New
New
Year 7

Understanding the perspective of an outsider in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

I can understand the perspective of an outsider in ‘The Tempest’.

New
New
Year 7

Understanding the perspective of an outsider in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

I can understand the perspective of an outsider in ‘The Tempest’.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Characters such as Caliban can be used as inspiration, when creating characters who are outsiders
  2. Ariel, Caliban and Miranda can be considered outsiders because they are all somehow considered different.
  3. Caliban and Miranda in particular don’t always conform to how Shakespearean society would have expected them to behave.
  4. Shakespearean society had different expectations and legal restrictions than today’s society.

Keywords

  • Outsider - An outsider is someone who is not accepted by a particular group, or feels that they do not belong in it.

  • Isolated - To feel isolated means you feel separated from other people.

  • Unique - Unique means being the only existing one of its type or, more generally, unusual or special in some way.

  • Intimidated - If you feel intimidated then you feel frightened or nervous because you aren’t confident in a situation.

Common misconception

That being an outsider is always a negative thing.

Sometimes people are considered outsiders because they don't fit society's expectations of normal and that's not necessarily negative.

You could ask the students to enact the moment that they arrive on the island and meet the characters from 'The Tempest' to bring to life what it might feel like.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You may want a copy of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these characters are considered outsiders in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'?
Gonzalo
Correct answer: Ariel
Alonso
Correct answer: Caliban
Q2.
Someone who is not accepted into a particular group and feels as if they don't belong is known as ...
Correct answer: an outsider
an insider
a mentor
a villain
Q3.
How long ago did Shakespeare write his plays?
twenty years ago
Correct answer: four hundred years ago
one hundred years ago
seven hundred years ago
Q4.
How would you expect Shakespearean society to be in comparison to modern society?
exactly the same
Correct answer: some differences
very similar
Q5.
To feel separated from other people means to feel ...
accepted
Correct answer: isolated
included
powerful
Q6.
What does it mean to consider someone's perspective?
Correct answer: consider how they'd feel in a situation
disregard how they'd feel in a situation
consider how you'd feel in a situation
plan out a situation in advance

6 Questions

Q1.
In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', which of the following are reasons we can think of Ariel as an outsider?
Correct answer: Ariel is a magical being.
Correct answer: Only Prospero speaks to Ariel.
The other characters dislike Ariel.
The other characters say negative things about Ariel.
Q2.
What does being unique mean?
being the same as everyone else
Correct answer: being unusual or special in some way
being liked by everyone
Q3.
In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', why might we consider Miranda an outsider?
Correct answer: she's the only female character
none of the other character speak kindly to Miranda
Miranda is a magical being
Miranda tries to harm the other characters
Q4.
Which of the following are differences between Shakespearean society and modern society?
Correct answer: Shakespearean society used Early Modern English
Shakespearean society used Old English
Women only wore trousers in Shakespearean society
Correct answer: Women generally only wore skirts and dresses in Shakespearean society
Q5.
What does it mean to feel intimidated?
to feel rejected
to feel accepted
Correct answer: to feel frightened and nervous
Q6.
As well as being the only female character, why else might Miranda be considered an outsider in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'?
Correct answer: she doesn't always conform to patriarchal expectations
she always conforms to patriarchal expectations
she always subverts patriarchal expectations