Alyssa Watson

William Shakespeare WebQuest

Play Chronology Section

1. How many plays did William Shakespeare write?

• He wrote 37 plays.
1. Is the chronology of Shakespeare’s plays exact?
• No, they are not exact.
1. Why or Why not?
• This is because we are not exactly sure if the dates are
exact, since not all of his work was recorded with the date.
1. What 5 processes did they use to try and piece together the
chronology of Shakespeare’s plays?
• 1-Actual historical events, 2-Allusions to historical events in
his plays, 3-First Performance dates taken from personal
diaries and records (Henslow and Manningham,) 4-Royal
Court Records, 5-Legal documents.
1. In what year was Romeo and Juliet first performed?
• The first performance was from 1594-1595. It was first
printed in 1623.

Sonnets Section

1. What is a Sonnet
• It is a fourteen line lyric poem, which is traditionally
written, in iambic pentameter.
1. What is iambic pentameter?
• It is lines which are made up of ten syllables long; "Shall I
compare thee to a summer's day?".
1. How many sonnets did William Shakespeare write?
• He wrote 154 sonnets.
1. What are Shakespeare’s 5 most popular sonnets?
• 1-O thou my lovely boy, 2-My Mistress’ eyes, 3-When in
disgrace with fortune, 4-Let me not to the marriage of true
minds, and 5-Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?.

William Shakespeare Biography Section

1. What are 3 known facts about William Shakespeare the great

Stratford Bard?
• 1-There are over one hundred references to William
Shakespeare, and his family, in Public records. 2-There are
also recordings of legal and business transactions. 3-
 Documented references were also made by some of his
contempories.
1. List 3 facts that are known about the Elizabethan Stratford
Playwright and his family.
•
1. What exactly was the ‘First Folio’? Is Shakespeare’s picture an
accurate portrait?
• John Heminge and Henry Condell gathered 36 of William
Shakespeare’s playwrights and published them, creating
the First Folio.
1. List 2 reasons why there is so much controversy about the
biography of the playwright?
•

Black Death and the Bubonic Plague Section

1. Were those who contracted the Bubonic Plague or Black Death

allowed outside of their house? Why or why not?
• No, you had to remain in your home. This is because the
plague was airborne. They were locked up in their home
and could not leave until they were better.
1. Who were the Watchmen and what was their job?
• These men sat and watched the plague houses.
1. How did those who had the Bubonic Plague eat?
• The Watchmen also sent baskets of food into the one
window of the house.
1. How did people get the Bubonic Plague?
• It was a bacterial disease which was airborne. One would
come down with the Bubonic Plague by simply breathing in
the air that.
1. In 1563, in London, how many people died of the Bubonic
Plague?
• Over 20,000 people.

Shakespeare Facts Section

1. Did William Shakespeare attend a University?

• No, he never attended a University.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_001a.htm
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1. What is Shakespeare’s shortest play?
• The Comedy of Errors with 1,787 lines was his shortest
play.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_002a.htm
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1. What was the name of Shakespeare’s wife?
 • How old was Shakespeare when they got married?-He
married Anne Hathaway.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_003a.htm
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1. Was Anne the same age as Shakespeare when they married? If
not, was Anne older or younger?
• No, Anne was 26 while William was 18.
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/facts/facts.htm
1. What actor first played the roles of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,
and Richard III? In what year did this famous actor pass away?
• Richard Burbage brought these roles to life. He was a very
joyful actor until his death in.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_004a.htm
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1. Did Shakespeare ever act in any of his plays? If so, list two.
•
1. Which role is Shakespeare said to have played in the original
production of Hamlet?
• He is said to have played The Ghost.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_005a.htm
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1. How many of Shakespeare’s original manuscripts have survived?
Why?
• None of his original manuscripts have survived the years.
This is because they were strictly made for the stage
performance.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_006a.htm
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1. What was the name of Shakespeare’s only son?
• The name of his only son was Hamnet.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_008a.htm
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1. How old was Hamnet when he died?
• Hamnet was only eleven when he died.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_008a.htm
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1. How many of Shakespeare’s plays were published during his
lifetime? Why?
• None of his plays were published in his life. When he wrote
them, he apparently only intended to use them purely to
be performed.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_010a.htm
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1. Name the two men who ended up gathering some of
Shakespeare’s plays to be published. How many plays did they
publish?
• John Heminge and Henry Condell gathered a total of 36 of
William Shakespeare’s playwrights.
 http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_010a.htm
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1. In what year was this collection of plays published?
• All 36 were published in 1623 and they became known as
The First Folio.
http://www.usefultrivia.com/literary_trivia/shakespeare_trivia_010a.htm
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1. List four interesting facts you learned about William Shakespeare
during this WebQuest.
• I learned 1-we do not truly know the birthday of William
Shakespeare, his baptism records from April 26th, 1564 are
the closest fact we have of knowing. 2-William invented the
word “assassination”, 3-there was another Shakespeare
family when William was born, but the other family did not
become famous, and 4-suicide occurs 13 times in his plays.