Antony and Cleopatra Lesson Plan

Antony's Clouds

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will conduct a collective close reading of one of Antony's speeches.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Structure:

As a class, conduct a close reading of the following speech, delivered in Act IV, Scene XV by Mark Antony. (Below, the stage directions and interjections by Eros have been removed, as indicated by ellipses.)

MARK ANTONY
Sometimes we see a cloud that's dragonish;
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,
A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock,
A forked mountain, or blue promontory
With trees upon't, that nod unto the world,
And mock our eyes with...