STUDY GUIDE

Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien

Adapted by Kim Selody Produced by permission and under license from Middle-Earth Enterprises.

All Rights Reserved.

Presenting sponsor:

Children’s Series

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MTYP acknowledges the ongoing support of:

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™

The Hobbit™ Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien

Adapted by Kim Selody

Produced with permission and under license from Middle-earth Enterprises.

All rights reserved.

,

Study guide prepared by ELLEN PETERSON

Study guide images created by LINDA LEON

CAST

HERBIE BARNES Bilbo Baggins

TIFFANY AYALIK Elrond et al.

COLUMPA BOBB Old Took et al.

JAMES DURHAM Gollum et al.

DAVID GILLIES Thorin

TOBY HUGHES Bombur et al.

LOC LU Balin et al.

DAVID WARBURTON Gandalf et al.

SANDRA McEWING 1st Stage Manager

DUSTYN WALES 2nd Stage Manager

KATHERINE JOHNSTON Apprentice Stage Manager

CREATIVE TEAM

HERBIE BARNES Director

RON JENKINS Associate Director

LINDA LEON Set / Costume Design

SCOTT HENDERSON Lighting Design

OLAF PYTLLIK Sound Design

Manitoba Theatre for Young People is celebrating its 30th season as Manitoba’s only

professional theatre devoted solely to young people. MTYP is Manitoba’s most influential arts

organization, in young audience development, family attendance, social issue education and

cross-cultural understanding, playing to an audience of over 125,000 people each year. Each

year, MTYP presents a season of performances at our theatre, The Shaw Performing Arts Centre

at The Forks. In addition, the company tours extensively in Winnipeg and Manitoba in both the

Fall and Spring, and tours nationally throughout Canada. MTYP operates a theatre school with

over 1200 students enrolled each year, and its Aboriginal Arts Training & Mentorship Program

reaches over 600 students annually.

Manitoba Theatre for Young People is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian

Theatres (PACT) and engages under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional

artists who are members of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

The Hobbit performance dates: October 27 – November 13, 2011

Dear Educator,

J. R. R. Tolkien intended The Hobbit for a wide age range of readers. Please feel free

to adapt the following exercises to your class, be it a class of younger or older

students, as you see fit.

The actors and staff at MTYP greatly enjoy receiving feedback from you and your

students through various expressions - drawings, reviews, stories, and / or comments.

Please forward any responses to:

Manitoba Theatre for Young People

Shaw Performing Arts Centre

2 Forks Market Road

Winnipeg, MB R3C 4X1

Sincerely yours,

Leslee Silverman

STUDY GUIDE

“Myths develop a link with the past, a continuity that helps people weather the presents and

look forward to the future. In an era of unprecedented change, the links to the past are

stretched to the breaking point, and a people without roots are likely to become a people

without branches or flowers.”

Daniel Grotta, The Biography of J.R.R. Tolkien

CONTENTS

I…. BEFORE THE PLAY

• Plot Synopsis

II… AFTER THE PLAY

• Questions for Discussion

• Activity: Writing Reviews

III… ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IV… ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE PLAY

• Glossary of Characters

• Activity: Pass the Story String

• Activity: Story and Scene

V… THE HERO’S JOURNEY

• Activity: Courage

VI… RIDDLES

• A very hard riddle... (for older students)

VII… FANTASY AND MYTH: CREATING OTHER WORLDS

• Activity: Creating a world

• 3 Additional Activities

• Answers to riddles

VIII… FURTHER READlNG

I BEFORE THE PLAY

I am not alive, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air.

I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?

Plot Synopsis

Hundreds of years before the adventure of The Hobbit begins, Smaug the Dragon destroyed the

town of Dale and stole the great treasure that dwarves had stored under nearby Lonely

Mountain.

When the story of the play begins, Thorin has organized a party of dwarves to reclaim the

treasure. Gandalf (the Wizard) hires Bilbo Baggins, a home—loving Hobbit, to accompany the

dwarves as expert burglar. Bilbo’s adventurous streak starts him reluctantly on a grand

adventure.

In their quest to reclaim the treasure, Bilbo and the dwarves encounter trolls, elves and goblins,

and outsmart the evil Gollum. They find ancient and powerful swords, a map, a magic ring, and

are helped along the way by a variety of creatures. After a fight with the dragon and a terrible

battle, Bilbo Baggins returns home more peace-loving than ever, but with an increased sense of

his own courage and strength.

II AFTER THE PLAY

Questions for Discussion

• Why does Bilbo Baggins go on the journey even though he says he doesn’t want to?

• What does Bilbo Baggins gain by his adventure? Does he change his mind about

anything?

• Do any of the other characters change or learn?

• Is Tolkien’s fantasy world similar to the real world in any way? Are the creatures like

people?

• What is the moral of the story? What does the author think about greed? War?

Activity: Writing Reviews

Each student writes a review of the play, sharing their impressions of the performances, set and

costume design, and script. Encourage the reviewers to state clearly what they did and did not

like, and why.

III ABOUT THE AUTHOR

What can run but never walks,

Has a mouth but never talks,

Has a bed but never sleeps,

Has a head but never weeps?

“I am in fact a hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands: I smoke

a pipe and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking: I like, and even dare

to wear in these dull days, ornamental Waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field):

have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome): I go to

bed late and get up late (when possible). I do not travel much.” J.R.R. Tolkien

The acclaimed “Hobbit” creator and scholar, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was an inventor of

sorts, having created mythological lands, creatures and languages in his many works. In school,

Ronald discovered that he had an aptitude for languages. He also was fond of creating

adventure stories and even new complex languages.

As a teenager, he met his first and lifelong love, Edith Bratt. They married in 1916; a year after

Tolkien graduated from Oxford with First Class Honours in “philology,” the study of language.

He returned to Oxford ten years later as a professor of Anglo-Saxon. By that time, he and Edith

had four children: John, Michael, Christopher and Priscilla. It was for them, and for his own

diversion, that Tolkien originally wrote The Hobbit.

“Middle-earth,” the fictional land where the story is set, was his playground, where he could

escape after a day of teaching. In 1936, Tolkien showed the nearly completed manuscript to a

student, who in turn submitted it to her employers at a London publishing house. The chairman

of the firm gave the book to his 10-year-old son to scrutinise. The boy delighted in the tale, and

declared that it “should appeal to children between the ages of 5 and 9.” When the book sold

out soon after it was printed, Tolkien’s publisher recommended that he write a sequel and so

work began on The Lord of the Rings.

The detail and background of Tolkien’s stories are unmatched. Some interviewers who spoke

with him have reported that Tolkien would talk about Middle-earth and its inhabitants as if they

really existed. Perhaps it was because he had conceived such lengthy histories, family trees,

legends and social customs and complete languages for each type of creature in his stories. This

gave them the appearance of being real, of having existed even before Tolkien began writing

about them.

Tolkien professed to be a hobbit — at least in his habits. But in his logic, knowledge and

insights, and in his love of adventure, he was perhaps more like Gandalf the Grey, the wizard

who guides all the good through their journeys.

IV ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE PLAY

To cross the water I’m the way,

For water I’m above.

I touch it not and, truth to say,

I neither swim nor move.

Glossary of Characters:

Hobbits

Quiet, simple peaceful creatures who live in the Shire, west of the Misty Mountains. Short (full-

grown Hobbits are about half the size of men) with round stomachs and furry feet (they do not

wear shoes). Their homes are made in the sides of hills and are dry, clean and comfortable.

They are especially fond of food and especially dislike any kind of adventure.

Gandalf the Grey - wizard and seer

Also Known as Mithrander or the Grey Wanderer, friend to all Free Peoples. Generally limits the

use of his power to guiding and assisting others in their quests. Usually disguised as an

eccentric, old vagabond.

Dwarves

Short and stocky with long beards. Wear heavy boots and large hoods. Are primarily concerned

with the crafting and hoarding of treasure. Their greatest enemies are dragons and they also

despise goblins.

Thorin Oakenshield

Heir to King Durin, eldest and most royal of the Seven Fathers of Dwarves in middle-earth. An

ungrateful, driven, greedy, demanding and pretentious dwarf.

Bombur, Balin, Fili and KiIi

The dwarves who accompany Thorin on his quest to recover the treasure from Smaug the

Dragon.

Trolls

Giant, dull-witted predators with hides of overlapping scales. Turn to stone if caught in the

direct rays of the sun. Live underground in dirty caves.

Elves

The first inhabitants of Middle-earth. Immortal creatures who are highly intelligent. Some are

skilled metal smiths who invest their works with healing or magical powers. Airy and elusive,

lovers of nature and song.

Elrond — Lord of RivendelI

A royal descendent of the race of elves and hero of the North. Master of Rivendell - a safe and

secret elf haven in the foothills of the Misty Mountains where evil things cannot come.

Extremely kind, wise and knowledgeable.

Goblins

Ferocious, blood-drinking creatures used as soldiers by the forces of evil in Middle-earth. Not

clever enough to mount full blown attacks against enemy forces on their own, but manage to

successfully ambush travellers passing near their mountain or woodland hideouts.

Gollum —- Murderer and Ringbearer

Formerly a hobbit. Corrupted and disfigured by the evil side of the powerful ring he has

possessed for over 500 years. A treacherous murderer.

Thranduil — Elfin-king of Northern Mirkwood

With his wood—elves, he has managed to resist the evil forces that have overrun Mirkwood

Forest. He has, however, by necessity, become wary and suspicious over the years and will not

tolerate even friendly or neutral parties who wander off the Old Forest Road and into his

woods.

Bard — the Bowman

Plays a significant role in recovering the treasure from Smaug the Dragon. Is at a later time

crowned King of the city of Dale for his heroism and restores the city, (which had long ago been

destroyed by the dragon) to its former glory.

Smaug - the Dragon

Cunning, cruel and fearsome. Destroyed the town of Dale and stole the great treasure that

dwarves had stored under nearby Lonely Mountain until Thorin and company finally came to

reclaim it two centuries later.

Activity: Pass the Story String

Prepare a “Story String” in advance, using a ball of coloured yarn. At varying intervals along the

length of the yarn, tie a short piece of a different colour. Rewind the ball of yarn as you go, until

you have come to the end. Find a small box or can with a removable lid, and punch a hole in the

lid. Thread the end of the yarn through the hole.

Students sit in a circle. The first storyteller is given a short round stick, such as a paintbrush

handle, and as s/he begins to tell a story, s/he winds the yarn around the stick until reaching

the knot. When the knot meets the stick, the storyteller passes the stick and the yarn on to the

next person, who continues the story from that point.

You can use this as a method for “retelling” (and therefore retaining) the story of the play or

another story they have recently read. Or you can invent a story. It helps to give the first

storyteller a setting or character to start with. You can also add the rule that every time a

storyteller comes to a knot, they must add a new and original element to the story.

Activity: Story and Scene

If your class was familiar with the Hobbit before seeing the MTYP production, they would have

noticed many differences between the book and the play. To create a ninety-minute play based

on a lengthy book, decisions have to be made about which events, characters and themes are

most important. No two playwrights will approach this task in the same way.

Divide the class into small groups and give each group the same story to read - preferably a very

familiar one with several characters and elaborate settings. After reading the story together,

each group plans and rehearses the scene they feel is the climax of the story. For sets and

props, they may only use what they find in the classroom. When they have prepared their

scenes, perform them, and note the differences in interpretation. Different groups might

choose entirely different scenes as the climax.

V THE HERO’S JOURNEY

What is it the more you take, the more you leave behind?

Bilbo’s story is a hero’s journey. He embarks on a quest, during which he faces many tests and t

choices. What are some other stories that use this framework? What is the point of telling a

story in this way?

Activity: Courage

Discuss Bilbo’s journey with your class, focusing on the tests and choices he faces. ‘What helps

Bilbo get through it? Bilbo discovers that he has a great deal more courage than he realised.

Discuss what it means to have courage, and list examples of courageous people. Ask your

students to draw a picture of a time when they needed courage to get through a situation.

VI RIDDLES

The beginning of eternity,

The end of time and space,

The beginning of every end,

And the end of every race.

There are plenty of books of riddles, and riddle sites on the web. Older students may be able to

make up their own riddles.

A very hard riddle... (for older students)

You are standing between two doors, and you must enter one of them, One leads to paradise,

the other to a place full of evil. Each door has a guard. One guard always lies, the other always

tells the truth, but there is no way to know which is which. The guards both know which door is

the one leading to paradise. To help you with your choice, you may ask one of the guards one

question.

What do you ask?

Solution: Ask either guard the following question: “Which door will the other guard tell me is

the one leading to paradise?” The lying guard will tell the wrong door, because he will lie about

the answer the truthful guard will give. The truthful guard will tell you the lie the other guard

will tell. Enter the door opposite to the answer you get.

VII FANTASY AND MYTH! CREATING OTHER WORLDS

I never was, am always to be,

No—one ever saw me, nor ever will,

And yet I am the confidence of all

Who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.

Activity: Creating a world

When he wrote The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien created an entire Mythology of Middle earth,

complete with a language, geography, races and history. Using the school and its surrounding

area as the basis, create a fantasy world. Some steps toward completing a mythology of your

own:

Choose key locations and give them new names. Perhaps the principal’s office is the Palace of

the Lord of the Intercom. One corner of the school yard might be the Bully’s Lair, etc.

Make a map of your world. Which areas are perilous? Where might there be a hidden treasure?

What objects have magical powers?

Give the different classroom groups and the staff their own cultural identities. Who are they?

What do they like to do? Naturally, you will not want to make any group the “bad guys.” Use

Tolkien’s descriptions of Hobbits as a guide:

“...as a rule good—natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, with mouths apt to

laughter, and to eating and drinking. And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and

heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get

them). They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away

and eagerly accepted.”

Your classroom will have its own culture. Create a story or poem about the history of your

“people.” Choose a favourite food, game and a national hero. Make a flag.

Characters: Each student can create his or her own character to live in the world you have

created. Invent the character’s name, personality, likes and dislikes, physical appearance,

costume, magic powers, friends and family, and so on. Add a visual art component to the

exercise by drawing portraits or making masks for the characters.

Activity

Let each student find a space in the room by him or herself. For a few minutes, ask them to

close their eyes and visualise their character moving, walking, sitting, eating, etc. The call out an

hour of the day: “6:00 in the morning,” and working individually, the students perform

whatever activity their character might be doing at 6:00 AM. They might be sleeping, eating

breakfast, or guarding the castle. Go through the whole day in this fashion. By the end of the

exercise, the students will have a very vividly imagined character to use in role-play exercises.

Pair the students up and have them create a scene in which their characters meet.

Activity

Plan a treasure hunt/adventure in the school, using your map and characters, and riddles for

clues. Your class could plan the event for other classes to experience. This might be an

opportunity to tackle map-reading and orienteering.

Activity

Look for books, movies and television shows set in fantasy Worlds. Examples include: Alice in

Wonderland, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, and

Pokémon. What do these stories have in common? Which characters fulfill the same role (Wise

leader, seeker, and evil presence) in each world?

Write or act out a story in which a character from one world finds him/herself in one of the

other worlds.

Answers to riddles (in the order in which they appear)

• fire

• a river

• a bridge

• footsteps

• the letter ‘e’

• tomorrow

VIII FURTHER READING

Another classroom study guide:

A Literature Unit: A Guide for Using the Hobbit in the Classroom

Retail: $11.95

Available at: Scholar’s Choice

1610 Ness Avenue Q

775-4608

Not in stores currently, you can order online if you have a membership.

Recommended readings, as compiled by the Winnipeg Millenium Library:

1. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973, Lord of the Rings / London :

HarperCollinsPublishers, 1995, c1990.

- Fantasy fiction

2. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973, Farmer Giles of Ham /London : Unwin

Paperbacks, c1983.

- Fantasy fiction

3. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and

other verses from the Red Book / Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1978, c1962.

- Fantasy fiction

4. Cooper, Susan. Gill, Margery. Over sea, Under stone / San Diego : Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich

[1979], c1965.

- Fantasy fiction

- Dark is rising sequence; bk.01

5. Cooper, Susan. Cober, Alan E. The dark is rising / New York : Atheneum, c1973.

- “A Margaret A. McElderry Book.” Fantasy fiction

- Dark is rising sequence; bk.02

6. Cooper, Susan. Greenwitch / New York : Atheneum, c1974.

- Fantasy fiction

- Dark is rising sequence; bk.03

7. Cooper, Susan. Heslop, Michael. The grey king / New York : Atheneum, c1975.

- Fantasy fiction

- Dark is rising sequence; bk. 04

8. Cooper, Susan. Silver on the tree / New York : Atheneum, c1977.

- Fantasy fiction

- Dark is rising sequence; bk.05

9. Le Guin, Ursula K, 1929-. Robbins, Ruth. A wizard of Earthsea / Oakland, California :

Parnassus Press, c1968.

-Fantasy fiction

- Earthsea series; bk.01

10. Le Guin, Ursula K, 1929-. Garraty, Gill. The tombs of Atuan Illustrated by Gail Garraty

New York : Atheneum, c1971.

- Fantasy fiction

- Earthsea series; bk.02

11. Le Guin, Ursula K., 1929-. Garraty, Gail. The farthest shore / New York : Atheneum,

c1972.

- Fantasy fiction

- Earthsea series; bk.03

12. McKinley, Robin. The blue sword / New York : Greenwillow Books, c1982.

- Fantasy fiction

13. McKinley, Robin. The berg and the crown / New York : Greenwillow Books, c1984.

- Fantasy fiction

14. Rowling J. K. Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone / London :Bloomsbury, c1997.

- Fantasy fiction

15. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets / Vancouver B. C. : Raincoast

Books,

c1999.

- Fantasy fiction

16. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban / Vancouver, B. C. : Raincoast

Books,

c1999.

- Fantasy fiction