The Merry Wives of Windsor Lesson Plan

Analysis of a Theatrical Performance

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will compare and contrast scenes from a cinematic adaptation of the play with the text.

Structure:

In 2019, The Royal Shakespeare Company performed an adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor set in 1930s Britain. You can find several clips on YouTube, including this one of Act II, Scene 1. (You can purchase the DVD on the RSC website.) Acquire and choose several clips from this adaptation, then find the sections these clips best correspond to in the play. Watch them with your students and have your students follow along in the text. Ask students to analyze the clips in...