Over the years, I've recommended English teachers read Ian Doescher’s Shakespearean five-act plays in iambic pentameter with their classes as readers theater and watch the movies, scene by corresponding scene.
William Shakespeare’s Tragical History of Frankenstein is the first of his plays that’s a little – no, a lot – different.
It doesn’t correspond to a movie.
It’s an adaptation of the book.
If you’ve read Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, you’ll know that Hollywood turned “Frankenstein” into the monster.
So this is Doescher’s first play that you can use to show the differences in how popular media – the movie industry, specifically – takes liberties when portraying major characters, like Shelley’s monster. It’s ripe for opening conversations and dialogue with your class about how and why the movie industry did this to her characters.
To that end, I encourage you read the play in class as a readers theater. This one is super short, only 128 pages, with only 31 roles total, so it will zip by. Please use my free, downloadable Reading Roles Sheets to keep track of student readers day by day.
It’s a perfect play for a class of about 30 or so students in 7-9th grades. Many of your students will think they “know” who Frankenstein is and may have no idea he’s actually the doctor who creates the monster. Let them discover that tidbit as they read and ponder why.
When done as a readers theater, I suggest starting with one or two scenes per day. Your students may struggle to get through that until they get the hang of reading. Depending on how proficient your readers are and how quickly they pick up the iambic pentameter, it may go quickly and you can pick up the pace.
Keep track of who is reading by noting, each day, on the Reading Roles Sheets who has read which character. Try not to allow students to always read the same character. Some characters get a lot of speaking time in this play, such as Victor and Elizabeth, so spread those roles around.
When students switch roles, they learn to identify each speaker's unique traits. You want everyone reading because they will need practice and you want to keep all readers engaged.
In addition, for the first time, Doescher uses a character as a Chorus in this play, not unlike in Henry V. I encourage you to use, when marked, “Robert Walton / Chorus” as both an assigned character and a full-class choral read. It occurs four times in this play, including the Prologue, and only once does he appear (toward the end, Act V) as a character in the play. Discuss, of course, with your students how and why this one character’s framing of the story is important.
Doescher does not provide a teaching guide for this play, sadly.
Introducing Iambic Pentameter Basic Lesson Plan
1. Buy class copies of the play, Tragical History of Frankenstein. This sounds like a no-brainer, but each student needs to have a book in their hands to follow along. You may also choose to have a “Frankenstein” movie ready to watch after reading, either through a Disney+ subscription, iTunes or however you obtain movies for your classroom.
2. Start by printing the Two Line Start Cards and laminating them, one set for each pair. Cut them up and put them in baskets on pairs of desks.
3. Allow students to pair up or assign partners.
If your class has already done the Two Line Start Cards for my lesson using Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily a New Hope, they'll know what to do.
If not, follow the next steps.
4. Students watch Akala's TedX talk about the links between HipHop and the Bard. Have a copy of the Sonnet #18 ready for them to read and follow, as well as the lyrics to Akala's two other songs at the end. Then crank up the volume! The kids love these.
Now have students use Doescher’s sonnet generator to create their own sonnets. You read that right. Your students can generate their own sonnets, 14 lines of poetry, by answering four simple questions.
Have students share their poems.
5. Students will practice reading the Two Line Start Cards to each other.
6. Students use a dry erase marker to write in the breaks between syllables and show the accent in the pairs.
7. TW circulate in the room (check student responses), checking to make sure students are placing the syllable breaks and accents in the correct places and that students "get" the iambic pentameter poetry form.
8. When they're familiar with the form, students begin reading the play. Keep track of which students read which parts using the Reading Role Sheets.
And bango!
You're ready to have some serious literary fun.
9. When they finish the play, you may choose to show a Frankenstein movie.
Before viewing, have students create a T-chart, listing in one column 5-10 things they learned about Frankenstein from Doescher’s play.
As they watch, pause the movie periodically to have students note in the opposite column when the movie veers from the written version. This will vary depending on which movie version you decide to show.
Students share their observations and discuss possible reasons for the differences between the play and movie.
Enjoy!
