We've really enjoyed reading Shakespeare plays in our family, and in our Shakespeare classes. Some of us have read all of them, in fact But I realize that not everyone has that type of time or desire. Or others may want to test the Shakespeare waters before they dive in completely. I've tried to include everything in this short Shakespeare mini unit that you would need to sample Shakespeare - both who he was and what he wrote. There is a brief timeline of his life and his plays, a little about him as a person, and where he fit in history. Most Shakespeare books include a fairly detailed biography of his life, so I won't repeat what is so easily located. I've included as much as I could about these two plays, so that you can begin to "Share Shakespeare" with your student(s). You don't have to do both of these plays together, but since they share so much history, I've included them both. The notes include a brief synopsis of the plays, a notation on what videos we've enjoyed or not enjoyed for it (or the fact that we couldn't find any, as the case may be), and whatever other notes I had that might serve useful to you in your adventure through this play with your students. I've also included a list of books that I found particularly helpful, if you are looking for more details.