I’ve been thinking about Shakespeare a lot recently–I’ve been getting into theater, I saw Something Rotten and read Twelfth Night this summer, I’m getting deeper into learning to teach English, and now my brother’s in high school and will be reading Romeo and Juliet this year.
When I heard that last item, I was a little disappointed…I saw a production of it my freshman year of high school, and there’s certainly a lot of dramatic momentum and memorable words, but it’s gained a bit of unfair stigma as a trivial, quick love story between teenagers (which is basically societal reflection on teenage relationships and the romance genre anyway). I’m worried my brother wouldn’t enjoy it as much as, say, Macbeth.
So this prompted me to reflect and I’d like to share my experience with Shakespeare in school and open up the discussion to those who have read more than me. Please comment!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (freshman year): This was a great introduction. It’s wacky, fun to act out, a good exercise in keeping characters straight, and we got to say “ass” a lot and act out a play within a play.
- Much Ado About Nothing (sophomore year): We watched the movie of this first (the 90s one), which definitely helped when we read it. This we were less concerned with the language and everything, anyway. Less wacky, but still fun?
- Macbeth (senior year): On the serious side, here’s a lot of blood and murder and witches and dramatic tension and irony. Captivating and fun to act out.
I also had a good although not immersive experience (because I spent less time on it) with Twelfth Night this summer–definitely another fun, wacky one, and its use of gender can certainly open up discussions, engagement, and inclusivity in general.
What has been your experiences with Shakespeare in school? What plays engaged you and with what activities?
Olivia Anne Gennaro 
I adore Shakespeare. We did Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet in school. I also love The Taming Of The Shrew – I’ve seen the film and TV adaption. I intend to study it in depth in the last year of open uni! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck! I haven’t read that one yet
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly I’ve never read any Shakespeare 🙈
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw! I would suggest seeing a play for fun sometime–better to watch then read on your own
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not a fan of Shakespeare but I’ve read a handful of his plays for school, such as, Midsummer’s Night Dream (8th grade), Romeo & Juliet (9th grade), Othello (10th grade), and Hamlet (12th grade).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still need to read Othello and Hamlet. Sorry he hasn’t worked for you! I do prefer watching interpretations of it than actually read it on my own (bit easier with a class)
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I’m was 10 my class put on a production of Romeo and Juliet. I still remember the script to this day. It introduced me to my love of Shakespeare.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My school was boring. We didn’t do any Shakespeare plays and the only one we read by him was Romeo and Juliette.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww. They’re really fun to act out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My school does a Shakespeare play every year, we started off with A Midsummer Night’s Dream when I was 12 which I didn’t enjoy much, I think primarily because I was so young. Next we did Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet which I also didn’t enjoy much, however when I was 15 we did Much Ado About Nothing which I really enjoyed. This year we are doing Othello which is quite enjoyable. I think that my school did Macbeth a bit too early, but the others were good choices for me being so young.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting! I still need to read Othello
LikeLike
I love Shakespeare!! Unfortunately my school didn’t study his plays at all, but luckily I still discovered my love for his work! Great post x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! And that’s unfortunate; it’s usually fairly standard to study at least one
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll be honest, school put me right off Shakespeare’s work for a long time as I didn’t enjoy Romeo and Juliet. I then read MacBeth and King Lear though, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed! I’m still not a massive Shakespeare fan though (bad I know), I enjoy reading his sonnets though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You don’t have to be a massive fan! But I do think school can put people off reading it as much as it can ease students in and make them see it isn’t as intimidating
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Shakespeare – being English and close to Stratford, our school experience included visits to his birth place and productions in the globe by the royal Shakespeare company. I love twelfth night and the tempest!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really want to visit the Globe and other places when I go to England!
LikeLike
I love Shakespeare, and Macbeth has always been one of my favourites personally. I want to hit the Stratford festival again, it’s been too long!
Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca/
LikeLiked by 1 person
At my school in the UK we do some Shakespeare for every year group. This is what this coming year’s timetable looks like: https://boarsheadeastcheap.com/2017/07/10/age-cannot-stale-him/ Next year (2018/19), I think I’m going to add Julius Caesar into the mix.
Personally, I’m not a fan of teaching R&J. Like you have alluded to, it comes with a lot of baggage and preconceptions – especially from boys, who tend to be the most resistant to Shakespeare anyway. Additionally, the language is not as accessible as othe plays – Macbeth, for example (which also has the added benefit of being short) …
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m going to do some student teaching spring 2020 (it may be what you call the summer term though, or some of it) in England hopefully, so it will be interesting to see what they cover. My college is putting on Julius Caesar this year so I’m excited for that.
LikeLike