Shakespeare Characters Match: Free Printable Game for Year 8

Shakespeare Characters Match is a free printable game for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13), in Key Stage 3. Pupils join each character to who they are, using what they know from the plays they have read, seen or discussed. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help for pupils who find it hard and a stretch idea.

It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to the pupil and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Page 1 is a matching activity. Pupils join each character to who they are, drawing on plays they have read, watched or talked about in class. They begin with the matches they feel sure about, then use the plays they know to work out the rest. It rewards careful recall and a sense of how characters fit into a story. Pupils then check their choices against the notes on page 2.

Why learn the characters first?

Quick facts about Shakespeare

• Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon, a town in England.
• He wrote plays and poems, and he worked in the theatre in London.
• His plays are often grouped into comedies, tragedies and histories.
• Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English, which is why some words and phrases feel unfamiliar today.
• A modern Globe theatre stands in London, near the River Thames, where audiences can watch his plays.

Skills and curriculum link

• Recall
• Reading
• Literary knowledge
• Understanding characters
• Talking about texts

Ideas to help with matching

• Start with what you knowMatch the characters you feel sure about first. Fewer options are left for the harder ones, so the choices narrow down.
• Think about the playAsk which play a character comes from. Once you know the play, you can think about who else lives in that story.
• Think about the roleAsk what the character does in the story. Are they a leader, a helper, a rival or a friend? Roles are clues.
• Check and explainSay why you made each match out loud. If you cannot explain it, mark it and come back to it after checking page 2.

Key words

• CharacterA person in a story or play.
• RoleThe part a character plays in the story, or who they are in relation to others.
• PlayA story written to be performed by actors on a stage.
• ComedyA type of play that is usually funny and often ends happily.
• TragedyA type of play that is usually serious and often ends in sorrow.
• QuotationThe exact words from a text, copied inside speech marks.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the pupil. Keep page 2, which has the notes for the grown-up.
2. Read the instructions together. Ask the pupil to say which plays they already know.
3. Match the easy ones first. Then use the plays you have read to work out the rest.
4. Work through it together the first time and talk about each choice. Then check against the notes on page 2.
5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

Talk about it

• Which of these characters would you most like to meet? Why?
• Which play do you know best, and what do you remember about it?
• How can you tell what kind of person a character is from what they say?
• Is there a character you changed your mind about as the story went on?
• Why do you think people still perform these plays today?
• If you were directing a play, which character would be hardest to cast?

Take it off the page

Who it is for

Where this fits in

Before this, pupils have usually met stories with clear characters and read extracts from older texts. They have learned to say who a character is and why they matter in a plot. Short matching tasks like this help pupils turn that reading into recall they can use.

After this, pupils can move on to writing about characters in more detail. That includes looking at what they say and do, how they change, and how a writer presents them. The Key Stage 3 aim to read and understand works by Shakespeare builds on exactly this kind of confident knowledge of who is who.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Shakespeare Characters Match for?

It is written for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13), in Key Stage 3. It also works for older or younger pupils who have met some Shakespeare plays and would like a short recall activity.

What will pupils practise?

Pupils recall key characters and roles from Shakespeare plays. This supports the Key Stage 3 English aim to read and understand works by Shakespeare. They also practise careful reading and explaining their choices.

How do I use it?

Print both pages and give page 1 to the pupil. They match the easy ones first, then use the plays they have read for the rest. Check together against the notes on page 2.

What if it feels too hard?

Give pupils the play names for each character. This narrows the choices and lets them think about the story. They can also start with the matches they know and leave the rest until later.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision whenever you like.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Colour is not needed to play or to check the answers, so it is cheap to print for a whole class.

How long does it take?

It depends on how many of the plays the pupil knows and how much they discuss each match. Let them work at their own pace and stop when they tire. They can come back another day to finish.