Interpreting Character

A short scene—sometimes even a single line of text—can provide extraordinary insights into the major characters and themes of a play. Sue Biondo-Hench, a curriculum specialist (and alumna) of the Folger's Teaching Shakespeare Institute and an English teacher at Carlisle High School for 29 years, often starts off a new Shakespeare unit by having students explore character and motive using a key passage of text—sometimes just a single line.

"What makes Interpreting Character such a successful exercise," says Biondo-Hench, "is its multiple points of focus. Students explore a play-specific character, engage in performance-based methods for interpreting the text, and learn how Shakespeare's language allows for multiple meanings".

Interpreting Character uses scenes from Henry IV, Part 1 and centers on Prince Hal, but the exercise works equally well for any Shakespeare play—or any other play! Part of the Folger's Teaching Shakespeare series.