Entreméses Staged Reading & Fuente Ovejuna Act III Quiz
Lesson 5:
Entreméses Staged Reading & Fuente Ovejuna Act III Quiz
Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to perform in the style of entremés by conducting a staged reading of an entremés script. Students will demonstrate their understanding of Act III of Fuente Ovejuna by taking a quiz.
Has anyone watched any court TV shows (Judges Court, Judge Judy, etc.). Have someone who has seen one of these shows describe the style of the show and any of the story/case they remember. Ask students why this kind of show is entertaining? What about it draws our attention to watch? There are so many of these kinds of shows on television today; why? What does it say about our modern culture that we find such a show so interesting and entertaining?
CLASS PRACTICE:
Together as a class we are going to do a staged reading of parts of an entremés called The Divorce Court Judge by Miguel Cervantes. Anyone remember or know anything about Cervantes? (SGA writer; contemporary of Shakespeare – even died on the same day as Will; best known for writing Don Quixote, etc.)
This short play is about different couples coming into the court to plead their cases and ask for a divorce. Assign roles and have students stage the scenes (a judge, husband, wife, notary, and attorney for each scene). Have ‘audience member’ students follow along with their own script.
DISCUSSION:
After watching and reading the scenes together as a class, discuss together what kind of paroles of Spanish Golden Age theatre and culture were demonstrated in the short play. What, if anything, translated well to our modern culture and tastes? What didn’t translate well?
QUIZ:
Have students pull out their journals and write down six plot points from the third act of the play.
Pass out the Act II quiz. Students will take the quiz entirely solo. Upon conclusion of the quiz have them hand their quiz to another student to grade. Grade the quiz together as a class.
FILM:
In Fuente Ovejuna, there is a stirring monologue that Laurencia gives in Act III to the men in the village. This monologue is a great example of working through a partner (albeit a group of partners in this play) to get what you want. What does Laurencia want? What are tactics she uses to get the men to do what she wants?
Show the next several minutes of the film and focus on the characters and what they want. Have students journal about what 2-3 of the characters want and how they go about trying to get what they want. Discuss students’ answers together as a class – this connection of wanting something and going through a partner to get it.
CLOSURE:
Have students think about Fuente Ovejuna and what all those characters want. Have them start thinking about which character they’d like to portray and what scenes in the play are most interesting and engaging. They will be choosing a scene next class period.
