Drama and poetry pre-1900 (Component 01) - Section 1 set texts: Shakespeare - The set texts for examination until 2026 are: — OCR A-Level English Literature
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Drama and poetry pre-1900 (Component 01) - Section 1 set texts: Shakespeare - The set texts for examination until 2026 are: explained
For examinations up until 2026, students may study Shakespeare's late tragedy 'Coriolanus' as their Section 1 set text.
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This play demands rigorous analysis of its political themes, particularly the conflict between patricians and plebeians, and the complex characterisation of its titular anti-hero, Caius Martius. Students must explore Shakespeare's use of martial imagery, rhetorical persuasion, and the structural isolation of Coriolanus to convey themes of pride, power, and maternal influence via Volumnia. A successful study involves examining the play's historical context, its reception, and how dramatic methods shape meaning, preparing students to construct cohesive arguments about political and personal tragedies.
Hamlet
Studying Hamlet as a set text for Component 01, Section 1 requires a deep engagement with Shakespearean dramatic methods and interpretations. For examinations until 2026, students must navigate a two-part question. Part (a) demands close analysis of how Shakespeare constructs meaning through language, form, and structure in a specific extract, such as Hamlet’s soliloquies. Part (b) requires an essay on the wider play, integrating critical interpretations to explore how different audiences across time might respond to its tragic conventions. Students must avoid discussing historical context (AO3), as it is not assessed here, focusing instead on textual analysis (AO1, AO2) and debating diverse critical readings (AO5).
Measure for Measure
As a designated Shakespeare set text for examination until 2026, Measure for Measure demands rigorous analysis of dramatic conventions within a single, integrated essay. Students must consider issues raised in a specific extract in relation to the wider play, avoiding the two-part structure used at AS Level. Responses must evaluate Shakespeare's complex use of language, form, and structure (AO2) to navigate moral ambiguity, such as the Duke's machinations or Isabella's dilemma. Furthermore, students must integrate diverse critical interpretations (AO5) to debate these issues. Crucially, students must omit historical or Jacobean context (AO3), as it is not assessed in this section, focusing entirely on textual analysis and critical debate to construct a cohesive argument.
Richard III
As a set text for Component 01 (Drama and poetry pre-1900), Shakespeare’s Richard III requires students to analyse dramatic methods and explore varying critical interpretations. You must examine Richard’s Machiavellian rise and fall, focusing on his direct address to the audience, which creates complicity. A strong analysis will evaluate how staging, language, and structure shape meaning, such as the use of stichomythia in Richard's wooing of Lady Anne. You must also engage with critical interpretations over time, assessing how different audiences view Richard's theatricality. Note that contextual factors (AO3) are not assessed in this section; focus entirely on textual analysis (AO2) and critical debate (AO5).
The Tempest
For Component 01 (Drama and poetry pre-1900), Shakespeare’s The Tempest demands a close analysis of dramatic techniques and critical interpretations. As a late romance, the play blends magic, betrayal, and reconciliation. You must explore Prospero’s control over the island, analysing how his use of language and magic shapes the dramatic action. Examine the contrasting portrayals of Caliban and Ariel to discuss themes of servitude and freedom. A successful response will evaluate structural elements like the masque and the epilogue, while engaging with varied critical readings, such as post-colonial interpretations of Caliban. Remember that context (AO3) is not assessed here; focus on AO1, AO2, and AO5.
Twelfth Night
For examinations up until 2026, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night serves as a core set text for Component 01. This transgressive comedy explores the fluidity of gender, the madness of love, and the subversion of social hierarchies, primarily through Viola's cross-dressing as Cesario and the carnivalesque humiliation of Malvolio. Students must analyse Shakespeare's dramatic methods, such as his use of prose versus blank verse to denote class and emotional state, and the structural reliance on disguise and dramatic irony. A successful study requires evaluating the play's melancholic undertones, particularly through Feste's songs, and engaging with diverse critical interpretations regarding desire and puritanism.
Your focus
- Analyse the dramatic methods Shakespeare uses to construct the character of Coriolanus.
- Evaluate the presentation of political conflict between different social classes within the play.
- Synthesise contextual knowledge and critical interpretations to form a cohesive argument about the text.
Show all 18 objectives
- Analyse Shakespeare's use of dramatic structure and poetic language in specific extracts from Hamlet.
- Evaluate different critical interpretations of the play across time to address AO5.
- Structure responses to address the distinct requirements of the two-part exam question accurately.
- Examine the dramatic function of language and structure within specific extracts of Measure for Measure and the wider play.
- Evaluate differing critical interpretations of the play's moral ambiguity and character motivations.
- Construct a single, integrated essay that connects extract analysis with broader textual knowledge and critical views.
- Analyse Shakespeare's dramatic methods, including soliloquy and staging, in Richard III.
- Evaluate the impact of structural and linguistic choices on the audience's perception of characters.
- Synthesise different critical interpretations regarding Richard's character and the play's moral ambiguity.
- Analyse the dramatic functions of magic, spectacle, and language in The Tempest.
- Evaluate how structural choices, such as the masque and epilogue, shape the play's meaning.
- Apply diverse critical perspectives to interpret the complex power dynamics between Prospero, Caliban, and Ariel.
- Articulate how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony and disguise to drive the plot and explore themes of identity.
- Evaluate the impact of contextual factors, such as Twelfth Night festivities and Puritanism, on the play's reception.
- Synthesise personal analysis with established critical views to construct a coherent, text-based argument.
Drama and poetry pre-1900 (Component 01) - Section 1 set texts: Shakespeare - The set texts for examination until 2026 are: exam tips
Marking Points
- Analyse Shakespeare's use of language, form, and structure in 'Coriolanus' to shape meanings and dramatic effects.
- Evaluate the significance of contextual factors, such as Jacobean politics and Roman history, in shaping the play's themes.
- Incorporate a range of critical interpretations regarding Coriolanus's character and the play's political conflicts.
- Construct a coherent, well-evidenced argument that directly addresses the specific focus of the exam question.
- Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to Hamlet, supported by close textual analysis in both parts of the question.
- In Part (a), analyse Shakespeare's use of dramatic methods, including soliloquy, blank verse, and stagecraft, to shape meaning within the extract.
- In Part (b), explore connections across the wider text and evaluate different critical interpretations of characters and themes.
- Ensure all analysis focuses on the text and interpretations, strictly avoiding the inclusion of historical or cultural context (AO3).
- Construct a single, integrated response exploring how issues in a specific extract of Measure for Measure relate to the wider play.
- Analyse Shakespeare's dramatic methods (AO2), such as the manipulation of language, form, and structural shifts between prose and verse.
- Engage with varying critical perspectives (AO5) regarding the morality of the characters, particularly the Duke and Isabella.
- Exclude any discussion of Jacobean political or religious contexts, as AO3 is not assessed in this section.
- Articulate a creative, informed and relevant response to the text, using appropriate terminology (AO1).
- Analyse Shakespeare's use of language, such as soliloquies, imagery, and rhetorical devices (AO2).
- Explore how dramatic methods, including staging and structure, shape meaning in the play (AO2).
- Incorporate and evaluate different critical interpretations of Richard's character and the play's themes (AO5).
- Construct a well-structured argument using precise dramatic terminology and well-selected quotations (AO1).
- Analyse Shakespeare's dramatic methods, including the use of spectacle, masque, and stage directions (AO2).
- Examine the varied use of verse and prose to distinguish between noble characters and lower-class or comic figures (AO2).
- Engage with a range of critical interpretations, including post-colonial, feminist, and psychoanalytic readings (AO5).
- Demonstrate detailed knowledge of Twelfth Night, incorporating well-selected quotations to support arguments about character and theme.
- Analyse Shakespeare's dramatic methods, including stagecraft, soliloquies, and the structural use of dramatic irony and disguise.
- Explore the contextual factors shaping the play, such as Elizabethan attitudes towards gender, sumptuary laws, and the rise of Puritanism.
- Engage with a range of critical interpretations, debating whether the play's ending restores traditional order or leaves subversive tensions unresolved.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Focus closely on the specific passage provided in the exam, using it as a springboard to discuss the wider play.
- 💡Track the motif of the body politic throughout the play to discuss the relationship between the individual and the state.
- 💡Integrate critical views seamlessly by using them to challenge or support your own analysis of Coriolanus's actions.
- 💡In Part (a), focus exclusively on the provided extract, analysing language, form, and structure in detail.
- 💡In Part (b), explicitly debate different critical interpretations across time to address AO5 effectively.
- 💡Pay close attention to shifts between prose and verse in the extract, analysing how these transitions reflect character status and relate to the wider play.
- 💡Integrate critical terminology and debate differing critical reactions to the play's ambiguous ending throughout your integrated essay.
- 💡Memorise short, versatile quotations that demonstrate Shakespeare's specific linguistic and dramatic techniques.
- 💡Use critical perspectives not just as bolt-on quotes, but as lenses to debate the extent of Richard's villainy versus his theatrical appeal.
- 💡Contrast the language of different characters, such as Caliban's rich natural imagery in blank verse versus the drunken prose of Stephano and Trinculo.
- 💡Use the play's genre as a late romance to explain its blend of tragic elements with a harmonious, albeit ambiguous, resolution.
- 💡Always link your analysis of dramatic techniques, such as Feste's wordplay or Viola's soliloquies, directly to the question's core debate.
- 💡Integrate critical perspectives fluidly to build an argument, rather than simply bolting on disconnected quotes from literary critics.
- 💡Remember that this text is valid for examination only until 2026; ensure you are using the correct past papers and mark schemes for your cohort.
Common Mistakes
- Error: Treating the play solely as a historical documentary about Rome rather than a Jacobean dramatic construct. Correction: Always link historical context back to Shakespeare's dramatic purpose and the contemporary Jacobean audience.
- Error: Oversimplifying Coriolanus as merely an arrogant soldier without acknowledging his tragic complexity. Correction: Explore the nuances of his character, including his rigid adherence to patrician ideals and his vulnerability to Volumnia.
- Error: Neglecting the role of the plebeians and the tribunes in the dramatic structure. Correction: Analyse the voices of the citizens and tribunes (Sicinius and Brutus) as crucial counterpoints to Coriolanus's rhetoric.
- Error: Treating characters as real people rather than dramatic constructs. Correction: Analyse characters as vehicles for Shakespeare's thematic and dramatic purposes.
- Error: Including historical context, such as Elizabethan views on revenge. Correction: Omit context (AO3) entirely, as it is unassessed; focus on language (AO2) and interpretations (AO5).
- Error: Using the extract as a springboard for the wider play in a single essay. Correction: Treat Part (a) and Part (b) as distinct tasks with their own specific assessment objectives.
- Error: Dividing the essay into two distinct parts for the extract and the wider play, mimicking the AS Level format. Correction: Write a single, cohesive essay that continuously links the extract to the play as a whole.
- Error: Discussing Jacobean contexts like James I's views on authority. Correction: Remove all contextual analysis (AO3) and focus strictly on critical interpretations (AO5) and textual analysis (AO2).
- Error: Summarising the complex plot instead of analysing how the narrative is constructed. Correction: Focus on the dramatic effects of structural choices, such as the bed-trick or the Duke's disguise.
- Including historical context about the Wars of the Roses or Tudor myth; correction: this is not assessed in Section 1, so focus strictly on the text and interpretations.
- Describing Richard's actions without analysing the dramatic methods used to portray them; correction: focus on how his language and soliloquies manipulate the audience.
- Ignoring the role of female characters; correction: ensure you analyse how figures like Margaret and Anne function as voices of memory, curse, and conscience.
- Including historical context about Jacobean colonialism or magic; correction: this is not assessed in Section 1, so focus on textual analysis and critical views.
- Viewing Prospero solely as a benevolent figure; correction: ensure you also explore his tyrannical traits and the ambiguity of his control through critical lenses.
- Focusing entirely on plot summary; correction: instead, analyse the dramatic effects of structure, such as the disruption of the opening storm and the final reconciliation.
- Treating the play solely as a lighthearted comedy; correction: acknowledge the melancholic elements, such as Antonio's marginalisation and Malvolio's unresolved abuse.
- Describing characters as real people rather than dramatic constructs; correction: analyse characters like Viola and Orsino in terms of their dramatic function and Shakespeare's authorial intent.
- Ignoring the significance of form and structure; correction: explicitly discuss how shifts between prose and blank verse reflect social status or emotional intensity.