Willis Memorial Prize for Shakespeare 2023: Open to Sixth, Fifth and Fourth Forms

An essay on an aspect of Shakespeare’s writing chosen from the options below. It is to be completed by 9.00pm on Thursday 4^th May, and handed in to Mr Girdham by then either by paper or scanned via Firefly (ask him to set a task for you).

It must be handwritten (unless a candidate also types for College and state exams), and must be completed in a maximum of 4 sides of A4.

You may use notes, the text, and critical works as you wish.

After completion, strong candidates will be asked interviewed by Mr Girdham and asked questions on their essay and on their play/s.

Choose one of the following statements and write on it (you may of course write on the play you have studied this year – Macbeth for Sixth, Hamlet for Fifth, The Merchant of Venice for Fourth – or other plays). You can write on more than one play.

1. The power of Shakespeare’s plays comes from brilliantly-achieved individual scenes.

2. The central characters of Shakespeare’s plays are always complex.

3. Shakespeare’s plays constantly surprise and challenge their audiences.

4. Shakespeare is enduringly important because his ideas, themes and characters are relevant to all societies.