One-off workshop: Exploring Havisham through Drama

Resources

• A copy of the poem for each student and one additional teacher copy, cut into words and phrases, (before the lesson) www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/havisham/

• A literary analysis, (BBC Bitesize) www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztbggk7/revision/3

• Optional: The Miss Havisham soundtrack from the film, Great Expectations (2012) www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdxY-4ZqFiM

Learning objectives

• To identify and communicate the multi-sensory, emotional and physical content of the poem;
• To acquire and communicate knowledge and understanding of the character;
• To identify and communicate contrasting mood, imagery and language in the poem.

Using the ‘mind's eye’

Visualisation: Before reading the poem, ask the students to close their eyes and try to visualise the scene, while you read the poem aloud. They should keep their eyes closed, until asked to re-open them. Then ask them which images were most vivid and why.

‘Making sense’ of the poem

Give each of five groups copies of the poem. Allocate one sense to each group, ie. sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing. Ask them to underline all words and phrases connected with the sense their group was given.

Choral speaking: Read the poem again. Ask them to speak with you, whenever you get to a word or phrase they have underlined.

Now, they stand in a circle with eyes closed. Ask them to imagine that they are invisibly inside the room, with Havisham. Invite them to speak sensory sentences from within the scene. They may elaborate descriptively but all sentences must start with a sensory stem, ‘I can see’ or ‘I can hear …’ and so on.

Meeting the objects

Ask them to list the objects in the poem: bed, dress, veil, wardrobe, mirror, wedding cake.

Collective role/Talking objects: Each group will be ‘in role’ together, as one of the objects. Ask them to devise a short performance, revealing what the object might know, think and/or feel about Havisham.

Hot-seating: The objects could be questioned afterwards and will answer in role, (with no one speaking twice in a row).

Stuck in time and unable to move on

Now ask them to find all the words or phrases in the poem connected with movement, for example ‘praying’, ‘strangle’, ‘stabbed’.

Essence machine: Everyone chooses one movement-related word or phrase. The class stands in a circle. In turn, everyone enters the space, re-enacting the movement exaggeratedly and repeatedly, while repeating speaking their chosen word or phrase, for example a repeated stabbing movement while saying, ‘…stabbed at a wedding cake…’. You could ‘conduct’ their movement (faster/slower) and sound (louder/quieter), ending in stillness and silence.

The reality and the ideal

Movement/Dance-drama: Stanza three tells us about Havisham's dream, which starts pleasurably and ends with a bite. In groups, they will now create another of Havisham's dreams. They may choose to use sounds, images, movement, words and phrases from the poem. The dream will start pleasantly and transition into a nightmare, ending with a freeze-frame, which then melts.

Still image: Ask them to create two contrasting still images, the first depicting Havisham's ‘ideal’ and the second, her ‘reality’. They should transition back and forth between the images, ending with ‘reality’. You could play a soundtrack (optional).

Reflecting the problem

Mirroring: Students stand and face a partner. One student is Havisham, the other is her reflection, mirroring Havisham's movements. They can both have turns at leading and mirroring.

• If Havisham speaks, then the reflection might could echo her voice
• The reflection could be allowed momentarily to deviate from mirroring sometimes, suggesting Havisham's disturbed mind.

Voice collage: Everyone selects (or is given), a word or phrase from the poem. They stand together with eyes closed, voicing their words or phrases. Inform them in advance that they can speak when they wish but all need to reach a crescendo, then get quieter, withdrawing voices until there is silence. The teacher could then break the silence with, ‘Don't think that it's only the heart that b-b-b-breaks’.

Re-writing in role: Each group takes a different stanza from the poem. Keeping the form and structure, they re-write it together as if it is Havisham speaking before the wedding day, only idealistically and lovingly. The stanzas can be read aloud in sequence afterwards, as one monologue.