Play the Villain…or Theatre Critic
(An English WebQuest)

Ms. Singh, 10^th Grade English

Harry S Truman High School

The Introduction

You are a time traveler. Your blue box has traveled back to November 1, 1604 to the Globe Theatre in England. The show: Othello. Written by a man who seems to be doing a lot of playwriting, William Shakespeare seems particularly proud of this production. Since time-traveling doesn’t exactly pay the bills, you are doing the next best thing: writing critical review of plays, and it looks like you’re right in time for the first performance of Othello. You don’t know much about the play seeing as this is the first performance, but rumor has it that it has to do with a Moor, or a black man, from Venice, jealousy, and domestic abuse. It is your job to tackle one of these issues and write a review based on what you witnessed in the play’s production.

The Task

Choose a social problem found in Othello: racism, gender inequality, domestic violence/abuse. Your play review will be three pages, typed, and double-spaced. Devote two and a half pages for your actual review and a half page for your works cited.

(Remember that you are writing for a particular audience: use language appropriate for a newspaper! You are allowed, and encouraged, to use humor and your own personality as it is an opinionated review of the play.)

The Process

1. Watch a performance of Othello if you did not finish reading the play.

2. Review samples of play reviews in order to understand how they are written.

a. Examples can be found here and here.

3. Choose a controversial topic you want to review: domestic violence/abuse, racism, or gender inequality.

a. Provide a brief overview of your topic. Your reader may not be informed about the subject, so include any relevant information.

b. Use this PPA worksheet to help plan your definition.

4. Include evidence so your readers can believe what you said—this can be a quote from the play or a particular scene.

a. Use this PPA worksheet to gather your information.

b. Of course, you can’t cite the exact timing from the play, so when using quotes, follow these steps for proper MLA citation.

5. Identify causes of your topic in one of the characters from the play (use this worksheet for help).

6. Discuss some actions the playwright could have taken to avoid these issues. (There might not have been an interesting play without these social issues, but provide some action plans as suggestions by using this worksheet.)

The Evaluation

You will be graded on based on the rubric below and the submission of all worksheets.

	4	3	2	1
Plot Understanding	I have at least one paragraph that summarizes the important story elements of the play. All characters names, setting, and conflict are accurate.	I have at least one paragraph that summarizes the important story elements of the play.	I have identified the problem and solution.	I did not show that I have understood what the play was about.
Explanation of Social Problem	I not only stated the social problem, but I also used accurate vocabulary and arrived at the solutions for the public policy.	I stated the social problem but did not provide a definition or am missing a solution for a public policy.	I stated the social problem but did not include proper vocabulary, definition, or a solution for a public policy.	I did not include a social problem in my play review.
Evidence	I used sufficient and relevant evidence in order to support my opinions using proper MLA citations. My reasoning was complete and logical.	I used evidence that supported my argument but it did not include any reasoning for a logical argument. I included proper MLA citations.	I used evidence that is irrelevant or without MLA citations.	I did not use any evidence to support my review.
Writing Conventions	My play review is free of all grammatical and spelling errors and logically makes sense.	My play review has a few errors but they do not hinder understanding.	My play review could use some editing and includes several errors.	My work has so many errors in grammar and spelling that it interferes with understanding.

“For I am nothing, if not critical.” - Othello

The Conclusion

After writing your play review, think about why Shakespeare chose to include these social problems. Switch your review with someone who chose a problem that is different from yours. In pairs, discuss what would happen if someone were to write and publish a play like this today. How would the audience react? What would a modern theatre critic say?

Common Core Standards Addressed

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9
Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.