The Shakespeare Stealer

Widge is sent to steal Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Watch this 5-minute video about Hamlet and think about why Blackwood chose this play. What is the relationship between Shakespeare’s play and Blackwood’s novel? Consider the following questions as you develop your ideas:

• What is similar about the protagonists’ situations?
• How are Simon Bass’s actions similar to those of Hamlet’s father?
• What role does theater play in Hamlet?
• What role does friendship play in Hamlet?
• Why does Hamlet’s story end in tragedy, while Widge’s story does not?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to consider the role of intertextuality in The Shakespeare Stealer. To facilitate accurate discussion, you might introduce the term “reference” and “allusion” and guide students to an understanding of which Blackwood is employing in this case. If the bulleted sub-questions introduce more material than is practical for your students or the time allowed, you might break students into small groups and ask each one to investigate a different sub-question. A class wide discussion would be one way students could share their findings. You can extend this discussion by asking students how the differing outcomes of Hamlet’s and Widge’s “big decisions” support the novel’s thematic concern with The Importance of Honor. More advanced students might also be asked to contrast this with the ideas about honor evident in Shakespeare’s play.

Differentiation Suggestion:  Literal thinkers, as well as students with attentional and organizational challenges, may struggle to find the correspondences between Hamlet and The Shakespeare Stealer. These students may benefit from setting up a three-column graphic organizer. They can list the topics indicated in the bulleted sub-questions on the far left and then make notes on each topic, using the center column for Hamlet and the far-right column for The Shakespeare Stealer. If your class is answering this prompt in writing, an annotated version of such a chart might be an acceptable alternative to an essay-style response for those who struggle with written expression.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Rank the (Im)Morality”

In this activity, students will evaluate the motives for and impacts of the various forms of deceit, theft, and violence in the novel by creating and defending a moral ranking of these actions.

Most of the characters in The Shakespeare Stealer engage in some kind of “bad” behavior: There is a lot of lying, stealing, and violence in this story. While the characters have different motivations, not all of their behaviors equally impact others. In this activity, you will rank eight examples of behavior that might be considered wrong, and then share a defense of your rankings with your peers.

Gather Evidence and Create Your Rankings

Consider the list of characters below. Why do these characters behave this way? How does this behavior impact others? Using the text for reference, make some notes about each character’s motivations and behaviors, then use your notes to rank their actions 1-8, with 8 being “least immoral” and 1 being “most immoral.”

• Julian/Julia’s misrepresentation of their identity
• Dr. Bright’s and Simon Bass’s theft of Widge’s freedom
• Nick’s bullying of Widge and Julian
• The theater company’s theft of Widge’s time from his legal “master”
• Various adults’ physical abuse of Widge
• Widge’s misrepresentation of his intentions
• Various characters’ violent responses to spoken insults
• Simon Bass’s attempt to steal Hamlet

Defend Your Rankings

Present your rankings and your reasons for these rankings in small groups. As you listen to your peers’ rankings and defenses, write down whose ideas are similar to and whose ideas are different from your own. (You will need to remember what your peers said in order to complete the final part of this activity!)

Reflect on the Experience

• Write a paragraph summarizing the similarities between others’ rankings and your own.
• Write a second paragraph explaining whether hearing your peers’ defenses changed your mind about your own rankings, and why.

Teaching Suggestion: The first part of this activity can be performed either individually or with a partner. If you choose to have students work with partners, they will have the additional benefit of thorough discussion as they come to a consensus on their rankings, but this step will require additional time. If you do choose to ask students to work with a partner for the first part of the activity, individual accountability can be assured by having students complete the final reflection paragraphs on their own.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with attentional and organizational challenges, as well as those who struggle with reading fluency, may find it difficult to search the text for sufficient evidence to construct their defenses. Even if the rest of the class is working individually, you may wish to allow these students to work with a partner on the first part of this activity.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Both Julian and Widge disguise something about their real identities from the other members of the theater company.

• How do Julian’s and Widge’s choices to hide something about who they are impact their feelings of belonging in the theater company? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence that support your interpretation and explain your ideas carefully.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how Julian’s and Widge’s inability to share their full selves with the people they care about supports the novel’s thematic concerns with Identity and Friendship and Family.

2. Simon Bass and Mr. Armin have very different ideas about intellectual property.

• What are the important differences in the way these two characters view intellectual property? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence that support your interpretation and explain your ideas carefully.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain which interpretation the novel seems to endorse, and show how this endorsement supports the novel’s thematic concern with The Importance of Honor.

3. In Elizabethan times, people were not expected to show respect for other people’s identities in the way we are today.

• What important aspects of Identity do some of the characters in this book disrespect? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three examples that support your interpretation and explain your ideas carefully.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on the purpose of this disrespect, whether it is meant to make the reader dislike the disrespectful characters or increase the reader’s understanding of this behavior as an inevitable part of the time period.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Why is Shakespeare’s theater an appropriate setting for a novel that deals with questions of Identity and disguise? How do the characters in this novel end up playing “roles” both onstage and in real life? What does this have to do with the way Shakespeare wrote his plays? Write an essay analyzing the setting of Shakespeare’s theater and its relationship to the novel’s meaning. Show how the setting contributes to the novel’s themes regarding Identity and its motif of disguise. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, making sure to cite any quoted material.

2. How does Widge change over the course of the novel? At the beginning of the story, what does he believe about himself and about other people? What language, details, or events show that this is true or changing? Write an essay analyzing the changes in Widge’s characterization. Show how his character development supports the novel’s themes regarding Identity, The Importance of Honor, and/or Friendship and Family. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, making sure to cite any quoted material.

3. Widge falls into the Thames twice in the novel. While this might be just an entertaining plot device, there is something interesting about the moments in the plot where this happens. What is changing about Widge’s life and Identity when he falls into the Thames? What common Western tradition involves dunking someone in water to show that their lives and identities have undergone an important transformation? Write an essay analyzing the symbolic meaning of Widge’s immersion in London’s central river. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, making sure to cite any quoted material.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is foreshadowed by Julian’s dressing habits at the theater?

A) The revelation that Julian is really a girl

B) Julian’s rescue of Widge from the thieves

C) The revelation that Julian’s father is a criminal

D) Julian’s comments about using charactery to steal plays

2. Which of these is the most accurate characterization of Widge?

A) Compassionate, generous, and impulsive

B) Creative, curious, and careless

C) Intelligent, independent, and cynical

D) Funny, carefree, and selfish

3. Which idea is most clearly conveyed by the revelation that Falconer and Simon Bass are the same person?

A) Disguise and false identities allow a person to explore different sides of themselves without worrying about social pressure.

B) Sometimes people have to hide their identities for their own safety, but this does not mean they reject their true selves.

C) Discrimination and prejudice can cause a person to feel insecure in their identity and attempt to hide it from others.

D) You can understand more about a person’s identity through their actions than through their social class and status.

4. Which is the most accurate characterization of Sander?

A) Loyal, persistent, and kind

B) Cold, pessimistic, and cynical

C) Troubled, selfish, and dishonest

D) Ambitious, determined, and charming

5. Which is the most frequent way that the characters in the story attempt to settle arguments?

A) Fistfighting one another

B) Fencing with one another

C) Appealing to authorities

D) Playing games of chance

6. What is foreshadowed by both the revelation that Simon Bass was once an actor and the altercation Falconer has with the man at the inn who insults him?

A) The revelation of Simon Bass’s motives for stealing the play

B) Falconer’s attempt to recruit Nick to take Widge’s place

C) The revelation that Falconer is really Simon Bass

D) Simon Bass’s death during the fight with Mr. Armin

7. Which most accurately describes how Widge changes during the story?

A) He learns to be more tolerant and to respect others’ intelligence and opinions.

B) He learns to be more thoughtful and to think ahead about the impact of his actions.

C) He learns to be more practical and to stop living so much through his imagination.

D) He learns to be more hopeful and to open himself up to the possibility of friendship.

8. Which characters are most responsible for the positive changes in Widge’s character?

A) Nick and Sander

B) Sander and Mr. Pope

C) Mr. Pope and Falconer

D) Falconer and Nick

9. What do Widge’s decisions to change his name and not to steal the Hamlet playbook show about him?

A) He is determined to create his own identity instead of letting others create it for him.

B) He is embarrassed by his past and hopes that he can disguise his origins.

C) He is more concerned about others’ opinions of him than he pretends to be.

D) He is tired of being the kind of person who blindly does what others tell him to do.

10. What theme is most clearly supported by Mr. Armin’s desire to duel Simon Bass without Widge’s help?

A) The prevalence of violence in Elizabethan society

B) The importance of social class in Elizabethan society

C) The prevalence of prejudice in Elizabethan society

D) The importance of honor in Elizabethan society

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is Widge’s dream when he is a small child, and in what sense does this dream come true by the end of the novel?

2. What about Widge’s past interferes with him developing positive relationships with people in the theater company?