Estimated Time: 5 minutes

Miss Spink tells Coraline that she used to play Portia, and Miss Forcible played Ophelia. These two characters come from plays written by a very famous writer named William Shakespeare. Shakespeare lived over 400 years ago, but people still love and perform his plays today. He wrote about kings, queens, friends, and even magical creatures!

Portia is from a play called The Merchant of Venice. She is smart and brave, and she helps save her friend by pretending to be a lawyer. Ophelia is from a play called Hamlet. She is a kind and gentle character who has a difficult time in her story, but people remember her for her sweetness.

Watch this video that tells us all about Shakespeare.

If you were an actor, who would you want to play?