Fighting Words - Royal Shakespeare Company

Fighting 

Words 

Teacher Resource Pack 

Registered charity no. 212481 Page 1 of 19 © RSC

Fighting Words – Teacher Resource Pack 

Contents 

Welcome and getting started........................................................................................... 3 

Resource A: Introduction.................................................................................................. 4 

Resource B: Text used in the Introduction (video one)..................................................... 5 

Resource C: Verbal Sparring............................................................................................. 6 

Resource D: Text used in Verbal Sparring (video two)...................................................... 7 

Activities for exploring Act 2 Scene 1 in more detail....................................................... 9 

Resource E: Painting with Words..................................................................................... 11 

Resource F: Text used in Painting with Words (video three).......................................... 12 

Activities for exploring Act 4 Scene 3 in more detail...................................................... 13 

Resource G: Rhyme......................................................................................................... 14 

Resource H: Text used in Rhyme (video four)................................................................. 14 

Activities for exploring Act 4 Scene 3 in more detail...................................................... 15 

Resource I: Writing your Scene (video five)..................................................................... 16 

Resource J: Scene Template.......................................................................................... 17 

Resource K: Template observation sheet...................................................................... 18 

Summary of Materials.................................................................................................... 19 


Welcome and getting started 

Welcome to the Fighting Words Teacher Resource Pack, part of the Royal Shakespeare 

Company’s online playwriting project for schools. 

This project uses Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as a source of inspiration for your 

students to write a short scene featuring a man and a woman arguing, cleverly (as they do in 

Shakespeare’s play). This resource pack will guide you through the online videos and give you 

ideas on how your students can write, refine and send in their scene. We will choose the best 

entry; if your students are successful, RSC actors will act your scene out and it will appear on 

the RSC website! 

Fighting Words has been created in order to: 

• provide a brief introduction to The Taming of the Shrew; 

• help pupils analyse a range of Shakespeare’s writing techniques; and 

• encourage pupils from KS3 to KS5 to write a short scene of their own. 

This pack is designed to complement the online videos and the Pupil Resource Pack, by 

providing ideas for additional activities you might choose to do as your pupils work their way 

through the online videos. 

You could choose to watch the Trailer film with your students as a way of introducing the project 

before embarking on any of the activities. 

Who are the people in the online videos? 

• Ola Animashawun: Ola is a script editor who has worked with the RSC to create this project. 

• Susannah Fielding: Susannah is an actor currently working with the RSC. She plays Kate in 

the scenes from The Taming of the Shrew. 

• Scott Handy: Scott is also an actor currently working with the RSC. He plays Petruchio in the 

scenes from The Taming of the Shrew. 


Resource A: Introduction (video one) 

The online videos provide a very brief introduction to the main plot – the relationship and conflict 

between Kate and Petruchio. 

Further resources, including a longer synopsis, are available on the RSC website. Please visit: 

http://www.rsc.org.uk/education/resources/bank/ and select The Taming of the Shrew 

This summary appears in the Pupil Resource Pack: 

What’s The Taming of the Shrew about? 

In brief 

• A rich man has two daughters. 

• Kate is the eldest. She has a reputation for being rude – a shrew 1 . She has no interest in 

being married. 

• Bianca is the youngest. By contrast she is quiet and gentle and has several suitors – men 

who would like to marry her. 

• But Kate and Bianca’s father has said his elder daughter must marry first. 

• Petruchio has come as a ‘suitor’ to the ‘shrewish’ Kate. He likes a challenge, but also Kate 

comes with a dowry, a sum of money for her future husband. 

• Petruchio and Kate argue from the start but they do end up married. 

• Petruchio sets out to ‘tame’ his shrewish wife by denying her everything she wants – 

but pretending it is out of his love for her. 

• The play follows the arguments and conflicts between Petruchio and Kate. 

1 

A shrew is a small mouse-like creature with sharp teeth. It can also mean a vicious, nagging woman. 


Resource B: Text used in the Introduction (video one) 

Act 4 Scene 1 

PETRUCHIO: Thus have I politicly begun my reign, 

And ‘tis my hope to end successfully. 

My falcon now is sharp and passing empty; 

And till she stoop she must not be full-gorged, 

For then she never looks upon her lure. 

Another way I have to man my haggard, 

To make her come and know her keeper’s call, 

That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites 

That bate and beat and will not be obedient. 

She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat; 

Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not; 

As with the meat, some undeserved fault 

I’ll find about the making of the bed; 

And here I’ll fling the pillow, there the bolster, 

This way the coverlet, another way the sheets: 

Ay, and amid this hurly I intend 

That all is done in reverend care of her; 

And in conclusion she shall watch all night: 

And if she chance to nod I’ll rail and brawl 

And with the clamour keep her still awake. 

This is a way to kill a wife with kindness; 

And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humour. 

He that knows better how to tame a shrew, 

Now let him speak. 


Resource C: Verbal Sparring (video two) 

This video focuses on the first exchange between Kate and Petruchio which takes place in Act 2 

Scene 1 and looks at how Shakespeare uses puns and repetition. 

Questions for discussion 

We asked these questions in the video. You could choose to explore some or all of them in more 

detail with your pupils. 

• Why might Kate says she’s called Katherine? 

• If Petruchio had called her Katherine, might she have said she was called Kate instead? 

Why might she do this? 

• What does Petruchio do in return? 

• How many times does Petruchio call her Kate? How effective is this repetition? Why? 

• What else does Petruchio do in this speech that might annoy Kate? 

We have provided the full text on the next page. Text in black shows you the edited version as 

it appears in the video and in the Pupil Resource Pack. Text in grey shows you the text we have 

edited out for the video. 


Resource D: Text used in Verbal Sparring (video two) 

Act 2 Scene 1 

Enter Katharina 

PETRUCHIO: Good morrow, Kate, for that’s your name, I hear. 

KATHARINA: Well have you heard, but something hard of hearing; 

They call me Katharine that do talk of me. 

PETRUCHIO: You lie, in faith; for you are call’d plain Kate, 

And bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the curst; 

But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom 

Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate, 

For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate, 

Take this of me, Kate of my consolation; 

Hearing thy mildness praised in every town, 

They virtues spoke of, and they beauty sounded, 

Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs, 

Myself am moved to woo thee for my wife. 

KATHARINA: Moved? In good time! Let him that moved you hither 

Remove you hence. I knew you at the first 

You were a movable. 

PETRUCHIO: Why, what’s a movable? 

KATHARINA: A joint stool. 

PETRUCHIO: Thou hast hit it: come, sit on me. 

KATHARINA: Asses are made to bear, and so are you. 

PETRUCHIO: Women are made to bear, and so are you. 

KATHARINA: No such jade as you, if me you mean. 

PETRUCHIO: Alas! good Kate, I will not burden thee; 

For, knowing thee to be but young and light-- 


KATHARINA: Too light for such a swain as you to catch; 

And yet as heavy as my weight should be. 

PETRUCHIO: Should be! should—buzz! 

KATHARINA: Well ta’en, and like a buzzard. 

PETRUCHIO: O slow-wing’d turtle! shall a buzzard take thee? 

KATHARINA: Ay, for a turtle, as he takes a buzzard. 

PETRUCHIO: Come, come, you wasp; i’ faith, you are too angry. 

KATHARINA: If I be waspish, best beware my sting. 

PETRUCHIO: My remedy is then, to pluck it out. 

KATHARINA: Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies. 

PETRUCHIO: Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail. 

KATHARINA: In his tongue. 

PETRUCHIO: Whose tongue? 

KATHARINA: Yours, if you talk of tails: and so farewell. 

PETRUCHIO: What, with my tongue in your tail? nay, come again, 

Good Kate; I am a gentleman. 

KATHARINA: That I’ll try. 

She strikes him 

PETRUCHIO: I swear I’ll cuff you, if you strike again. 

KATHARINA: So may you lose your arms: 

If you strike me, you are no gentleman; 

And if no gentleman, why then no arms. 


Activities for exploring Act 2 Scene 1 in more detail 

Exploring repetition 

• Ask pupils to work in pairs or small groups. 

• Depending on age and ability you can either give pupils the edited version of this exchange which 

is in their resource pack, or provide them with the unedited version available in this pack. 

• Ask pupils to read out loud the exchange. They can either take a character each or read 

from punctuation mark to punctuation mark in a circle (so, for example, the first pupil would 

say ’Good morrow’; the second pupil would say ’Kate’; the third pupil would say ’for that’s 

your name’; and so on. This is quite a useful approach if you have pupils who are nervous or 

struggle to read text aloud. 

• Ask them to go through the text, in their pairs or groups, and this time underline any word 

they can find that is repeated. 

• Now ask them to take it in turns to say out loud just the repeated words. 

• What do they notice? Why might Shakespeare repeat certain words (for example, my, me, you, 

thee, tongue, talk, gentleman)? What is the impact of hearing these words again and again? 

Exploring puns 

With older pupils (because some of the puns are quite sexual) you might like to explore the puns 

in the unedited version of the text in more detail. 

• Ask pupils to work in small groups of four. 

• If they haven’t read the text aloud from the previous activity, ask them now to do so. They 

could share the text by two of them together reading aloud Kate’s lines, and two reading 

aloud Petruchio’s lines. 

• Now ask them to go through the scene again but this time, one is Kate, one is Kate’s 

‘pun-partner’; one is Petruchio and one is Petruchio’s ‘pun-partner’. The pupils being Kate 

and Petruchio read the scene out loud as normal; the pun-partners call out ‘change’ 

whenever their character says something that changes the direction of the conversation. 

So, for example, at the end of Petruchio’s first long speech he says ’Myself am moved to woo 

thee for my wife’. Kate responds with ’Let him that moved you hither Remove you hence.’ 

Kate’s pun-partner would call out ‘change’ because Kate changes the meaning by talking 

about moving/removing Petruchio, i.e. getting rid of him. 

• As soon as a pun-partner calls out ‘change’, all four stop and discuss what the pun is – how 

has one of the characters deliberately changed the direction of the conversation by changing 

the meaning of the word(s) said by the other character? 

• Ask them to jot down their ideas and, when the class has finished, ask everyone to share 

what they’ve learned about how, and why, Shakespeare uses puns. 

• Ask them to think further about the puns they might use when they write their scene. 


The post-it note activity 

Following one or more of the above activities you could ask pupils to try out the full scene using 

the post-it note activity, as the actors do. 

• Ask pupils to work in pairs. 

• Give each pupil some coloured post-it notes or stickers (each pupil will need a different 

colour to that of their partner). 

• Ask them to read the scene out loud. 

• Every time they think their character has ‘scored a hit’, either through using repetition that 

might irritate the other, or through changing the meaning of the conversation by using 

puns, they place a post-it note on the other person. 

• At the end of the exchange, who has the most post-it notes on them? 

• How did the other character win so many ‘hits’? What was their strategy? What techniques 

did they use? 


Resource E: Painting with Words (video three) 

This video explores a scene between the now married Kate and Petruchio where Kate simply 

and emphatically pleads to buy a hat she likes and Petruchio deliberately misunderstands her. 

It looks at Kate’s use of one and two syllable words, and Petruchio’s use of childish, ‘nonsense’ 

language. It also invites pupils to start writing their scene, and to consider what words their 

characters will choose and for what effect. 

Questions for discussion 

We asked these questions in the video. You could choose to explore some or all of them in more 

detail with your pupils. 

• Kate chooses very clear, simple words which are mostly monosyllables. Why is she speaking 

so clearly, with such simple words? 

• Very occasionally she uses words with more than one syllable: cannot, anger. What impact 

do these longer words have? 

• Kate repeats certain words and words with a similar meaning: I, babe, child, heart. Why? 

• Kate also uses a lot of words about speaking, and listening: Speak, ears, tongue, words. 

Why do you think she chooses these words? Why does she repeat some of them? What is she 

hoping to achieve? What impact does she want to have on Petruchio? 

• Why does Kate say ’I am no child, no babe’? 

• How does Petruchio respond? 

• Why does he choose to deliberately misunderstand Kate? 

• Why does he use nonsense, childish language, like ’a custard coffin’? 

• How does this exchange increase the conflict between them? What effect is each hoping to 

have on the other? 

The text used is available on the next page. 


Resource F: Text used in Painting with Words (video three) 

Act 4 Scene 3 

KATHARINA: Why, sir, I trust I may have leave to speak; 

And speak I will; I am no child, no babe: 

Your betters have endured me say my mind, 

And if you cannot, best you stop your ears. 

My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, 

Or else my heart concealing it will break, 

And rather than it shall, I will be free 

Even to the uttermost, as I please, in words. 

PETRUCHIO: Why, thou say’st true; it is a paltry cap, 

A custard-coffin, a bauble, a silken pie: 

I love thee well, in that thou likest it not. 

KATHARINA: Love me or love me not, I like the cap; 

And it I will have, or I will have none. 



Choosing words: the last word of each line 

• In pairs, ask pupils to read out loud the exchange from Act 4 Scene 3 (they could take a 

character each or read from punctuation mark to punctuation mark). 

• Now ask them to take it in turns to read only the last word of each line. So the first pupil 

would say ’speak’; the second would say ’babe’; and so on. 

• You could ask one pair to repeat this activity for the rest of the class to listen to. What sorts 

of words appear at the end of each line? 

• Explain to them that Shakespeare chooses his words with extreme care and that, when 

writing in verse, he not only carefully chooses which words to use but where to put them. 

Words at the ends of lines tend to stand out. Ask pupils why Shakespeare might have chosen 

these particular words to end each line. 

Choosing words: one word sentences 

• Ask pupils to work in pairs or small groups. 

• If you haven’t done the above activity, ask pupils to read the scene out loud in their 

pair/group. 

• In their pair, or group, ask them to go through the scene again, this time with a highlighter 

pen. Their task is to choose just one word from each of the thirteen lines, so they end up 

with thirteen words. They need to choose words that they feel are likely to have the greatest 

impact on the other character – for example, words that clearly express how they feel, or are 

most likely to irritate or upset the other. 

• When they have chosen their thirteen words, ask one to say out loud Kate’s words and one 

Petruchio’s words. You could ask them to come up with a small action to accompany each 

word (so, for example, if a pupil chooses Kate’s word “speak” they could cup their hands 

around their mouth). 

• You could ask some pairs to share their chosen words (and actions) with the rest of the class. 

• What words did pupils choose? Why? What did they learn about the exchange between Kate 

and Petruchio? 


Resource G: Rhyme (video four) 

This video explores a scene between Kate and Petruchio where Petruchio uses rhyme to distract 

Kate, thereby ‘winning’ this round in their conflict. It analyses how Shakespeare uses rhyme and 

invites pupils to incorporate the technique into their own scene. Pupils are also asked to start 

thinking about who will win their argument and how. 

Resource H: Text used in Rhyme (video four) 

Act 4 Scene 3 

PETRUCHIO: Kate, eat apace: and now, my honey love, 

Will we return unto thy father’s house 

And revel it as bravely as the best, 

With silken coats and caps and golden rings, 

With ruffs and cuffs and fardingales and things; 

With scarfs and fans and double change of bravery, 

With amber bracelets, beads and all this knavery 



Iambic pentameter 

• As a whole class, read Petruchio’s speech out loud, together. 

• Ask pupils what they notice about the speech? How did it make them feel? They’re likely to 

comment on the fact that it’s quite a soft, soothing speech. 

• Explain to them that one of the reasons it’s quite soothing is because the first five lines of 

the speech adopt the iambic pentameter, a rhythm made up of ten syllables, following a 

pattern of five unstressed then stressed beats: unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, 

de dum, de dum, and so on. And that this pattern mimics the heart beat, which is why it feels 

so comforting and so soothing – after all, what could be more natural than the rhythm of 

your own heart beat? 

• You could ask pupils to go through the first five lines of the speech again gently tapping out 

the iambic rhythm as they say each line. 

• Now ask them to try the same with the last two lines? What do they notice? There’s an extra 

two syllables. Why? Could it be that Petruchio is getting carried away with himself? 

Inventing more and more elaborate distractions? Can they think of any other reasons? 

• Ask them to write three or four lines of their own, using the iambic pentameter. 

• Ask some pupils to share what they’ve written. How do these lines sound when they’re 

underpinned by the iambic pentameter? 


Resource I: Writing your Scene (video five) 

Guidance for pupils writing their scenes 

After watching the video get students to: 

• Create a first draft, using ’Resource J: Scene template’ 

• Give their draft to two students to read out. 

Then: 

• Ask the student/s who have written the scene, who are reading the scene and other students 

present what works when the scene is read aloud? What doesn’t? 

• Ask the student/s if they have chosen the right techniques or do they need to choose again? 

• Ask the student/s to redraft the scene in the light of all the feedback that has been given. 

• When they’re happy with it, get them to give it to their classmates again. 

• If necessary, get the students to do another draft. 

• When the students feel that it’s working, film it and send in both their scene and the video. 

• If their submission is the strongest, cleverest argument, we’ll get RSC actors to act 

it out and it will appear on the RSC website! 

To enter the competition pupils need to send in: 

A written scene that: 

• tells us when and where the scene takes place 

• focuses on a source of conflict between one man and one woman 

• shows them fighting, with words 

• gives us a winner – but they must win through the clever use of words 

• uses at least two of the writing techniques that Shakespeare used 

• is short (no more than two sides of A4) 

• uses the template in their resource pack, noting in particular that they must use 

Arial font / size 11 / line spacing 1.5 

A video: 

• of their scene acted out by two of their classmates 

• that is no longer than four minutes 

In addition, all submissions need to comply fully with the technical specifications and terms and 

conditions on our website. We recommend that you check these before submitting. In particular, 

please note the following: 

• Videos submitted must not identify by name any of the young people involved (i.e. name 

badges, etc.) 

• Videos and scripts must be submitted by Thursday 24 November 2011 6pm. 

• To enter the competition, you will need to email your script to education@rsc.org.uk with 

FIGHTING WORDS in the subject title, and upload your video to a private Vimeo.com page. 

• To get access to the private page, email education@rsc.org.uk with a request for a 

username and password. 

• You may enter the competition as a class and/or as individuals or groups within a class. 

Each class, individual or group that enters may only submit one entry. 


The below resource is provided in the Pupil Resource Pack for your students to use as a 

template: 

Resource J: Scene template 

Note: your scene needs to be no more than two sides of A4; you need to use the font Arial, 

size 11pt; and spacing needs to be 1.5 lines. 

Write here, in italics, a very brief summary of where this scene takes place 

NAME OF FIRST CHARACTER (IN CAPITALS AND IN BOLD): What they say 

NAME OF SECOND CHARACTER (IN CAPITALS AND IN BOLD): What they say 

NAME OF FIRST CHARACTER (IN CAPITALS AND IN BOLD): What they say 

AND SO ON 

Further stage directions can be added in italics 


The below resource is provided in the Pupil Resource Pack for your students to use as an 

observation sheet: 

Resource K: Template observation sheet 

You might want to use this sheet to write down your observations about some or all of the online 

videos. 

What have I learned about The Taming of the Shrew? 

What have I learned about Shakespeare’s writing techniques? 

Any other observations? 

Questions for me to consider/ideas for my scene 

Next steps 


Summary of materials 

The videos available to support this project, are as follows: 

Trailer (2 mins) 

A quick taster, inviting pupils to take up the challenge of writing a short scene based on a man and 

a woman in conflict, using Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as the source of inspiration. 

Video one: Introduction (8 mins) 

• A quick introduction to The Taming of the Shrew, the key characters (Kate and Petruchio), 

and the actors helping to explore these characters for this project (Susannah Fielding and 

Scott Handy) 

• A brief description of the writing task 

• Next steps: a prompt for pupils to start thinking about the basis of their short scene, 

considering who, what, where, when, and why 

Video two: Verbal Sparring (7 mins) 

• Exploration: of the first exchange between Kate and Petruchio 

• Analysis of Shakespeare’s techniques: looking at how Shakespeare chooses words to 

introduce and enhance the conflict between them, particularly repetition and puns 

• Next steps: inviting pupils to consider how their couple are going to argue, and the 

writing techniques they might use to make the conflict clever 

Video three: Painting with Words (7 mins) 

• Exploration: of a scene between the now married Kate and Petruchio (Act 4 Scene 3) 

where Kate simply and emphatically pleads to buy a hat she likes and Petruchio 

deliberately misunderstands her 

• Analysis of Shakespeare’s techniques: particularly Kate’s use of one and two syllable 

words, and Petruchio’s use of childish, ‘nonsense’ language 

• Next steps: an invitation for pupils to start writing their scene, and to consider what 

words their characters will choose and to what effect 

Video four: Rhyme (6 mins) 

• Exploration: of a scene between Kate and Petruchio (Act 4 Scene 3) where Petruchio 

uses rhyme to distract Kate, thereby ‘winning’ this round in their conflict 

• Analysis of Shakespeare’s techniques: particularly the use of rhyme 

• Next steps: an invitation for pupils to use rhyme in their scene, and to start thinking 

about who will win the argument and how 

Video five: Writing your scene (4 mins) 

• A reminder of the task 

• Recap on the techniques explored in the earlier films 

• Guidance on how to write – and re-write – their scene

Fighting Words - Royal Shakespeare Company

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