2. Activity 1
• One-minute defence
– On your own, write a defence of introducing Shakespeare
in the classroom (or not!?)
• You have about 5 minutes to list down your arguments (for or
against introducing Shakespeare into a Secondary classroom)
• You have 1 minute to defend your stand.
3. Problems students encounter
• The language of Shakespeare
• The complicated plots of the plays especially the
comedies or history plays
• The lack of stage directions
• The use of Acts, scenes and lines
• The use of blank verse
• The complication of the historical setting of the plays
4. Some Suggestions
• The language
– With most classes, you will probably need to provide them
with a modern translation to begin with
– As a start, you may want to skim scenes which may not
make much sense to the students.
– Provide them with a glossary of terms pertinent to the
play they are studying
5. Some Suggestions
• We can get students to come out to the front and do
the actions and facial expressions while another
student reads the words.
• The role of FILM
– One way to teach Shakespeare is to
read an Act and then show that
section of the film with students
reading along with their texts.
– After showing an original traditional version of
Shakespeare show a modern version – the recent BBC
series or modernist versions.
6. Some Suggestions
• Read a scene in class and then have them write a
modern language expansion of the scene.
– For instance, when Lady Macbeth is going mad, write a
scene where the servants, including her nurse, are
speaking about her at the lunch table. Then the scene with
the nurse and the doctor.
7. How much Background do the
students need?
• Not too much!
– Perhaps you could write a journal entry or a short
narrative about someone living in Shakespeare’s time and
their experience of going to the theatre.
– Use illustrations from the internet google image search
• to show what London looked like –
what people wore.
– Use short excerpts from Shakespeare in
Love, Elizabeth etc. to show what life
was like.
– Introduce them to the MAN…
8. How to interest them?
• Use the sensational parts of Shakespeare to get
students interested – the witches in Macbeth – the
ghost in Hamlet – the storm in The Tempest, the
murders and blood.
• With Romeo and Juliet students are really interested
in Juliet’s age and her preparedness to be put in a
tomb with dead bodies.
9. How to interest them?
• Students really enjoy
– the witches’ scene in Macbeth.
– scene of Banquo’s ghost in Macbeth.
– the nurse’s scene with Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
– conflict – swordsmanship – choreography of scenes.
10. How to Interest them?
• Use the skills of the class – dancers/
singers/musicians/artists/ history lovers /film
makers/ actors etc.
– Get students to use visuals to approach the texts.
– Comic strips
– Posters
– Illustrations for retellings
– Class room decorations
– Film making
– Collages
11. How to Interest Them?
• WRITING
– Lower Sec: It is better for them to do modern retellings of
the scenes or stories. For example – set Macbeth in a
school, or a football team, set Romeo and Juliet in two
rival fashion houses.
• Students like writing in the forms they are familiar
with in their own popular culture
– Get students to sms message between Romeo and Juliet.
– Have students write the conversation in a chatroom.
– Get students on line making a blog for Romeo or Juliet – with pictures.
12. How to Interest Them?
• Get students to take a scene and select the music for
the scene, download it and share it with class.
• Get students to take a scene and put in
modern stage directions.
• Get students to storyboard a scene and how they
would film it.
• Give each group a scene to record with music and
sound effects
13. How to Interest Them?
• Get students to invite other classes to enjoy an
Elizabethan feast with some music and a
performance of a couple of scenes.
– Use the talents of different members of class to provide
this.
– Students should be working on invitations, posters, props,
music, menus, food. Students can be assessed on their
contribution to the event. This kind of thing is a way to get
students training in events management.
14. Reading Scenes
• Instead of reading the whole thing at once set groups
of students the task of reading and acting the scene
and then giving a plain English translation.
• Students MUST always know that they are reading
and acting a play – they must understand the
features of drama.
• Get students to perform and read scenes with
different emphasis. For example the witches could
be drunk – Macbeth could be a bit sleazy – hitting
on the witches.
15. Resources on Net
• There are plenty out there…but you may want to
check these three out:
– http://www.teach-shakespeare.com/
– http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/educational.htm#Intro
– http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/
– http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=618
