HOW IS HE REMEMBERED?
1. What does it mean when you have a reputation?
2. How has King John been portrayed?
- How do people get reputations, such as celebrities or even people in school?
- Are these ‘reputations’ always fair and balance? Do they reflect what these people are really like? What does it mean to have a balanced view of someone?
2. How has King John been portrayed?
- You are going to investigate someone from the past who has a bad reputation and decide whether he deserves it. This person is King John and most people know him from the Robin Hood films. What can they remember about how King John comes across in the story of Robin Hood? (maybe they have seen the Disney film or the recent one with Russell Crowe)
- Alternatively or in addition, students could watch some scenes from the Disney film showing King John:
- King John has been portrayed negatively in a play by Shakespeare, as well as famous poems (Milne), books, films and TV Series. Your task is going to be to investigate how ‘balanced’ filmmakers and writers have been with King John.