A 20-page guide is a must-have for any instructor, seasoned veteran, or first year-teacher, using Arthur Miller's The Crucible as an anchor text. The guide begins with extensive background information about Miller and the McCarthy era...

Jealousy, betrayal, revenge! Hello, content! The Royal Shakespeare Company's Othello toolkit is a must-have for any in-depth study of one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. The 25-page packet is divided into 20 sections, each...

Should identifying a tragic hero be based on a universal definition or a definition based on the morals and values of a specific culture? As part of a study of Things Fall Apart, class members read Sylvia Plath's "Colossus" and then...

Is Antigone relevant to today's readers? After reading Sophocles' tragedy, scholars must decide if the themes are universal and timeless. Class members engage in a series of activities designed to have them closely consider the...

Is it possible to have too much concern for others? Can we be trapped by our expectations as well as those of society? Edith Wharton's chilling tale of Ethan Frome asks these and other disquieting questions. Signet's guide to Ethan Frome...

Double, double scholars' appreciation of the Scottish Play with a guide that adds a rich brew of pre-reading background information, chapter discussion questions, activities, and writing prompts to provide readers with a "firm and good"...

Provide readers of Othello with information that will support their study of Shakespeare's tragedy. The 36 slides include background information about the themes, plot, characters, setting, and literary terms and devices used.

Disguises, deceptions, destruction. Thankless children, wise fools, aging rulers, and knaves. The Royal Shakespeare Company's 2016 King Lear Teacher Pack provides instructors with a wealth of resources for a study of Shakespeare's famous...

Created for the Great American Read series, a short video encourages viewers to vote for Invisible Man. Musician Wynton Marsalis and Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, among others, share their rationale for why Ralph Ellison's...

Reverend Katrina Foster offers her rationale for why Winston Smith, the tragic hero of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, is her favorite literary character.

Bring Julius Caesar to life with a reader's theatre approach that engages the entire class. The opening exercises model the importance of reading with expression while choral reading exercises permit class members to practice their...

Looking for a fresh approach to an end-of-unit project for The Odyssey? Check out a resource that has class members write their own hero's journey short story and then craft an illustration that depicts their tale. Apollonio di...

Introduce your class to the Greek tragedy with a study of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Learners examine the features of a Greek tragedy, Sophocles’ achievements and contributions, and the universal themes that make the drama an enduring...

 "Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that’s wise." Is knowing a good thing? This course in the history of Greek drama uses Oedipus Rex as an exemplar. The narrator measures Sophocles’ play against...

What is a hero? Used as both an introduction and conclusion to the play Into the Line of Duty (author not provided), this presentation details the definitions of a hero before posing discussion questions. Students discuss their ideas...

Students examine what makes a tragic hero and whether Captain Ahab fits the criteria.  In this literature lesson, engage in group discussions and examine Captain Ahab from the novel Moby Dick. They will then engage in a debate and...

Students examine the concept of the tragic hero in Shakespeare's King Lear and explore how it affects the plot of the play. In this theatrical analysis lesson, students investigate the redemption or defeat of King Lear and perform two...

For this tragedy and tragic hero worksheet, students explore what it means to be a protagonist and an antagonist in the play "Julius Caesar" as they use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the characters of Julius Caesar, Brutus,...

Students examine heroes and discuss their characteristics, values, and actions. They produce Powerpoint presentations on real-life and fictional heroes. Students interview veterans for an oral history project.