Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing? I hope you're really well.

My name's Ms. Afzal, and I am feeling pretty excited because we are going to be exploring a wonderful poem today.

It's called "Compliments of Shakespeare." It's by Laura Mucha, and it's pretty interesting.

I won't say more.

We'll get into it.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can read and explore a poem before performing it.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them, my turn, your turn.

Compliment, insult, gesture.

Good to hear those words.

Now let's find out what they mean.

A compliment is a kind or positive thing you say to make someone feel good.

An insult is an offensive remark or action.

And a gesture is a movement that helps in express an idea or meaning.

Let's look out and listen out for these keywords.

So our lesson today is Exploring and performing "Compliments of Shakespeare." It has two parts to it.

First of all, Exploring the poem, and then Performing the poem.

Let's begin exploring the poem.

"Compliments of Shakespeare" is a poem found in the poetry collection "Dear Ugly Sisters" by Laura Mucha.

Laura Mucha is an ex-lawyer and award-winning poet from the UK.

"Dear Ugly Sisters" is Laura Mucha's debut poetry collection for children.

It features fun, imaginative, and thought-provoking poems that often have a humorous twist on traditional stories and characters.

Before we read the poem, what does the title "Compliments of Shakespeare" make you think of? What do you think this poem might be about? Pause the video, and discuss with someone nearby.

Here's Izzy.

"I know that Shakespeare is a poet and playwright, so it makes me think it will be a poem all about his amazing works." Oh, okay.

Interesting.

And here's Alex, "A compliment is a kind thing to say, so I think the poem will be giving lots of compliments to Shakespeare, telling him how great he was." All right, okay.

You're thinking about the compliments towards Shakespeare.

Interesting.

I wonder what ideas you came up with.

I wonder if they were similar or different to these responses here.

And now, I would like you to read the poem "Compliments of Shakespeare" by Laura Mucha.

It's available in the additional materials.

And to begin, read the poem silently in your head.

Then read it out loud, alternating verses with a partner.

Pause the video while you do this.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed reading that poem.

I'm going to read it now as well.

"Compliments of Shakespeare." "A poem inspired by Shakespeare's insults." "You poisonous, slimy, bunch-backed toad.

You coward, beggar, shallow rogue.

Your villainous smell offends my nose.

You're rank, you make me sick.

You elvish, starveling, stinky hog.

If only you'd been born a dog, I'd like you more, but no, instead, you're like a sore.

You're like a boil I'd like to pop.

You're speaking, but I wish you'd stop.

You're lily-livered, knotty, proud.

Your February face is full of cloud.

You're lumpy, foul, all froth and scum.

I have to say, I think your bum is the best thing about you." Did the poem match your predictions based on the title? Why or why not? Share with someone nearby.

Okay, I wonder what you thought.

Is this what you'd been expecting? Here's Izzy.

"The poem was not saying kind things at all.

It was full of insults and rude comments." You're absolutely right, Izzy.

There wasn't a compliment in sight.

And now I'm going to give my initial response to the poem.

I'm gonna share what I liked about the poem and any questions I have.

The poem was not what I was expecting at all.

I found some of the insults quite rude, but also very funny.

I would like to know what some of the words mean, as some were unfamiliar to me, like rogue.

And now it's your turn to give your initial response to the poem.

What did you like about the poem? Do you have any questions about it? Pause the video and share your answers with someone nearby.

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who lived from 1564 to 1616.

And we can see a portrait of William Shakespeare there.

He's seen as one of the greatest writers of the English language.

He had a big impact on the English language, giving us many phrases and words we still use today.

Language used in Shakespeare's plays can be difficult to understand.

It's written in Early Modern English, the stage of English language used from approximately the late 15th century to the late 17th century.

An insult is an offensive comment or action.

Shakespeare's insults are a famous part of his works.

They're considered creative, witty, and often quite harsh, but delivered in a clever and poetic way.

He used rich language and humor to craft insults that could sting while also being entertaining.

"I am sick when I do look on thee." "Thou art a very ragged wart." Couple of his insults.

Select the true statements about Shakespeare.

Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English.

Shakespeare is best known for his paintings.

Shakespeare's insults are famous for being creative, witty, and often quite harsh.

Shakespeare's insults are not a famous part of his works.

Pause video while you decide which of these statements are true.

Well done if you selected the first one.

Indeed, Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English, and his insults are famous for being creative, witty, and pretty harsh.

Well done If you selected these statements.

"Compliments of Shakespeare" contains some language which may be old fashioned and difficult to understand.

Let's have a look at some definitions.

Bunch-backed, this is an old fashioned term to describe someone with a hunch or curved back.

Rogue, a person who behaves in a dishonest or harmful way.

Elvish, related to or like an elf, and starveling, someone extremely thin, weak, or emaciated.

And lily-livered, an old fashioned insult, meaning cowardly or lacking courage.

I would like you now to match the following words to their definitions.

So we have bunch-backed, starveling, and lily-livered, and here are their definitions.

Cowardly or lacking courage.

Someone with a hunched or curved back.

Someone extremely thin, weak, or emaciated.

Pause the video while you match the words to their definitions.

Okay, did you match bunch-backed to someone with a hunched or curved back? A starveling is someone who's extremely thin, weak, or emaciated, and lily-livered means cowardly or lacking courage.

Well done if you matched the words and definitions in this way.

Laura Mucha's poem, "Compliments of Shakespeare," was inspired by Shakespeare's insults.

Inspiration is the creative spark or source of ideas that motivates a poet to write.

Let's watch Laura now introducing the poem, "Compliments of Shakespeare." <v ->I did not like Shakespeare when I was at school.

</v> I was like, "No one speaks like this.

What is he actually saying? Why do I have to study it?" And so then I thought, "Come on, you're an adult now, and you write poems, so, you know, there's gotta be something good." (Laura laughs) And actually, I quite like him now, but at school, I didn't.

And I decided that what I would do was write a poem based on his insults.

It turns out Shakespeare was really good at insults, like insults that I kind of wanna use on a daily basis because they're hilarious.

Except I don't want to insult that many people.

Anyway, I hope that if you, like me, aren't the biggest fan of Shakespeare, that this poem might make you like him a tiny bit more.

"You poisonous, slimy, bunch-backed toad.

You coward, beggar, shallow rogue.

Your villainous smell offends my nose.

You're rank.

You make me sick.

You elvish, starveling, stinky hog.

If only you'd been born a dog, I'd like you more, but no, instead, you're like a sore.

You're like a boil I'd like to pop.

You're speaking, and I'd wish you'd stop.

You're lily-livered, knotty, proud.

Your February face is full of cloud.

You're lumpy, foul, all froth and scum.

I have to say, I think your bum is the best thing about you." <v ->Fantastic, so great to hear from Laura.

</v> So what did you learn about why Laura wrote the poem? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

So Laura says she did not like Shakespeare when she was at school.

As an adult, she explored him again and found she did quite enjoy his works.

She was particularly inspired by his insults, which she found hilarious.

Laura Mucha has taken some of Shakespeare's best known insults and turned them into a witty poem written in modern day language.

Let's explore some of the insults in the poem.

So we have, "You poisonous, slimy, bunch-backed toad." So the first line is inspired from an insult from "Richard III." Queen Margaret describes Richard as "that poisonous, bunch-backed toad," referring to his physical deformities, as well as his corrupt nature, and the insult in line three, "Your villainous smell offends my nose," is inspired by Falstaff's comment, "The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril," in "The Merry Wives of Windsor." He had been stuffed into a laundry basket and was describing the very bad smell in a comedic way.

And in line four, "You're rank, you make me sick." This is inspired from Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," who says, "I am sick when I do look on thee," to Helena.

Helena is madly in love with Demetrius, but he is cruel and tells her the sight of her makes him ill.

I'm going to tell you my favorite insult from the poem.

It's the one which made me laugh the most, and if there are any questions that I have about it.

So I like the insult, "If only you'd been born a dog, I'd like you more." It's funny to say you'd prefer someone as a dog than a human, and I'd like to know what play it's from and why the character said that.

Over to you.

It's your turn now to say what's your favorite insult from the poem? Which insult made you laugh the most? And do you have any questions about it? Pause the video while you share this with someone nearby.

Hope you enjoyed sharing your favorite insult.

And now it's time for your task.

Work with a partner to read one verse of the poem aloud.

Read in role as if you are giving the insults directly to your partner, and then swap roles.

So use a loud, clear voice.

Look at your audience.

Use your voice to really emphasize the insults given.

Add facial expressions or gestures to make it funny.

So pause video here while you enjoy giving insults to your partner.

This is not the kind of instruction you are usually given, but for today, it's all about the insults.

So how did you get on? I'd like you to pause and reflect.

Did you use a loud, clear voice? Did you look at your audience? Did you use your voice to really emphasize the insults given? And did you add facial expressions or gestures to make it funny? I hope so.

I hope you really enjoyed yourselves.

And now it's time for the next part of our lesson, Performing the poem.

But first I'd like you to watch and listen to Laura Mucha reading "Compliments of Shakespeare" and pay particular attention to her voice tone and volume.

<v ->I did not like Shakespeare when I was at school.

</v> I was like, "No one speaks like this.

What is he actually saying? Why do I have to study it?" And so then I thought, "Come on, you're an adult now, and you write poems, so, you know, there's gotta be something good." (Laura laughs) And actually, I quite like him now, but at school, I didn't.

And I decided that what I would do was write a poem based on his insults.

It turns out Shakespeare was really good at insults, like insults that I kind of wanna use on a daily basis because they're hilarious.

Except I don't want to insult that many people.

Anyway, I hope that if you, like me, aren't the biggest fan of Shakespeare, that this poem might make you like him a tiny bit more.

"You poisonous, slimy, bunch-backed toad.

You coward, beggar, shallow rogue.

Your villainous smell offends my nose.

You're rank, you make me sick.

You elvish, starveling, stinky hog.

If only you'd been born a dog, I'd like you more, but no, instead, you're like a sore.

You're like a boil I'd like to pop.

You're speaking, and I'd wish you'd stop.

You're lily-livered, knotty, proud.

Your February face is full of cloud.

You're lumpy, foul, all froth and scum.

I have to say, I think your bum is the best thing about you." <v ->What a fantastic performance.

</v> So what kind of atmosphere did Laura create? Is it happy or sad? Is it serious or playful? Pause the video.

Share with someone nearby.

So you're going to perform the poem, "Compliments of Shakespeare." Can you remember some of Laura's top tips for performing poems? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What were Laura's top tips for performing poems? Perhaps you came up with some ideas like these.

Read the poem aloud in advance.

Research the poet and why they wrote the poem.

Think about what you want to do to the audience.

For example, do you want make them feel sad or to make them laugh? Connect with the poem in any way you can.

For example, how does it make you feel? Be prepared to look silly, and don't hold back.

Think about who you're performing to, and consider how you can use the poem to have an impact on the audience.

These are some of Laura's top tips for performing poems. It's important to remember that making mistakes during a performance is completely normal.

If it happens, we should try our best to stay calm and keep going without letting it affect the rest of our performance.

I'd like you now to listen to Laura talk about what she does when she gets things wrong.

<v ->What do I do when I get things wrong?</v> Which I do.

I remember when I was narrating my first audiobook, and this very famous actress called Jennifer Saunders was in the booth next door, and she wouldn't come out for lunch.

She was just working really hard to get it done.

And every time I got a sentence wrong, basically, if you get a sentence wrong, you go back to the start of the kind of most natural break.

And every time I did that, I was thinking, "Am I doing this more or less than other people? Is Jennifer Saunders making mistakes, or is she just reading the whole thing through without ever getting anything wrong?" And now I don't sort of worry about that anymore.

I think I've done it enough that I'm like, "Okay, I'm just doing it.

It's okay.

I'm just doing it.

And if I make a mistake, they'll cut it because everyone makes mistakes." So I think it's really helpful not to compare yourself to others, which is easier said than done, because what ends up happening is you end up comparing your mistake to someone else's, like, best-ever performance.

It's like comparing your bloopers reel to someone else's highlights reel.

So I don't think that helps.

Don't compare.

And I also think actually mistakes can be pretty amazing.

I remember I was, like, speaking and commenting on a poetry performance at school, and a student got a poem wrong halfway through, got really stuck, stopped, took some deep breaths.

Everyone was silent.

Then they did it again, and they nailed it.

and everyone was rooting for them.

And at the end of it, everyone was like, "Whoo!" And actually, I mean, I know I've just told you about their mistake, but I didn't leave thinking, "I can't believe they made that mistake." I left thinking, "How impressive to make that mistake, get back on track, and do it again 'cause that takes a lot of courage." So I think everyone makes mistakes.

Whether you hear about them or not, mistakes are part of being human, so just let go of it.

If you make it, it's no big deal.

Go to your breaths and start again, and have compassion for yourself.

You're just a human, and you're doing the best that you can, and sometimes you make mistakes.

It's okay.

Sometimes the mistakes actually make things better.

<v ->And now I'd like you to discuss</v> what can we learn from Laura's advice about making mistakes? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Thank you for sharing.

Our use of voice can really affect the performance of the poem.

We must enunciate clearly so that the audience can understand us.

We can also vary our tone, pace, and volume to create different effects.

When performing a funny and sarcastic poem, your tone, pace, and volume should reflect the light-heartedness and humor of the poem.

Emphasis on certain words can show a mocking or insincere tone.

Well-timed pauses can build anticipation before delivering a humorous line.

A loud volume on certain words can emphasize the humor.

I will read a verse from the poem aloud, and I'll vary my tone, pace, and volume to create a humorous effect.

"You poisonous, slimy, bunch-backed toad.

You coward, beggar, shallow rogue.

Your villainous smell offends my nose.

You're rank, you make me sick." And now I would like you to try reading "Compliments of Shakespeare," varying your tone, pace, and volume for effect.

So pause the video while you do this.

Okay, how did you get on, and which words did you choose to use a louder voice for, I wonder? Our facial expressions and body language can help to convey meaning as we perform.

We can show shock, disgust, or enthusiasm with our expressions or with body movements, actions, and gestures.

I'd like you to reread the poem.

Are there any moments in the poem that you think would benefit from a particular facial expression or gesture? Pause the video while you explore this.

And now I will read a verse of the poem, and I will show you some facial expressions and gestures.

"You elvish, starveling, stinky hog.

If only you'd been born a dog, I'd like you more, but no, instead, you're like a sore.

You're like a boil I'd like to pop.

You're speaking, but I wish you'd stop." And now it's your turn.

I would like you to read verse three of "Compliments of Shakespeare." Include some facial expressions and gestures.

Pause the video while you do this.

I hope you enjoyed that, and I'm wondering, will you use any of these in your performance? Because it's now time for your performance.

I would like you to practice and then present your final performance of the poem.

You could perform the poem individually, in a pair, or in a group.

Think about use of your voice, tone, pace, and volume, creating the desired atmosphere of the poem.

For example, lightheartedness and humor, gestures and movement to enhance the impact.

Remember Laura's top tips, and don't hold back or be afraid to look silly.

This is a very funny poem, and we want to make the audience laugh.

Pause the video while you have a go at practicing and then presenting your final performance of the poem.

Enjoy every insult.

Okay, so you have practiced.

You have presented your final performance of the poem.

Pause and reflect.

Did you speak clearly and vary your volume? Did you vary the tone of your voice and your pace? Did you use facial expressions or gestures? Did you have fun with it and enjoy performing? I really, really hope so.

And now finally, I would like you to listen to Laura explain what she does straight after performing.

<v ->What do I do straight after performing?</v> Well, I do not speak to someone that is gonna tell me I did a rubbish job if I can't change it (laughs) because that's not gonna help.

If I have just done a performance, like now, talking to camera, if I do a performance that I'm not happy with and there is time, then I'll ask to do it again.

And that's okay.

If it is a situation where I can't do it again, then I generally ask someone that I think is gonna give me a positive response.

And hopefully they go, "Yeah, you did a great job.

I love the way you did this and that." And I go, "Whoo! Thanks." And then I can sort of park it and think I did a great job, and now I don't have to ruminate and think, "Oh, did I do a good job?" I also drink water because water's really important, and sometimes I don't drink enough before performing 'cause I don't wanna need the loo.

I also try and rest afterwards.

Especially if, for example, I'm narrating an audio book or doing more performance the next day or have more to do, then I wanna make sure I can have a rest because otherwise I might lose my voice genuinely, and that's no good for anyone.

<v Ms. Afzal>Okay, great to hear from Laura.

</v> And maybe you might want to do some of those things as well to support yourself now after your performance.

Well done, everyone.

In our lesson, Exploring and performing "Compliments of Shakespeare," we have covered the following.

"Compliments of Shakespeare" is a poem found in the poetry collection "Dear Ugly Sisters" by Laura Mucha.

Laura Mucha has taken some of Shakespeare's best known insults and turned them into a witty poem written in modern day language.

Understanding a poem, its language, and the atmosphere it creates will help us to create an impactful performance.

We can vary our tone, pace, and volume to create different effects when performing a poem.

Our facial expressions and body language can help to convey meaning as we perform.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was maybe a different kind of lesson to what you're expecting.

There wasn't a compliment in sight, and instead, a lot of insults.

I hope you enjoyed flinging those about.

Let's meet each other at another lesson soon.

Bye for now.