lo/e 9 losing a boyfriendGgirlfriend or longing after someone you cant ha/e ther &odern sonnets as a'ternatives( &ity 'e !ot or What (i,s my (i,s >a/e )issed by #dna "t. Hincent 'illay1 %he O/en Fird by $obert 2rost1 f We 'ust Die by +laude 'c)ay1 $obert >ayden- %hose Winter "undays 3(e/in 26E51 >oward !emero/- A &rimer for the Daily $ound 3(e/in ,g 2;<51 "eamus >eaney- %he 2orge 3(e/in 2@651 FenCamin Alire "aenA- %o %he Desert 3&O( ,g. 60E5 Note to Gigi after Bob looks at this, we can standardize the format and I will provide source for Millay et al I don!t think chronology is important here, maybe "ust list them alphabetically

)etrar*h+ ,ather o! the Sonnet Lesson #2 Texts Covered &etrarchs "onnet + H in #nglish translation 3 find no ,eaceI.5( !) What You Need A co,y of the te:t for each student. Whats on !or Today and Why %his lesson mo/es bac. to before "ha.es,eare- and offers an introduction to &etrarch and the influence he had on sonnet writing in the 6?th and 6@th centuries and beyond. t ,ro/ides a conte:t for understanding how "ha.es,eare both made use of &etrarchan con/entions and undercut them- and how modern writers continue to refer to and riff off of &etrarch. What To "o 6. "tudents bring in the lyrics to songs about the ,ain of lo/e and share them. "hare some musical renditions if you ha/e the time. +onsider together why this is still such a ,o,ular subCect. 2. Friefly e:,lain who &etrarch and (aura were and list some characteristic themes of the &etrarchan sonnet4 the belo/ed is ideally beautiful- unattainable- cruel in reCecting the ,oets lo/e1 lo/e is a torment- the lo/er suffers from e:tremes of feeling1 the Bod of (o/e is harshG lo/e is a religion- the eyes are the window to the soul1 the ,oem will immortaliAe the belo/ed- etc. 3"ee ntroduction.5 ;. Bo o/er the ty,ical relationshi, of octa/e and sestet4 the octa/e introduces a situationG ,oses a 0uestionG ,resents a ,roblem and the sestet comments on the situationG answers the 0uestionG suggests a solution. Fetween octa/e and sestet- there is a /olta 9 literally- a turn 88 a shift in tone- often subtle. <. %o illustrate- ,ass out an #nglish language translation into iambic ,entameter of one of &etrarchs many sonnets1 + H- translated by %homas Fergin- begins find no ,eace and bear no arms for war. 3%his could be a lin. and the te:t omitted.5 find no ,eace and bear no arms for warfear- ho,e1 burn yet sha.e with chill1 fly the >ea/ens- huddle to earths floor#mbrace the world- yet all gras, is nil. (o/e o,ens not nor shuts my ,risons door !or claims me his nor lea/es me to my will1 >e slays me not yet holds me e/ermoreWould ha/e me lifeless yet bound to my ill. #yeless see and tongueless ,rotest. And long to ,erish while succor see.1 'yself hate and would another woo.

feed on grief- laugh with sob8rac.ed breast And death and life ali.e to me are blea.4 'y lady- thus am because of you. =. Di/ide the class into two grou,s- one for octa/e- one for the sestet. Bi/e them 60 minutes to ,re,are a dramatic reading with e:aggerated mo/ements and gestures. Octa/e grou, is on one side of the room- sestet is on the other. "tudents can s,ea. chorally- or brea. u, the lines and ,arcel them out. ?. %he ,resentations will be funny. 'ention that the obCect is not to ridicule &etrarcha great artist- but to demonstrate the e:tremes of feeling he articulated and which ser/ed as models for later ,oets. @. As. students to write out the sonnets rhyme scheme. Discuss briefly. D. 7ournals4 write reactions to &etrarch and then share res,onses. E. %ime ,ermitting- role8,lay &etrarch and (aura in contem,orary idiom. #o$ "id -t .o% Did students connect the sentiments of the songs they brought in with &etrarch* Do they understand the &etrarchan con/entions and how they continue to influence writing today* Did they reach a more solid understanding of a sonnets characteristic sha,e* Do they a,,ear interested in the sonnet as a formaliAed way of e:,ressing feeling* #o&e$ork !or Next Lesson( &ass out ,hotoco,ies- double8s,aced- of 'ichael Draytons %he &arting to be discussed tomorrow. 3(in. instead of te:t here* (2! could find no lin. accessible to ,ublic.5 "ince theres no hel,- come let us .iss and ,art 9 !ay- ha/e done- you get no more of me1 And am glad- yea- glad with all my heart%hat so cleanly myself can free. "ha.e hands fore/er- cancel all our /owsAnd when we meet at any time againFe it not seen in either of our brows %hat we one Cot of former lo/e retain. !ow at the last gas, of (o/es latest breathWhen- his ,ulse failing- &assion s,eechless liesWhen 2aith is .neeling by his bed of deathAnd nnocence is closing u, his eyes 9 !ow if thou wouldst- when all ha/e gi/en him o/er2rom death to life thou mightst him yet reco/er.

<

The Eng'ish Sonnet( /i*hae' "rayton Lesson #0 Texts Covered 'ichael Draytons 36=?;86?;65 sonnet %he &arting. What You Need +o,ies of the ,oem. You need a dictionary- and an ,od to ,lay Frea.ing u, is hard to do or a more contem,orary e0ui/alent. Whats n !or Today and Why %his lesson ,resents an e:amination of a sonnet by one of "ha.es,eares contem,oraries indebted to &etrarch- em,hasiAing the distress and turmoil of lo/e. %his sonnet and the sonnet of ",ensers assigned for the ne:t day- in which he idealiAes his belo/ed in a blaAon- are e:am,les of the literary conte:t in which "ha.es,eare was writing. What To "o 6. &lay the song Frea.ing u, is hard to do or a more familiar e0ui/alent.3Boogle will gi/e you multi,le sites1 or students can ,ro/ide the song on their ,ods.5 2. 7ournals. 2ree writing- 28; minutes on the subCect of brea.ing u,. f you ha/e time- students can share their wor. aloud. %his could ,ro/e to be 0uite ,o,ular. ;. "tudents get out the co,ies of 'ichael Draytons "ince theres no hel, that they were gi/en yesterday. <. #licit the rhyme scheme and com,are it to that of &etrarchs sonnet from Day 21 identify Draytons as an #nglish sonnet- later called "ha.es,eareanwhich is less tightly .nit. 3"ee descri,tion of an #nglish sonnet in the ntroduction.5 =. Frea. u, the class into two grou,s4 grou, A collecti/ely reads the octa/e- grou, F reads the sestet. ?. Whats ha,,ening in this sonnet* Whos s,ea.ing* As. for line8by8line ,ara,hrases of the first D lines. @. DramatiAe the last ? lines. Assign roles to4 (o/e- &assion- 2aith- nnocence- the de,arting lo/er- the anguished dum,ee. "tudents mime the action while the others read the lines aloud- in a circle around the dying (o/e.

D. 7ournals. Write 28; minutes about the sonnets ending. What are the chances that the de,arting lo/er will change hisGher mind resuscitate (o/e at the last minute* "hare the res,onses. E. Discuss the intensity of feeling in this com,ared to that in &etrarchs sonnet. 60. Annnounce4 %omorrow- "ha.es,eare at (ast. #o$ "id -t .o% Were students engaged in what they were doing* Do they show a dee,er understanding of how a literary tradition is inherited and re8wor.ed* Are they more secure in their definition of sonnet* #o&e$ork !or Next Lesson( 7ournal writing4 list the characteristics of an ideal beautymale or female- for you. &ri/ate writing1 not to share. >and out co,ies of ",ensers sonnet to read at home. 3Or you can ,roCect this on a screen for (esson <.5 3Note to .igi4 L,N !inds no 'ink to this parti*u'ar sonnet1 2 Ye tradeful merchants- that with weary toil Do see. most ,recious things to ma.e your gain1 And both the ndias of their treasure s,oil1 What needeth you to see. so far in /ain* 2or lo- my lo/e doth in herself contain All this worlds riches that may far be found4 f sa,,hires- lo- her eyes be sa,,hires ,lain1 f rubies- lo- her li,s be rubies sound1 f ,earls- her teeth be ,earls- both ,ure and round1 f i/ory- her forehead i/ory ween1 f gold- her loc.s are finest gold on ground1 f sil/er- her fair hands are sil/er sheen4 Fut that which fairest is- but few behold>er mind adorned with /irtues manifold

Spenser+ Shakespeare+ and the 34'a5on6 Lesson #7 Texts Covered ",ensers sonnet JH from Amoretti and "ha.es,eares "onnets 6;0. Note: the students in the Folgers Shakespeares Sisters seminar enjoy comparing hese t!o sonnets"

What You Need +o,ies of ",ensers sonnet JH or o/erhead ,roCector. %he !ew 2olger edition of "ha.es,eares sonnets- edited by Farbara 'owat and &aul Werstine- or co,ies of "onnet 6;0. A dictionary. Whats n !or Today and Why "tudents will read and res,ond to a "ha.es,earean sonnet which is in the &etrarchan tradition but moc.s its con/entions. %his lesson should begin to gi/e them an in.ing about what all the "ha.es,eare fuss is about. What To "o 6. &ass out co,ies or ,roCect on a screen the te:t of no. JH from ",ensers sonnet se0uence- #moretti" #:,lain that it was fashionable in the late 6?th8early 6@th centuries to write lin.ed sonnets addressed to a belo/ed.3 #moretti contains DD sonnets. 5 2. As. the class to read around ",ensers sonnet- sto, to sto, 3count colons and semi8colons as sto,s in this case.5 ;. "omeone loo.s u, blaAon and chooses the meaning most a,,ro,riate to describe this sonnet. &ara,hrase- collecti/ely- the first four lines. Define archaic words 3ween5 or forms 3needeth- tradeful- s,oil.5 <. Discuss the ,oets attitude towards his belo/ed and the im,lications of the images he uses to describe her beauty.. =. $ead around the te:t of "ha.es,eares "onnet 6;0- each ,erson reading a line. "tudents identify and define unfamiliar words and usage. 3$efer to the notes in the 2olger edition.5 . ?. 7ournals4 whats going on in this ,oem* >ow does the ,oet feel about his mistress* >ow can you tell* "hare aloud the res,onses. @. Discuss the tone of "ha.es,eares sonnet. >ow does it com,are to ",ensers* Which words in 6;0 lend humor to the whole* D. +om,are the diction in the two sonnets. E. n both sonnets- the last two lines oblige us to re8thin. what came before. >ow con/incing are these final lines- in each case*

#o$ "id -t .o%

Did students a,,reciate the humor and wit in "ha.es,eares sonnet* Did they enCoy discussing and com,aring the two sonnets* Did they demonstrate an understanding of how "ha.es,eare shows off his own familiarity with sonnet con/entions and- at the same time- u,ends them* #o&e$ork !or Lesson 7a $ead the te:t of "onnet 6;D 3When my lo/e swears that she is full of truth.5 n 7ournals- write about the im,ortance of trust in any relationshi,. Lesson 7a Shakespeares Sonnet 108 Note# $his is a short lesson which can either start off %esson &, which usually takes '()'& minutes, or, time permitting, included at the end of %esson * Text *overed "ha.es,eares "onnet 6;D. Whats n !or Today and Why "onnet 6;D- accessible and witty- is usually a fa/orite with students as it is about lo/etrust- male8female relationshi,s- and 3obli0uely5 se:. What You Need +o,ies of the sonnet. %he teacher should ha/e a co,y of the !ew 2olger Shakespeares Sonnets e/en if the students do not. What To "o 6. "tudents read the te:t aloud in four grou,s- one for each 0uatrain and one for the cou,let. %his em,hasiAes the structure of the ,oem- which- unli.e "onnet 6;0 read the day before- has a clear /olta between octa/e and sestet. 2. As. what is going on in the ,oem. %o whom do you imagine the ,oet s,ea.ing* >ow would you describe the relationshi, between the two lo/ers* ;. 'a.e sure students understand the sense of untutored- /ainly. sim,ly- credit- unCust 9 all words that we still use but which ha/e other meanings now. %hey should ha/e no trouble getting the ,un in the cou,let. <. Discuss4 >ow does the wit and humor in this sonnet com,ared to that in "onnet 6;0* Are there differences in tone* n what ways can both be said to be anti8 &etrarchan*

=. 3O,tional5 "hare Cournal writings on the im,ortance of trust in a relationshi,. ?. 7ournal. "onnets 62@86=2 are often referred to as the Dar. (ady sonnets. Do you thin. that "onnets 6;0 and 6;D are about the same woman* Why or why not* "hare these res,onses.

#o$ "id -t .o% Did students enCoy reading and discussing the ,oem* Are they enthusiastic about "ha.es,eare* Do they e:,ress interest in reading more sonnets*

9u'iet v1 Laura Lesson : Texts Covered $omeo and %uliet- Act 6- scene =- 60=862; in !ew 2olger edition. What You Need deally- the lines indicated abo/e- ty,ed and double s,aced- without notes- to hand out as scri,ts free of the distraction of notes. Or- you can wor. directly from the te:t in the boo.. Whats n ,or Today and Why

$omeo and %uliet contains three sonnets4 the &rologue- the shared sonnet at the ball scene in 6.=- and one at the start of Act 2. %he first and third of these are essentially narrati/es. %he second- which is shared by $omeo and 7uliet- is interesting to loo. at in the light of some .nowledge of &etrarchan con/entions1 students can a,,reciate the way "ha.es,eare both draws on these con/entions and reCects them. What To "o 6. &ass out the scri,ts. Di/ide the grou,s into $omeo and 7uliet. Assign the !urses line to one ,erson. 2. $ead the 6D lines chorally. !urse reads line 6E. As. students to circle unfamiliar words. 3&almer is .ey.5 ;. As. students if they recogniAe the form used. Whats unusual about it* !ote that in lines 6=86D- $omeo and 7uliet a,,ear to be starting a second sonnet,erha,s e/en a sonnet se0uence- but are interru,ted by the !urse. <. Discuss the meanings of any words that students ha/e circled.

=. $ead the lines again- chorally. ?. #licit the ways in which this ,assage is &etrarchan. 3$eligious imagery- lo/e at first sight- the lady a,,roached as holy- the lo/er begging for her fa/or- a threat of des,air- and elaborate meta,hors- among others.5 @. Assign two actors to be $omeo and 7uliet- ideally /olunteers- who will act out the lines silently as the rest of the class reads them. 3!ote4 there is always a ,roblem about the .iss- and much giggling. %ell them it is fine to Cust fa.e it. %here will still be giggling.5 D. As. the rest of the class to act as directors and suggest ways $omeo and 7uliet might mo/e or gesture at .ey ,oints. %here will be a lot of sto,,ing and starting. E. %he choral readers- the !urse- and the silent actors go through the ,assage one more time. 60. $omeo and 7uliet return to their seats. As. students what they noticed about 7uliets beha/ior. n what way is it anti8&etrarchan* "tudents will ha/e ,robably ,ic.ed u, that 7uliet is neither ,assi/e nor inaccessible but rather a bold and witty heroine. 66. Discuss4 s there e/idence of the shar, "ha.es,earean wit found in "onnets 6;0 and 6;0 in 7uliets language* 62. 7ournal. >as 7uliet suddenly- to your .nowledge- become a more significant rebel than before* #o$ "id -t .o% Did students see that 7uliet ,artici,ates acti/ely in the sonnet- rather than remaining silently on a ,edestal- li.e (aura* Did they understand that- though ob/iously familiar with the &etrarchan language and the con/entional e:,ectations of a lo/e8 obCect- 7uliet a,,ears eager to enter a relationshi, in which she e:,ects to be an e0ualgi/ing as good as she gets* 3C'ose ;eading6 o! a Sonnet Lesson #< Texts *overed "ha.es,eares "onnet 6D- or 2E- or ?=

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Note( %his could be re,laced by &erforming "onnets by "imon $odberg and +aleen "innette 7ennings on memoriAing a sonnet through ,erformance- which is close reading on your feet in &eggy OFriens words. What You Need "creen or blan. wall- an o/erhead ,roCector and a sonnet on a trans,arency- or on &ower &oint. 3Or lin.s to student la,to,s.5 You can also use co,ies of the sonnet- double s,aced- and ,ieces of blan. ,a,er to hide the lines not yet discussed. A dictionary. %he !ew 2olger edition of "ha.es,eares "onnet. Whats n ,or Today+ and Why "howing one line at a time of a sonnet- or any ,oem- demonstrates the way it accumulates meaning and ,re/ents students from lea,ing ahead to the cou,let to decide the lesson of the sonnet. %his method allows students to focus more on diction and to consider the multi,le connotations of indi/idual words. What to "o 6. With an o/erhead ,roCector- or &ower &oint- show only the first line of the sonnet on a screen. As. what the students thin. the subCect of the sonnet will be. f there are unfamiliar words- define them and as. for secondary meanings which might enrich the te:ture of the ,oem. 2or e:am,le- in "onnet 2E- fortune can mean both wealth and random luc.- and suggest the Boddess 2ortuna with her wheel. 2. Add the second line and as. how this second line enlarges the meaning of the first one. Bo slowly- discussing each im,ortant word. ;. +ontinue the ,rocess- ,ausing at each ,eriod or semicolon to ,ara,hrase what the sonnet has said- literally- so far. <. n all three of the suggested sonnets- there is a clear /olta 3shift5 between lines D and E. At the end of the octa/e- as. students to write for 28; minutes on what conclusion the ,oet will reach.

=. $elease the last si: lines- one by one- calling for connotations and associations with indi/idual words- not Cust denotations. ?. When the whole sonnet is /isible- students read it chorally. @. As. for a ,ara,hrase of the whole ,oem. Discuss the ,rocess by which "ha.es,eare arri/es at the idea e:,ressed in the cou,let. D. 7ournals. Write for 28; minutes about a ,ersonal meaning the sonnet has for you and how reading it one line at a time affected your understanding of the whole.

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#o$ did it go% Did students ,artici,ate acti/ely in the close reading* Did they a,,ear to understand the sonnets theme and literal meaning* Did they understand the im,ortance of each word is building the structure* Did they ta.e their thin.ing to a higher le/el of abstraction* Did they res,ond emotionally as well as intellectually* Did they find a ,ersonal connection to the sonnet*

Writing a .roup Sonnet Lesson #= Text Covered !one4 this lesson allows students to wor. together to write an original sonnet. What You Need +hal.board or sheets of news,rint on an easel- chal. or mar.ers. Whats n !or Today and Why

+om,osing a sonnet as a grou, can be an effecti/e way of reinforcing understanding of the sonnets ,attern and ,a/e the way for the writing of indi/idual sonnets. "tarting with a rhyme scheme and wor.ing bac.wards- adCusting the lines to ma.e sense- often yields sur,risingly coherent results. %his will be noisy and fun. What to "o 6. As. someone to write the rhyme scheme of the "ha.es,earean sonnet on the Foard- /ertically4 abab cdcd efef gg. !umber the lines. 2. #:,lain the ,rocess by which the students will create a sonnet. 2irst- come u, with two ,airs of rhyming one8syllable words for the first 0uatrain 3dayGdar.G ,rayGs,ar.- for e:am,le5 and ,lace them at the ends of the first < lines. ;. %he class collecti/ely com,oses iambic ,entameter lines to precede each of the end rhymes. One ,erson is the scribe who writes the lines on the board. %he lines may be nonsense at first- but then the grou, twea.s them into ma.ing sense.3 n the ,rocess- the end rhymes may be altered.5 <. %he same ,rocess is a,,lied to the second 0uatrain- the third- and the cou,let. =. Once there are 6< lines on the board- as. students to collecti/ely edit the result. ?. +horal reading of the grou, sonnet.

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@. 7ournals4 "tudents start writing indi/idual sonnets of their own- drawing on their Cournal writing of the ,re/ious days for subCect matter or theme. #o$ did it go% Did the class coo,erate in the e:ercise* Did students demonstrate an understanding of iambic ,entameter and of the rhyme scheme of the "ha.es,earean sonnet* Do they understand the internal structure of a sonnet and that that sonnets can be written about a wide range of to,ics* Were they able to com,ose a ,oem that hangs together and which doesnt rely on anti0uated language* #o&e$ork !or Next Lesson One original sonnet by each student is due for the ne:t lesson. %hey might wish to use the rhyme scheme of one of the sonnets you ha/e studied to date. %his will gi/e them a framewor. and may seem a bit less daunting than Cust as.ing them to gi/e it a go. Or they might use a ,hrase from one of "ha.es,eares sonnets as a first line- to Cum, start a sonnet. %he sonnets can be shared at whate/er time in the future seems best. Note to Gigi# since we are suggesting they write sonnets at the end of lesson +, should we skip this homework, -ne idea for all these additional poems . e/ercises we can!t find room for would be to suggest additional opportunities to augment 0as we have suggested ways to shorten1 the se2uence 3es, good idea 4hould these be in a list, or 5embedded6, 7robably in a list Sonnet )er!or&an*e ,estiva'( Shakespeares Sonnets as S*ripts Lesson # 8 Texts Covered <8= of the following "ha.es,earean sonnets4 2;- 2E- <2- =@- ??- @6- 6;D- 6<<- 6<@. 3Other choices are- of course- ,ossible- but these are fairly accessible and lend themsel/es to dramatic ,erformances.5 What You Need +o,ies of the <8= sonnets you ha/e chosen for the class- ,referably on se,arate ,a,erwithout notes. A co,y of the !ew 2olger edition of the "onnets and a dictionary- for reference. O,tional but /ery desirable4 a bag of ,ro,s 9 hats- scar/es- bell- cloc.- wooden dagger stethosco,e- .aAoo- harmonica- andGor anything you thin. would add /isual interest to the ,erformance. Whats n !or Today+ and Why

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Frea.ing a sonnet down into ,arts and ,resenting it dramatically can hel, students to really listen to the language- to hear different /oices in the ,oem. %oday- small grou,s of ;8= students wor. together to turn the sonnet into a scri,t in which lines andGor ,hrases are assigned to different actors- ,erha,s designating certain lines to be s,o.en chorally. 2iguring out the te:ts with a minimum of hel, from the teacher is an em,owering e:ercise. What To "o 6. Frea. u, the class into grou,s of ;8= students. 2. Bi/e each grou, a co,y of the sonnet they will ,re,are. ;. #:,lain that they are to find a story that the sonnet tells and dramatiAe itassigning different lines to different actors. #m,hasiAe that e/eryone must s,ea.e/en if only on a chorally read line. <. "how students the bag of ,ro,s and ration them 9 only 2 or ; to a grou,. =. %ell them that they may use the co,y of the !ew 2olger edition or a dictionary to as. for hel, in understanding a word or a ,assage. ?. Bi/e each grou, a short list of 0uestions to consider- for e:am,le4 Who are you* %o whom are you s,ea.ing* Where are you* Whats ha,,ening* Whats the tone of the ,oem* >ow can you ,hysicaliAe meta,hor- simile- ,ersonification* Where might you ,ause* s there a .ey line* @. $ehearsal time should be 6=820 minutes. While one could s,end much longerstudents focus better when time is limited.

D. As. them to assign one ,erson to introduce the sonnet by name and say curtain to indicate the start of the ,erformance and the end. Actors should ,lan on ta.ing a grou, bow during the a,,lause. E. You float from grou, to grou, ma.ing sure .ids stay on tas. and offering hel, when it is re0uested. 60. When you ha/e ascertained that e/eryone is more or less ready- designate a s,ace that is the stage and call forth the acting com,anies- one by one- to ,erform. As. the audience members to thin. of 0uestions they might li.e to as.. 66. After all the ,erformances- o,en u, the floor to 0uestions. 62. 7ournals4 Write about the e:,erience of ,erforming a sonnet as ,art of a grou,. What did you learn about the sonnet* What 0uestions do you still ha/e*

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#o$ "id -t .o% Did students wor. coo,erati/ely together to ,roduce a ,laylet of the sonnet* Did their ,erformances demonstrate a basic understanding of the sonnets content* Were they imaginati/e* Did they res,ond intelligently to the 0uestions of others* Were audience members attenti/e and res,ectful of the ,erformances of others* #o&e$ork >not sure about this1 With a ,artner- wor. on a memoriAed dramatiAation of a sonnet of your choice to ,resent to the class the following wee.. Shakespeares Sisters ? ther /odern Sonnets Lesson #@ Note to Gigi I really like this plan8 Texts Covered &ro/ide the class with co,ies of a number of modern sonnets. #:am,les ,ro/ided here include a number of modern and contem,orary ,oems included in the "ha.es,eares "isters seminar for high school students taught at the 2olger. %his ten8wee. course introduces &etrarchan con/entions- "ha.es,earean- #liAabethan and $enaissance sonnetsand the e/ol/ing language and to,ics of women writers from "ha.es,eares time u, to the ,resent. What You Need +o,ies of as many of these sonnets as you would li.e to ma.e a/ailable to the class. "uggested sonnets include4 +arol Ann Duffy- Anne >athaway1 'a:ine )umin&urgatory1 Filly +ollins- "onnet1 #liAabeth Farrett Frowning- "onnets J( 4 >ow do lo/e thee1 JJ4 Felo/ed- my Felo/ed1 J H4 f %hou must lo/e me1 #dna "t Hincent 'illay- &ity me notI3(e/in ,g 6D=51 'illay- thin. should ha/e lo/ed you ,resently 3&O( website51 'illay- What li,s my li,s ha/e .issed 3&O( website51 $ita Do/e- >ades &itch1 +arol Ann Duffy &rayer 3"elected &oems ,g 62@51 'arilyn !elson >ow Disco/ered &oetry 3&O( Anthology ,g. E<51 )ate (ight- $eading "omeone #lses (o/e &oems 3(e/in ,g ;;651 7ulia Al/areA- Where are the girls who were so beautiful* 3(e/in ,g. ;0?51 'olly &eacoc.- Desire 3and there are ; others too5 (e/in ,gs. 2ED K 2EE1 'arie &onsot- Winter 3&O( website5 3!oteL .now this is ridiculously too much4 wanted to s.etch out some choices.5 Gigi these are all good your call on how to limit 9ertainly :uffy, ;umin, Billy 9ollins and Millay, and Marilyn Nelson, with maybe a descriptive phrase as a 5teaser6 for each poem, for those overburdened teachers who do not have time to go read them all %ouisa, you are right . I like your choice of poems %et!s see what Bob says . then I!ll write those teaser descriptions Whats n !or Today and Why

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%he "ha.es,earean sonnet continues to influence writers through the years. O/er fi/e centuries- women writers and men writing about women ha/e e:tended and transformed the sonnet to allow their /oices to be heard. "tudents will understand that understanding sonnets is rele/ant to writing today and will read sonnets addressing familiar themes in contem,orary language. What to do >and out co,ies of the ,oems you ha/e selected. !ote4 'aybe we should ,oint them toward the Duffy- the )umin- the Filly +ollins- a 'illay K then chec. out the stunning 'arilyn !elson ,oem too.5 $ead each ,oem aloud- with one student reading the octa/e and the other the sestet- or ; students each reading a 0uatrain and a fourth reading the concluding cou,let. >ow are these ,oems different from "ha.es,eare and $enaissance writers* Discuss how diction and concerns change o/er the centuries. What is the same and what is altered* Are these "ha.es,earean or &etrarchan in form* %a.e note of how women change &etrarchan con/entions. 3!oteL,erha,s a 'illay should be selected for this and the lesson ,lan written around the 'illay*5 Maybe though I like what you have %et!s ask Bob +an students identify the continuing influence of "ha.es,eare today* #o$ did it go% Do students understand that sonnets are not Cust a form but a way of thin.ing* Do they understand the dialectical nature of sonnets and the im,ortance of the /olta* +an they attem,t a sonnet in com,letely modern language* Did they enCoy the unit and do they understand why there is so much fuss about "ha.es,eare* #o&e$ork Assign a com,letely modern to,ic 3 ,ods- school lunches or the dance- s,orts- etc.5 and as. students to write a sonnet on this to,ic. Award style ,oint for the intelligent use of slang and contem,orary idiom within a coherent rhyme scheme.

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