Exploring characterisation in 'Arthur and the Golden Rope' | English

Starter quiz

At the beginning of the text 'Arthur and the Golden Rope', which character causes Arthur to leave his town?
- 'Fenrir' ✓
True or false. Odin, the father of the gods, conjures the golden rope which is given to Thor.
- 'True' ✓
Throughout the story, what characteristics does Joe Todd Stanton (the author) show Arthur to have?
- clever ✓
- cruel
- selfless ✓
- selfish
- courageous ✓
Throughout the story, what characteristics does Joe Todd Stanton (the author) show Thor to have?
- brave ✓
- cowardly
- wise ✓
- powerful ✓
- weak
True or False? The colossal cat helps Arthur when he falls from The World Tree.
- True
- False ✓
Put the events that have happened so far in the text 'Arthur and the Golden Rope' in the correct order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Fenrir extinguishes the great fire.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Arthur travels across the sea to the land of the Viking gods.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Arthur collects the sound of the cat's footfall.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Arthur collects the roots of a mountain.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  The golden rope is made by Odin.

Match the following keywords to their definitions.
- characterisation
  
  ⇔
  
  the development of the personality and traits of a character ✓
- convey
  
  ⇔
  
  communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly ✓
- hero
  
  ⇔
  
  a protagonist with noble qualities, often helping others ✓
- expectation
  
  ⇔
  
  anticipated behaviour based on character traits ✓
True or False? Fenrir eats the Hand of Time whole.
- True ✓
- False
What are some of the possible inferences we can make about Fenrir from the illustration?
- Fenrir is shocked. ✓
- Fenrir is happy.
- Fenrir is confused. ✓
- Fenrir is excited.
Which of the following qualities are expected of hero characters?
- strength - physical or otherwise ✓
- arrogance
- courage ✓
- determination ✓
- rudeness
Which qualities of a hero does Thor exhibit in 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'?
- leadership ✓
- courage ✓
- weakness
- physical strength ✓
- cowardice
Which qualities of a hero does Arthur exhibit in 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'?
- selfishness
- physical strength
- intelligence ✓
- determination ✓
- selflessness ✓

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Arthur is chosen for the mission by default
A hero is a person who displays exceptional courage, bravery, selflessness in the face of adversity
The townspeople think he is unlikely to succeed
Arthur proves that their views are incorrect and shows many qualities of a hero

Pupils may expect heroes to embody all of the heroic traits.

Explain to pupils that heroes can go against stereotypes and expectations. These make characters complex and multi-faceted.

Characterisation - Characterisation is the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.
Character traits - Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.
Convey - To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.
Hero - A hero is a protagonist with noble qualities, often saving or helping others.
Expectation - An expectation is anticipated behaviour based on character traits.